10 Actors Who Peaked Way Too Soon

10. Winona Ryder

With recent excellent work in Stranger Things and prestige HBO miniseries The Plot Against America, Winona Ryder may be able to wrestle her way off this list in due course. The comeback kid has found decent roles since Black Swan, and with any luck will continue to do so.

With such an iconic start to her acting career, though, for the time being it remains fair to say that Ryder’s finest days came early on. Her first major role came in Beetlejuice, and the same year, 1988, she headlined Heathers, which remains one of the great cult dark comedies.

From there she hit her stride with an affecting turn in Edward Scissorhands, and mixed the teen-friendly fare with the likes of Dracula and The Age Of Innocence, working alongside the likes of Gary Oldman and Daniel Day Lewis.

Girl, Interrupted was an Oscar winner that capped off her peak days, and things went a little funny, with a shoplifting conviction and a lengthy hiatus. Still, all signs point to bright days ahead for Winona, who has traded stealing clothes for stealing scenes.