Entertainment TV Winona Ryder's Must-See Throwback Photos As the actress turns 50 on Oct. 29, look back at some of her most memorable moments in the spotlight By Lydia Price Lydia Price Lydia Price is a former platforms editor at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 29, 2021 01:34PM EDT Close 01 of 15 BRIGHT-EYED AMBITION Time Life Pictures/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty The iconic brunette sported lighter locks as a teen in the mid-'80s. 02 of 15 GOLDEN GIRL Ron Galella/WireImage Ryder posed with her Square Dance costar Rob Lowe at the 1988 Golden Globes. 03 of 15 GOOD TO BE BAD Ron Galella/WireImage In 1989, the then-17-year-old actress smiled on the Academy Awards red carpet alongside her Heathers cast mate Christian Slater. 04 of 15 WHITE HOT The actress chose an all-white getup for the 1989 premiere of Great Balls of Fire, at which she met her soon-to-be-boyfriend Johnny Depp. 05 of 15 STAR POWER Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Ryder scored her first-ever Golden Globe nomination for 1990's Mermaids, in which she starred alongside Cher and Christina Ricci. 06 of 15 MAKING THE CUT Barry King/WireImage The Edward Scissorhands star laughed it up with director Tim Burton, costar/boyfriend Johnny Depp and composer Danny Elfman at the film's 1990 premiere. 07 of 15 GOT THE SPIRIT Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage A feisty Ryder, here in 1990, got goofy after landing in Los Angeles. 08 of 15 AWARD-WORTHY Ron Galella/Wireimage Then-couple Depp and Ryder kept it dark and mysterious at the 1991 Golden Globes. 09 of 15 BITE OUT OF LIFE Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage Ryder sported a romantic look at the 1992 premiere of Dracula, which also starred Sadie Frost and Gary Oldman. 10 of 15 Friends Forever Ron Galella Collection via Getty One of Ryder's oldest and dearest Hollywood friendships is with Keanu Reeves, with whom she's remained close since they met in the late '80s. They've starred in Dracula and Destination Wedding together. 11 of 15 CLASSICALLY CUTE Jim Smeal/WireImage The actress shined on the 1996 Oscars red carpet. 12 of 15 BEST BUDS Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage Ryder and fellow '90s queen Claire Danes became friends after working together on 1994's Little Women. They proved their bestie status with matching red lips at the 1996 Fire & Ice Ball in Burbank, California. 13 of 15 HUG IT OUT Richard Corkery/NY Daily News/Getty Courtney Love embraced the actress at a cocktail party in 2000. 14 of 15 DATE NIGHT Gilbert Flores/Celebrity Photo Ryder attended the 2000 Globes with then-boyfriend Matt Damon, whom she met through friend Gwyneth Paltrow. 15 of 15 BACK TO REALITY Axelle/Bauer-Griffin Ryder congratulated her former Reality Bites costar Ethan Hawke at the 2004 premiere of his movie Before Sunset.