There weren't many female stars in the 1980s who could open a film on their name alone. You had Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep. Jane Fonda still had some clout. Debra Winger certainly didn't open a movie by herself, yet she was co-lead of two classic movies from that era: An Officer and a Gentleman and Terms of Endearment. She followed up romancing Richard Gere with playing the daughter of Shirley MacLaine in James L. Brooks' feature film debut. Both pictures grossed an absurd amount of money (back when films had legs and stayed in the cinema forever) and got nominations for both Best Picture or come awfully close (Terms would win) and a Best Actress nod for Winger.
Before Winger's short stint as TV's Wonder Girl, she had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage leaving her blind and paralyzed for almost a year. After recovering, she moved to Hollywood where she first starred in a sexploitation movie. It was only a few years later that she would receive accolades for her role in John Travolta's box office hit Urban Cowboy. She would go on to even more acclaim soon after, while also providing the voice for E.T. Known for being contentious to work with, as well as off-set, not having the commercial muscle to back up the freedom she felt to express herself, it wasn't long until she fell out of producers' favor. Black Widow would be one of those rare treats where we get two great female roles (cop chasing villain) in a top-notch thriller. Sadly, it didn't post very high numbers, but is worth checking out if you ever get the chance. 
After a string of underperformers, Winger managed another Oscar nod opposite Anthony Hopkins for Shadowlands in 1993 (having also received rave reviews for A Dangerous Woman the same year). But, by then, she had tired of playing the Hollywood game. She pops up here and there, most notably and recently as Anne Hathaway's mother in Rachel Getting Married. Since then, she has tarted to fill up her work schedule with stints such as the TV show In Treatment, as well as upcoming films Lola Versus and Into the Woods (not to be confused with the musical). She also received an Emmy nomination for Dawn Anna. I'm still waiting for her to play Zooey Deschanel's mom. Oh, wait, nevermind, she has. Pauline Kael once likened Meryl Streep's acting to that of an android going through the motions, while conversely appreciating Winger's rawness and edge. The actress wore her emotions on her sleeves, fully exposed to the element and accessible to anyone around her. While I do see her point about Streep (but disagree somewhat), I totally get the crush she had on Winger. Today, she turns 57.
[Pictures via Zimbio, Celebrity Hairs, Flixster Community]
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