In a classic romance story, Naval Officer Zack Mayo carried factory worker Paula away from her job, making fans everywhere wish they were the beautiful Debra Winger.
This famous scene from the romantic drama An Officer and a Gentleman—where Richard Gere played Officer Zack Mayo, the handsome Navy hero—became the ultimate example of true love for dreamers everywhere.
Actress Debra Winger poses backstage during the 54th Academy Awards at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles,California. (Photo by Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Acting with Hollywood’s hottest men made Debra Winger the envy of many.
Now at 67, Winger is just as beautiful as ever. In recent years, she has shared photos on Instagram, first with her brown hair and now with her natural wavy gray hair.
Winger’s big break came in the 1976 film *Slumber Party ‘57*, which led to her role as Drusilla, the younger sister of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, on the hit TV series *Wonder Woman* in 1979. Although she was asked to appear more often, she declined because she didn’t want to be stuck in one type of role.
That decision turned out to be a good one, as the early ‘80s brought many successful opportunities for Winger.
At the peak of her young career, Debra Winger received many nominations from the Academy Awards and Golden Globes for her roles in three classic 1980s movies.
In 1980, she starred in *Urban Cowboy* with John Travolta, who was famous for his dancing in *Saturday Night Fever* (1977) and *Grease* (1978). Then in 1982, she played Paula in *An Officer and a Gentleman*, and in 1983, she starred in *Terms of Endearment* as Emma, a young woman with a dying illness and a tough mother, Aurora, played by Shirley MacLaine.
Despite her big success, Winger took a break from acting and stepped away from Hollywood for a while. More than 40 years later, people still wonder why she left the spotlight.
Most of the rumors about why Debra Winger took a break from acting focus on her feuds with her co-stars.
Even though fans loved the handsome Richard Gere, it’s been reported that Winger wasn’t a fan of him on the set.
In the book *An Actor and a Gentleman* by co-star Louis Gossett Jr. (who played Sgt. Emil Foley), it’s mentioned that while Winger and Gere had great on-screen chemistry, they did not get along off-camera. Gossett said they couldn’t have been more different once the cameras were off.
Gossett also claimed that Winger didn’t think much of Gere’s acting and once called him “a brick wall.” She also didn’t like the film’s director, Taylor Hackford, and referred to him as “animal.”
It wasn’t just people from this film that upset her.
Winger, known for her free-spirited nature both in real life and in her role as Emma, clashed with the established and glamorous Shirley MacLaine.
Their first meeting set the tone for their relationship.
“I was wearing all my leftover movie-star fur coats,” MacLaine said in an interview with People. “There was Debra dressed in combat boots and a miniskirt…I thought, ‘Oh my goodness.’”
According to People, the set became a hotbed of Hollywood gossip. Winger reportedly wanted top billing, and there were even rumors of physical altercations.
Their rivalry extended to the Oscars when they were both nominated for Best Actress. MacLaine won the award and famously said in her acceptance speech, “I deserve this!”
Despite the rumors, Winger has stated that she took a break from Hollywood for personal reasons, not professional ones.
“The parts that were coming, I wasn’t interested in. I’d already done that or I’d already felt that. I needed to be challenged. My life challenged me more than the parts, so I dove into it fully,” Winger told People.
After her role in the 1995 romantic comedy Forget Paris with Billy Crystal, Winger took a six-year break from acting.
During that time, she moved to New York City and focused on her relationship with actor Arliss Howard, whom she married in 1996. They have a son named Gideon Babe, born in 1997, and Winger is also the stepmother to Howard’s son from a previous marriage. She also has another son, Noah Hutton, from her first marriage to Timothy Hutton (1986 to 1990).
Winger made her return to acting with the 2001 film Big Bad Love, which was directed and produced by her husband. He also starred alongside her and Rosanna Arquette, who later directed the 2002 documentary Searching for Debra Winger. The film explores why Winger stepped away from her career at the height of her success.
Winger continued acting with roles in Rachel Getting Married (2008) with Anne Hathaway, the 2017 romantic comedy The Lovers, and the 2020 crime-comedy Kajillionaire.
In 2021, she appeared in the film With/In, in a segment called Her Own, which was written and directed by her husband, who also co-stars.
Winger said, “I don’t know what Hollywood is. I’m living under the freaking sign now, and I just stare at it and laugh. Los Angeles is a place, but the idea of Hollywood doesn’t really exist for me,” adding, “…although there must be some in-crowds that I just don’t know about.”
We can’t imagine a Hollywood without Debra Winger and we hope she soon gets to take home an Academy Award ! What are your favorite Winger movies?