Debra Lynn Winger
[https://www.pressreader.com/usa/closer-weekly/20200511/282084868951188][https://www.discountmags.com/magazine/closer-weekly-may-11-2020-digital/in-this-issue/99961] (born May 16, 1955)
[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_International_Who_s_Who/s90MD22wtA4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=debra+winger+may+1955&dq=debra+winger+may+1955&printsec=frontcover] is an American actress. She starred in the films ''
An Officer and a Gentleman
Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to court martial in the armed forces of some nations.
Use in the United Kingdom
The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of t ...
'' (1982), ''
Terms of Endearment'' (1983), and ''
Shadowlands'' (1993), each of which earned her a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Actress. Winger won the
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for ''Terms of Endearment'', and the
Tokyo International Film Festival Award for Best Actress for ''
A Dangerous Woman'' (1993). Her other film roles include ''
Urban Cowboy'' (1980), ''
Legal Eagles'' (1986), ''
Black Widow
Black widow may refer to:
Spiders
* Black widow spider, a common name for some species of spiders in the genus ''Latrodectus''
American species
* ''Latrodectus apicalis'', the Galapagos black widow
* ''Latrodectus curacaviensis'', the South Amer ...
'' (1987), ''
Betrayed'' (1988), ''
The Sheltering Sky'' (1990), ''
Forget Paris'' (1995), and ''
Rachel Getting Married'' (2008). In 2012, she made her
Broadway debut in the original production of
David Mamet's play ''
The Anarchist''. In 2014, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the
Transilvania International Film Festival.
Winger starred as a series regular in the
Netflix original television series
''The Ranch'' (2016–2020).
Early years
Winger was born in
Cleveland Heights, Ohio, into an Orthodox Jewish family, to Robert Winger, a meat packer, and Ruth (née Felder), an office manager. Over the years, she told many interviewers that she
volunteered on an Israeli kibbutz, sometimes even saying she had trained with the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
, but in a 2008 interview she said she was merely on a typical youth tour that visited the kibbutz. At age 18, after returning to the U.S., she was involved in a car accident and suffered a
cerebral hemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...
; as a result, she was left partially paralyzed and blind for 10 months, initially being told that she would never see again. With time on her hands to think about her life, she decided that, if she recovered, she would move to California and become an actress.
Career
Acting
Winger's first acting role was as "Debbie" in the 1976
sexploitation film
A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit sex ...
''
Slumber Party '57''. Her next role was as Diana Prince's younger sister Drusilla (
Wonder Girl) in three episodes of
ABC's TV series ''
Wonder Woman''. The producers wanted her to appear more often, but she refused, fearing that the role would hurt her fledgling career. This was followed by a guest role in Season 4 of the TV drama ''
Police Woman
The integration of women into law enforcement positions can be considered a large social change. A century ago, there were few jobs open to women in law enforcement. A small number of women worked as correctional officers, and their assignment ...
'' in 1978. Winger played a supporting role in Willard Huyck's 1979 comic coming-of-age film ''
French Postcards''.
Winger's first major role was in ''
Thank God It's Friday
Thanks may refer to:
* ''Thank you'' (phrase), a common expression of gratitude
Film and television
* ''Thanks'' (film), a 2011 American film
* ''Thanks'' (TV series), a 1999 American sitcom
Music Albums
* ''Thanks'', by Ivan Neville, 1994
...
,'' followed by ''
Urban Cowboy'' in 1980, for which she received a
BAFTA nomination and a pair of
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nominations (for Best Performance by an Actress and Best New Star). In 1982 she co-starred with
Nick Nolte in ''
Cannery Row'' and with
Richard Gere in ''
An Officer and a Gentleman
Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to court martial in the armed forces of some nations.
Use in the United Kingdom
The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of t ...
'', for which she was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actress. She was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actress twice more: for ''
Terms of Endearment'' in 1983 (which was awarded to her co-star,
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...
, who played her mother in the film) and for ''
Shadowlands'' in 1993, for which she also received her second BAFTA nomination. Her performance in ''
A Dangerous Woman'' earned a
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination for Best Actress.
Over the years Winger acquired a reputation for being outspoken and difficult to work with.
She has expressed her dislike of ''
An Officer and a Gentleman
Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman (or conduct unbecoming for short) is an offense that is subject to court martial in the armed forces of some nations.
Use in the United Kingdom
The phrase was used as a charge in courts martial of t ...
'', for which she refused to do any publicity,
and several of her other films, and has been dismissive of some of her co-stars and directors. When
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...
interviewed
Bette Davis in 1986, Davis said, "I see a great deal of myself in Debra Winger."
Winger was to play Peggy Sue in the film ''
Peggy Sue Got Married'' but was forced to back out just before production began after injuring her back in a bicycle accident. The role went to
Kathleen Turner
Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards.
Turner became widely k ...
. The injury affected Winger's ability to work for several months. She was cast in ''
A League of Their Own'' but dropped out and was replaced by
Geena Davis. It was later reported that Winger dropped out of the film because she refused to work with
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
, whom Winger did not consider a serious actress. Other starring roles during this period included ''
Legal Eagles'', ''
Made in Heaven'', ''
Everybody Wins'', ''
The Sheltering Sky'', ''
Leap of Faith'', ''
Black Widow
Black widow may refer to:
Spiders
* Black widow spider, a common name for some species of spiders in the genus ''Latrodectus''
American species
* ''Latrodectus apicalis'', the Galapagos black widow
* ''Latrodectus curacaviensis'', the South Amer ...
'', ''
Betrayed'', ''
Wilder Napalm'', and ''
A Dangerous Woman''.
In 1995 Winger decided to take a hiatus from acting. In 2002 she said, "I wanted out for years. I got sick of hearing myself say I wanted to quit. It's like opening an interview with 'I hate interviews!' Well, get out! I stopped reading scripts and stopped caring. People said, 'We miss you so much.' But in the last six years, tell me a film that I should have been in. The few I can think of, the actress was so perfect". After making ''
Forget Paris'' in 1995, she was absent from the screen for six years before returning in 2001 with ''
Big Bad Love'', written and directed by her husband, Arliss Howard. The film was also Winger's debut as a producer.
During her film hiatus, Winger had the female lead in the
American Repertory Theater's stage production of
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
's play ''
Ivanov
Ivanov, Ivanoff or Ivanow (masculine, bg, Иванов, russian: ИвановSometimes the stress is on Ива́нов in Bulgarian if it is a middle name, or in Russian as a rare variant of pronunciation), or Ivanova (feminine, bg, Иванов ...
'' from November 1999 to January 2000.
Rosanna Arquette made a critically acclaimed documentary film, ''
Searching for Debra Winger'', that was released in 2002 after Winger returned to film acting. Winger subsequently starred in the films ''
Radio'', ''
Eulogy'', and ''
Sometimes in April'', and received positive reviews for portraying
Anne Hathaway's estranged mother in ''
Rachel Getting Married''.
Winger earned an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
nomination for her title role as the mother of a
Columbine shooting
On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...
victim in the 2005 television film ''
Dawn Anna'', directed by
Arliss Howard. In 2010 she returned to television, making a guest appearance as a high school principal in an episode of ''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
''. She also joined the cast of HBO's ''
In Treatment'' as one of the three patients featured in the third season.
In 2013 Winger starred in three episodes of ''In the Woods'', the first installment of
Jennifer Elster's multimedia, experimental film series ''The Being Experience'', also including
Terrence Howard,
Dave Matthews,
Rufus Wainwright,
Karen Black,
Will Shortz,
Liya Kebede,
Questlove
Ahmir Khalib Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ), is an American musician, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thou ...
,
Famke Janssen,
Moby
Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...
,
Gale Harold,
Paz de la Huerta,
Jorgen Leth Jorgen may refer to:
* Jørgen, a Scandinavian masculine given name
* Jörgen, an Austrian village
* Jörgen (name), a Scandinavian masculine given name
{{disambig ...
,
Rosie Perez
Rosa Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress, choreographer, dancer, and activist. Her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Tina in the film ''Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by ''White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's perf ...
,
Aubrey de Grey, and
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...
.
From 2016 to 2020, Winger starred opposite
Sam Elliott and
Ashton Kutcher in the
Netflix multi-cam comedy ''
The Ranch''.
In 2017, Winger had a cameo as Supreme Court Justice
Elena Kagan
Elena Kagan ( ; born April 28, 1960) is an American lawyer who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 10, 2010, and has served since August 7, 2010. Kagan ...
in the TV miniseries ''
When We Rise''. The same year, she starred in her first romantic lead after many years in ''
The Lovers
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. She has continued to acquire roles in other feature films, such as ''Tiger City'', released in 2018.
Other pursuits
In 1995, Winger performed in ''
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True'', a television musical performance of the popular 1939 MGM film at
Lincoln Center to benefit the
Children's Defense Fund. Her roles in that special were the "Cyclone" narrator and the
Wicked Witch of the West. It was originally broadcast on both
TBS and
TNT.
During her hiatus from the film industry, Winger spent a semester as a
teaching fellow at
Harvard University. In 2008, she wrote a book, ''Undiscovered'', based on her personal recollections. She has shown her support for reconciliation between Arabs and Jews in Israel by visiting the bilingual
Hand in Hand schools (
Galilee Jewish-Arab School,
Gesher al HaWadi School) where, in 2008, she said she would "dedicate the next bit of my life to these schools".
As president of the 2009
Zurich Film Festival jury, Winger joined other members of the Hollywood film community to speak out against the arrest and prosecution of director
Roman Polanski, who was convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl in the 1970s, criticizing Switzerland's government for "philistine collusion" in arresting him so many years later, as he was en route to attend the Zurich festival.
In 2010, Winger was co-executive producer of the Academy Award-nominated documentary ''
Gasland''. She was also the executive producer of the 2012 documentary ''Bel Borba Aqui'', about the life and works of Brazilian graphic artist
Bel Borba.
Personal life
Winger's three-year relationship with actor Andrew Rubin ended in 1980. From 1983 to 1985 she dated
Bob Kerrey, at the time the governor of Nebraska, whom she met while filming ''Terms of Endearment'' in
Lincoln, Nebraska. Winger has also dated her ''Cannery Row'' and ''Everybody Wins'' co-star
Nick Nolte.
From 1986 to 1990, Winger was married to actor
Timothy Hutton, with whom she had a son, Noah Hutton, a documentary filmmaker born in 1987. The marriage ended in divorce.
[Rachel Cook]
"The interview: Debra Winger"
, "The Observer", December 28, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
, Gaynor Flynn, '' The Independent'', Friday, October 24, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
In 1996, Winger married actor/director
Arliss Howard, whom she met on the set of the film ''
Wilder Napalm''. Their son, Gideon Babe Ruth Howard (known as Babe), was born in 1997. She is stepmother to Sam Howard, Arliss's son from his prior marriage.
[
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Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
Transcript of Radio 4 interview
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winger, Debra
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Actresses from Cleveland
American film actresses
American television actresses
California State University, Northridge alumni
Harvard Fellows
Jewish American actresses
Living people
Audiobook narrators
21st-century American Jews
1955 births