Fans everywhere once wished they could step into the shoes of Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman, when Naval Officer Zack Mayo swept factory worker Paula off her feet in one of Hollywood’s most iconic romantic scenes. Richard Gere’s dashing performance as Officer Mayo set the standard for cinematic romance, while Winger’s portrayal of Paula captured hearts worldwide.
Even at 69, Winger remains effortlessly stunning, sharing glimpses of herself on Instagram over the years—from brown hair to chic wavy gray locks. Her career began in the late 1970s with Sleep Party ’57 and her role as Drusilla, Wonder Woman’s younger sister, in the TV series Wonder Woman (1979). She declined further appearances at the time, fearing typecasting, and the choice paid off as her career soared in the early 1980s.
Winger earned multiple Academy and Golden Globe nominations during the peak of her career, thanks to unforgettable roles in Urban Cowboy (1980) with John Travolta, An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), and Terms of Endearment (1983), where she played the frail, overprotected Emma. Despite her success, she took a brief hiatus from acting, and speculation about the reasons still lingers.
Much of the gossip centered on on-set tensions. Rumor has it Winger had her fill of Gere off-camera, even though fans couldn’t get enough of their on-screen chemistry. Co-star Louis Gossett Jr., who played Sgt. Emil Foley, recalled in his book An Actor and a Gentleman that while their chemistry was electric on set, they “couldn’t have been more distant off-camera.” Winger reportedly called Gere “a brick wall” and even referred to director Taylor Hackford as “animal.”
Her clashes weren’t limited to Gere or Hackford. Shirley MacLaine, who played her mother in Terms of Endearment, had a famously rocky relationship with Winger. Their initial encounter—MacLaine in leftover fur coats, Winger in a miniskirt and combat boots—set the tone for ongoing tension. Hollywood gossip only intensified when both women were nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, with MacLaine eventually taking home the award.
Despite the rumors, Winger insists her decision to step back from Hollywood was personal. “I wasn’t interested in the upcoming roles. I had already experienced or felt those stories. I needed a challenge,” she told People. After starring in Forget Paris (1995), she took a six-year break, moving to New York and focusing on her life with actor Arliss Howard, whom she married in 1996. They share a son, Gideon, and Winger is stepmother to Howard’s son from a previous marriage. She also has a child, Noah Hutton, from her first marriage to Timothy Hutton.
Her return to the screen included projects like Searching for Debra Winger (2002), Rachel Getting Married (2008), The Lovers (2017), Kajillionaire (2020), and the anthology film With/In (2021). She continues to work selectively, stating that while Los Angeles is a place, “the idea of Hollywood doesn’t really exist for me.”
Fans hope to see Winger win an Academy Award soon, because Hollywood simply wouldn’t be the same without her. Which of her films do you love the most?