Happy 40Th Birthday, Winona Ryder!


Winona Ryder has plenty to celebrate as she turns the big 4-0 on Saturday (29Oct11).

The actress has largely stayed out of the spotlight since last appearing in Vince Vaughn's hit comedy The Dilemma, and although she recently confessed to dreading the big milestone, Ryder has much to look forward to - including two new films, which are out next year (12).

To honour the Hollywood star on her special day, WENN has dug out 10 fascinating facts about the birthday girl. Cheers, Winona!

- She was born in Olmsted County, Minnesota and named after the nearby city of Winona.

- Her godfather was controversial American psychologist and outlaw Timothy Leary. He famously defended the use of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic purposes and was incarcerated in 29 different prisons around the world.

- When Ryder was seven, she moved to a remote part of California to live with her family on a commune, which had no TV or electricity.

- Ryder nearly drowned when she was 12 years old and now suffers from a fear of deep water.

- She is a natural-born blonde and has been dying her hair brown ever since she turned brunette for her role in 1986 film Lucas.

- The star's given last name is Horowitz - she selected Ryder as her stage name after stumbling upon a Mitch Ryder record in her father's album collection.

- She was once engaged to her Edward Scissorhands co-star Johnny Depp. The couple met on the set of the 1990 film and dated for four years.

- The multi-talented actress was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1995 for her spoken word reading of the famous diary of Anne Frank.

- She started her own music company Roustabout Studios in 1999.

- Ryder received the 2,165th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 6 October, 2000. Upon accepting the honour, the actress told the crowd, "When I heard about this, I thought it was a joke. This is so huge to me... (it) gives me a chance to say you can walk all over me."