Age, Biography, and Wiki
Mary Elizabeth Winstead was born on November 28, 1984, which makes her 40 years old as of 2024. She is an American actress and singer, having started her career early with significant roles in television soap operas and later transitioning to film.
| Occupation | Soap Opera Actress |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 28 November 1984 |
| Age | 40 Years |
| Birth Place | Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Sagittarius |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about her height and weight are not provided in the search results, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is known for her distinctive appearance and versatility in her acting roles.
Her grandfather, Ambler William Winstead, was a cousin of actress Ava Gardner. When she was five years old, her family moved to Sandy, Utah, where she attended Peruvian Park Elementary and took advanced classes. She studied dance in a Joffrey Ballet summer program in Chicago and sang in the International Children's Choir. During her youth, she hoped to pursue a career as a ballerina and appeared in local ballet productions. As she entered her teens, she was forced to quit ballet due to her height. She later said, "I realized pretty early on that I was already too tall by the time I was 13... You know, your body has to stay that way for your entire life, and it's pretty hard on your muscles and your bones." Realizing a dance career was unlikely, she turned to acting. As she was still a teenager at the time, this required her to be homeschooled through most of high school.
In an interview with Complex magazine for the June/July 2012 issue, Winstead revealed she was working with Dan the Automator and was indeed planning on releasing a music album. The duo formed the band Got a Girl the following year, and released their demo "You & Me" on May 21, 2013. The album, titled I Love You but I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now, was released on July 22, 2014, via Bulk Recordings. The first single, "Did We Live Too Fast" premiered on June 3, and its music video, directed by Hope Larson, premiered online on June 16. The album features heavy influences of French pop music, with Winstead detailing that the inspiration behind the project came from "French '60s pop—Jane Birkin, and stuff like that. It's kind of married with Dan's sensibility, which is his beats and a little bit of that low-key hip-hop vibe. So it makes for something that's very unique; it's very lounge-y and light. It's got a little bit of a French quality." All lyrics were written by Winstead while all music was composed by Dan the Automator.
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Dating & Relationship status
Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been in a few notable relationships, including her marriage to Riley Stearns, from whom she separated in 2017. However, the search results do not provide updated information on her current relationship status.
Winstead appeared in a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat starring Donny Osmond. After her brief performance in that show, Winstead began making appearances in various television series and earned guest roles in Touched by an Angel and Promised Land. She gained her first major role as Jessica Bennett in the NBC soap opera Passions, from 1999 to 2000. She left to pursue other interests, later stating, "I really had one of the smallest roles on Passions, so I didn't get too involved... I was able to leave pretty easily". Winstead's next significant television role was in the short-lived CBS drama series Wolf Lake (2001–02), as the daughter of Tim Matheson's character. The series was canceled after ten episodes. In 2004, Winstead played a supporting role in MTV's made-for-television film Monster Island. She was offered a role in the film A Cinderella Story, but turned it down as she had just graduated from school and was going on a cruise with friends (where she met Riley Stearns, her future husband).
Winstead appeared opposite Aaron Paul in Smashed, an independent drama directed by James Ponsoldt about a married alcoholic couple (Paul and Winstead) whose relationship is put to test when the wife decides to get sober. She said that the film was shot in 19 days. Screened during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Winstead's performance earned her rave reviews, with JoBlo.com calling it: "the type of performance that could be Award-worthy if given the right kind of build-up by whichever studio picks it up". The film was released theatrically on October 12, 2012, and saw Winstead snagging the Dallas International Film Festival Award for Best Actress. During a promotional interview for the movie with website Collider, she expressed pride in working on an independent project: "It's something I've been trying to do for years and years [...] It's almost like my first movie in a weird way, cause it's my first movie in this world, which is a world I've been trying to break into. [I've wanted] to be around filmmakers that are trying new things and not part of the system, so to speak, and they're doing things on their own terms."
Winstead played the role of Mary Todd Lincoln opposite Benjamin Walker in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The film, also released in 2012, received a mixed critical response while it flopped at the box office. Nevertheless, critics praised Winstead's performance. The San Jose Mercury News called Winstead "a standout", and the Illinois Times film critic wrote, "Winstead humanizes Mary [Todd Lincoln] by giving her a fiery wit and sense of resolve in the face of considerable adversity". Winstead was commended for scenes opposite Benjamin Walker, with Little White Lies writing that they shared: "a sweet chemistry that gives their handful of scenes an endearing warmth". In 2012, Winstead and Topher Grace appeared in The Beauty Inside, an "interactive social film". It was broken into six filmed episodes interspersed with interactive storytelling, all on Alex (the main character)'s Facebook timeline. He awakes each day with a different appearance; Winstead appeared as Leah, Alex's love interest. The web series served as an advertising campaign for Intel and Toshiba; it ran from August 16 through September 20, 2012. Winstead was also cast in Roman Coppola's A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2013), as Kate, "the best friend of [Charlie Sheen's] girlfriend who just broke up with him. She is not so supportive of their relationship." The film reunited her with Jason Schwartzman and Aubrey Plaza, her collaborators on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Winstead next co-starred with Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Jane Lynch, Jessica Alba, Amy Poehler, and Catherine O'Hara in A.C.O.D. (2013), portraying Lauren Stinger, the "long-time girlfriend of Carter (Scott) and the rock in his increasingly chaotic life." Although the film received mixed reviews, Winstead's acting was singled out by the Washington Post: "Winstead brings surprising depth to a small role, in which she has little to do except wait for her boyfriend to grow up, or to at least let go of his cynicism about love." Screen Rant critic Ben Kendrick wrote: "[Winstead] and [Alba] also deliver in their contributions – though both of their characters are mainly designed to be mirrors for Carter to examine his own life and choices." A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III and A.C.O.D. both received a limited theatrical run in North America.
Winstead collaborated again with James Ponsoldt in The Spectacular Now (2013) as Holly, the sister of Miles Teller's lead character. She appeared with Brie Larson, her co-star in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and with Shailene Woodley, Kyle Chandler, and Bob Odenkirk. The film garnered critical acclaim and was an arthouse success. Next, Winstead briefly reprised her role in the film A Good Day to Die Hard (also 2013), shooting her scenes in only one day. Winstead stated in an interview with Yahoo! that she was not expecting another sequel but "[had fun reprising] the father-daughter rapport." Winstead's scene was only available in the theatrical version, and was cut from the unrated version.
In 2014, Winstead was given the title role in Alex of Venice, directed by Chris Messina and penned by Jessica Goldberg. She played "an environmental lawyer who is left to raise her 12-year-old son alone after her husband bolts." Premiering at the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival, reviews for the film were mostly positive, with many critics praising Winstead's part in it; Variety magazine called her performance "extraordinary", saying the film: "belongs to Winstead, whose minor-key thesping proves as compelling as her heavy lifting in Smashed. Alex's gradual metamorphosis into a richer, more fully realized young woman is accomplished in hundreds of tiny emotional brushstrokes, flitting across her girl-next-door wholesomeness in ever-shifting patterns". Website Twitch Film wrote:
Winstead appeared in Swiss Army Man, an independent comedy-drama directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The film, co-starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano, follows a hopeless man stranded on an island who befriends an apparent dead body as he tries to get back home. It premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was released in selected theaters on June 24, to a positive reception. Winstead also had a role in John Krasinski's small-scale dramedy The Hollars, opposite Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Mary Kay Place, and Margo Martindale. She played the ex-girlfriend of Krasinski's struggling New York City graphic novelist, who returns to his hometown after learning his mother has fallen ill. Like Swiss Army Man, the production was screened at Sundance and received a limited U.S. theatrical release in August 2016. Winstead appeared in CBS' political comic thriller BrainDead, as leading character Laurel, "the daughter of a Democratic political dynasty who left Washington, D.C. to become a documentary filmmaker, but is pulled back into the family business when her brother needs political help". The series received mildly positive reviews by critics, with New York Magazine calling Winstead's casting the "smartest decision the makers made", and The A.V. Club said that she "makes an eminently watchable, formidable heroine". Despite a largely positive critical response, the series debuted to lackluster ratings and after the airing of its 13-episode first season, CBS announced its cancellation.
It was reported in October 2017 that she was in a relationship with Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, whom she had met on the set of the third season of the Fargo television series. Winstead and McGregor married in April 2022.
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| Husband | Riley Stearns (m. 2010-2017) Ewan McGregor (m. 2022) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of recent estimates, Mary Elizabeth Winstead's net worth is approximately $6 million, although one source suggests it might be closer to $2 million. Her earnings are primarily from her extensive work in film and television, including successful projects like "Live Free or Die Hard" and "A Good Day to Die Hard," which contributed significantly to her net worth.
Business and Investments
While there is no detailed information on specific business ventures or investments, her continuous involvement in the entertainment industry suggests a focus on her acting career.
"[Winstead] has matured from her early roles in horror films, to more impressive fare such as Smashed. She has grace, courage, knows how to move the audience and the camera loves her. While her resume up 'til now is a mix of blockbusters (Final Destination 3, Live Free or Die Hard) and indie favorites (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), this will change as she continues to grow into her profoundly blossoming career. This is an actress ready to do great things. As Alex, she always wears a look of determination, even when she's exhausted and losing the new battles thrown at her: learning how to be alone, taking care of her family and keeping the job she's worked her entire life for. Alex is a tender soul but does her damnedest to keep it together. It's an admirable trait not many can do, let alone be challenged with."
Winstead has expressed her interest in singing, but initially did not plan on pursuing it as a career. "I wasn't ever really going to be a singer, but it's just something I've always loved." For her part in 2007's Death Proof, Tarantino had Winstead sing an a cappella cover of The Shirelles' hit recording "Baby It's You". She was asked without warning to perform the song and the cast were reportedly "gob-smacked" by her singing. Winstead and music producer Thai Long Ly eventually co-wrote a song, called "Warmth of Him". Although first rumored to be a pre-release single, Winstead confirmed that she was just exploring her interest and did not plan at the time on releasing any music albums.
Social Network
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is active on social media platforms, although specific details about her follower count or engagement are not provided in the search results.
Winstead then began working with filmmakers James Wong and Glen Morgan, previously known for their contributions to The X-Files. She starred in the 2006 horror movie Final Destination 3 (which Wong directed and Morgan produced) as lead character Wendy Christensen, the "beleaguered heroine who experiences the premonition" that sets the story in motion. The production was a commercial success, but received a mixed response from critics. Winstead's performance fared positively with reviewers; James Berardinelli stated she "does as competent a job as one could expect in these dire circumstances," while Felix Gonzalez, Jr found her "likeable" in her role. Winstead would collaborate again with Morgan and Wong later that year, in the slasher film Black Christmas. The movie, a loose remake of the 1974 film of the same name, follows a group of sorority sisters who are stalked and murdered by the house's former inhabitants during a winter storm. It received poor reviews, but earned her a nomination for Scream Queen at the 2007 Scream Awards. Winstead got a chance to lampoon horror scream queens when Tonight Show host Jay Leno, unaware of who she was, knocked on her front door and included her in a comedy segment spoofing horror films.
In 2007, Winstead appeared in a pair of high-profile event films. Quentin Tarantino cast her as a well-intentioned but vapid and naïve actress in Death Proof, his high-speed segment of the double–feature exploitation horror Grindhouse. She appeared alongside Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, Zoë Bell, and Kurt Russell in the movie's second part, which followed a psychopathic stunt man, played by Russell, stalking and murdering young women. It is the second film to feature Winstead with Russell (after Sky High), although she only filmed scenes with Dawson, Thoms, and Bell. The production under-performed commercially but attracted significant media buzz and critical acclaim, Variety magazine noted that Death Proof "proves its worth as a stand-alone feature" and found Winstead's "emergence" to be "one agreeable plus [to the movie]". Her next film appearance of the year was opposite Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard, portraying John McClane's estranged daughter, Lucy. The movie grossed US$383.5 million and was highly acclaimed.
In 2014, Winstead starred in Stearns' debut feature film Faults. Winstead and co-star Leland Orser were praised for their performances, with Film School Rejects calling it an "exceptional performance" and Indiewire saying "[Winstead's] inscrutable expression epitomizes this unique movie's enigmatic appeal", and even "ranks among her best". Winstead was next cast alongside Jeremy Renner and Rosemarie DeWitt in Kill the Messenger. The thriller tells the true story of investigative journalist Gary Webb. Winstead portrayed Dawn Garcia, Webb's editor at the San Jose Mercury News. It received a limited theatrical release on October 10, 2014, to favorable reviews but little commercial interest.
Winstead starred opposite Ewan McGregor in the third season of Fargo as Nikki Swango, "a crafty and alluring recent parolee with a passion for competitive bridge playing with a plan, focused on always being at least one move ahead of her opponents". The season is set around December 2010 in Minnesota and follows the lives of McGregor and Winstead's criminal couple roles; it premiered on April 19, 2017, to positive reviews. In an interview with Variety, Winstead spoke of the character, "I'd never played a character like this. Once I was on set and doing it, it was so easy but it took all the elements coming together for me to feel confident and comfortable."
Education
The search results do not provide specific information about Mary Elizabeth Winstead's educational background. However, her early start in the entertainment industry suggests she may have focused on her acting career from a young age.
Following a minor role in the indie comedy Checking Out (2005), she took on a larger role as a school senior turned the main antagonist in the Walt Disney Pictures film Sky High, about an airborne school for teenage superheroes. Winstead said of her role, "I bounced around. I was either the hero of the sidekicks or the sidekick to the heroes." The film was released on July 29, 2005, receiving favorable reviews, and budgeted at US$35 million, it grossed US$63.9 million domestically.
