Debra Winger Biography

A serious accident gave Winger time to contemplate her future, and she settled upon an acting career. Her first role was as the super powered younger sister in the fantasy TV series, 'Wonder Woman'.

Her film debut was in 'Slumber Party '57', but her first real success came opposite John Travolta in 'Urban Cowboy'. She was also praised for her part in 1982’s 'An Officer and a Gentleman', although she was uncomfortable with the film's nude scene.

Her next important part was in 'Terms of Endearment', and her performance garnered an Oscar nomination. Winger never again had a box-office hit to match 'Terms of Endearment', though she remained a favourite of the film critics for her work in such little-seen epics as 'Mike's Murder' and 'Black Widow'.

Media scrutiny of her private life increased, due to her romance with Nebraska governor, Robert Kerrey.

Winger's roles became more unorthodox, never more so than when she undertook a lengthy, unbilled male part in 'Made in Heaven'. She continued to appear in high-profile but low-grossing films into the 1990s, but was replaced by Geena Davis in 'A League of Their Own'. A reccurring back ailment also prevented Winger from participating in 'Peggy Sue Got Married' and 'Bull Durham'.

Roles in projects including 'Everybody Wins', director Bernardo Bertolucci's 'The Sheltering Sky', 'Leap of Faith' and 'Wilder Napalm', which were released in the early 1990s, kept her busy and ensured her popularity among fans remained. While none of them attracted a critical nod in the form of nominations or awards, they achieved mixed results at the box office.

Winger's performance in director Richard Attenborough's 1993 biographical film 'Shadowlands', which explored the life of CS Lewis and Joy Davidman, earned her an Academy Award nomination. This was swiftly followed with a Tokyo International Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her role in 'A Dangerous Woman', which also attracted a Golden Globe nomination the same year.

Over the next few years Winger went on to contribute to a wide variety of productions, ranging from Billy Crystal's 'Forget Paris' and 'Big Bad Love' in 2001, to 'Eulogy' and 'Sometimes in April', which were released in 2004 and 2005 respectively. She also attracted critics' attention with television movie 'Dawn Anna' (2005) and director Jonathan Demme's 'Rachel Getting Married' in 2008, both of which led to a number of nominations.

A three-time Oscar nominee, Winger has been married twice, with her latest marriage to Arliss Howard dating back to 1996.