The 1970s TV icon | Source: Getty Images
What happened to this 1970s television icon, who was left paralyzed on one side after an accident and left Hollywood for a while?
From caring for her mother during her final months to fighting environmental issues and raising her children, take a look at what happened to this actress who captivated audiences with her raw talent and disappeared from Hollywood at the height of her fame.
Born on May 16, 1955, to Ruth and Robert, in Cleveland, Ohio, this famous actress showed promise from an early age. A bright child, she graduated from high school at just 15 before enrolling in college to study criminology.
But acting had quietly captured his heart. He kept his passion for acting a secret from his family, and only dedicated himself to it later, after a brush with death made him reconsider his path.
At age 17, while working at a California amusement park to earn extra money, he suffered an accident that would alter his life forever.
The actress photographed on January 1, 1980, in New York | Source: Getty Images
Dressed as a troll in a Christmas-themed show, she was warned to take care of the costume she wore: it was expensive and she was responsible for it.
While riding in the back of a small truck, she noticed her costume slipping. “I tried to reach for it,” she recalls . Just as she stood up, the driver swerved. The teenager was thrown from the vehicle and crashed onto the asphalt.
The ’70s icon photographed at a farewell party on March 21, 1981, in Culver City, California | Source: Getty Images
She woke up in a hospital, disoriented and scared, with devastating injuries. The accident had caused a brain hemorrhage, leaving her blind and paralyzed on one side of her body.
He spent months recovering, slipping in and out of a light coma. At times, he noticed his sense of time was distorted, and described the experience as surreal.
The Hollywood star circa 1981 | Source: Getty Images
“The organization of time seemed less linear and more spatial,” she reflected . Even after healing, the emotional scars remained. “I have no separation, time-wise, from that experience. It doesn’t soften. It doesn’t fade,” she admitted .
The young actress circa 1981 | Source: Getty Images
Doctors told her she might never walk again, let alone lead a normal life. But when she regained her strength, the actress made a bold decision: to dedicate herself to acting full-time.
The near-death experience had left her with a renewed sense of purpose. She felt life was fleeting and fragile, and if she had a passion, she wasn’t going to waste any more time hiding it.
The 1970s star backstage at the 54th Academy Awards on March 29, 1982, in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
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After moving to Los Angeles to pursue her dream, she landed her first major role on the television series “Wonder Woman,” playing Drusilla, the superhero’s younger sister. Although her stint on the series was brief, it opened the door to film roles.
The actress at the 54th Academy Awards, March 29, 1982 | Source: Getty Images
However, at first, Hollywood didn’t quite know what to make of her. She was a new face who didn’t fit into any box. Despite this, her talent was undeniable. She quickly became famous for her fierce and imposing screen presence, and her rise to stardom was swift.
The ’70s icon and John Travolta on the set of “Urban Cowboy” circa 1980 | Source: Getty Images
Her breakthrough role came in the 1980 film “Urban Cowboy,” which she starred in alongside John Travolta. In one memorable scene, her character rides a mechanical bull in a Texas honky-tonk, exuding a raw sensuality that captivated audiences and critics alike.
The famous actress and John Travolta on the set of “Urban Cowboy” circa 1980 | Source: Getty Images
Her performance made her a household name overnight. Reflecting on her rapid rise to fame, the actress said , “Now, we’re kind of used to 20-year-olds hitting it off like that. […] But it wasn’t that typical when it happened to me. It was wild.”
The “Urban Cowboy” actress and John Travolta circa 1980 | Source: Getty Images
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In the following years, she landed consecutive roles in critically acclaimed films. In 1982, “An Officer and a Gentleman,” which she starred in alongside Richard Gere, earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
The actress at the 54th Academy Awards, March 29, 1982 | Source: Getty Images
Her portrayal of a working-class woman in love with a Navy pilot made her one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading ladies. However, her experience on set wasn’t without controversy.
The American actress and Shirley MacLaine on the set of “Terms of Endearment” in 1983 | Source: Getty Images
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He famously described Gere as “a brick wall,” adding humorously, “I probably could have come up with something nicer.” Despite the tension, the film was a massive success.
A year later, she earned another Oscar nomination for “Terms of Endearment,” a heartbreaking family drama co-starring Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson.
The Hollywood star filming “Terms of Endearment” in 1983 | Source: Getty Images
By the mid-1980s, the actress was at the height of her career, widely considered one of the most talented performers of her generation. However, despite her success, she remained deeply disillusioned with Hollywood .
The industry’s emphasis on image over substance frustrated her, and she chafed at the pressures placed on actresses to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.
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The ’80s icon and Shirley MacLaine photographed for “Terms of Endearment” in 1983 | Source: Getty Images
While filming “An Officer and a Gentleman,” the actress recalled how someone on set once gave her a bottle of water retention pills, saying she looked “bloated in the papers.”
She was stunned. “I was so young I didn’t even know what it was, so I handed it back and said, ‘I’m not taking that.’ I thought it was ridiculous. But someone else might have really succumbed,” she explained .
The actress at the premiere of “Stayin’ Alive” on July 11, 1983, in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images
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Her strong personality earned her both respect and fear in Hollywood. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, even if it meant standing up to directors or turning down lucrative roles.
The actress during the 1987 Student Film Awards in Beverly Hills, California | Source: Getty Images
But by the early 1990s, she felt the industry was changing in ways she was no longer excited about. The rise of male-led blockbusters left fewer meaningful roles for women, and the quality of the scripts she was offered declined.
The star at the 63rd Academy Awards on March 25, 1991, in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
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After receiving his third Oscar nomination for “Shadowlands” in 1994 – a film he described as “the most literary script I’ve ever read” – he made the surprising decision to step away from acting .
The star at the premiere of “Shadowlands” on December 5, 1993, in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images
Her decision puzzled many, as she was still at the height of her career. Some speculated that her relationship with then-Nebraska Governor Bob Kerrey, whom she met while filming “Terms of Endearment,” influenced her decision.
The star circa 1994 | Source: Getty Images
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The couple had a whirlwind romance, with Kerrey, who lost part of her lower leg in Vietnam, once joking , “What can I say? He swept me off my feet.” Although they were deeply in love, their relationship ended, with the star stating , “I tried it for a while, but I couldn’t adjust.”
The actress photographed at the premiere of “Interview with the Vampire” in Los Angeles on November 9, 1994, in Westwood, California | Source: Getty Images
Others suggested health issues were to blame, citing her ongoing back problems. But she insisted her decision to leave Hollywood was personal.
“No. I quit because I stopped feeling challenged,” she explained . “I don’t want to sound like an old whiner about ‘female roles,’ but it wasn’t good,” she added .
Arliss Howard and the “Terms of Endearment” star at the New Yorker magazine’s 70th anniversary event in 1995 in New York City | Source: Getty Images
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During her hiatus, she focused on her personal life. In 1996, the Hollywood star married actor , director, and writer Arliss Howard, whom she met on the set of “Wilder Napalm” in 1993. “A good marriage is different from a happy marriage. Happy is a difficult word. But I married… well!” she said .
Arliss Howard and the actress at the premiere of “The Man Who Captured Eichmann” on November 7, 1996, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Together they raised their blended family of three children: Noah, born in 1987 during her marriage to her first husband, actor Timothy Hutton, her stepson Sam, and her son from her second marriage, Babe.
“She’s a very good and thoughtful mother, and I think it was difficult for her to bring the commitment required to her job when we were young,” said her eldest son.
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The actress and Babe Howard at The Pale Blue Eye New York Tastemaker Screening on November 29, 2022 | Source: Getty Images
Like their mother, all three boys pursued careers in the film industry. Noah is a cinematographer , director, and editor; Sam works in on-screen advertising; and Babe is an actor , screenwriter, and director.
The ’70s star and her son Babe Howard at the New York premiere of “Drive-Away Dolls” at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater on February 20, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
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The famous actress also cared for her mother during her last three months, dedicated time to environmental activism and charity work, taught at Harvard, wrote a book, and performed on stage. “I did a lot of interesting things,” she said . “And I didn’t feel like any of it was ‘instead of.'”
The actress and her son at the premiere of “Drive-Away Dolls” on February 20, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
This actress is none other than Debra Winger , who, although she occasionally appeared in independent films, largely stayed away from the public eye until 2016, when she joined the Netflix series “The Ranch” alongside Ashton Kutcher.
However, he still had his criticisms of the entertainment industry. “I don’t feel like I’m settled yet. [The industry] is still in turmoil,” he said .
However, her return to acting wasn’t without challenges. “I never thought I’d work again, and I did, but it was very hard,” she admitted . “I don’t know if I would advise anyone to take a step back like I did.”
Despite her disappearance from the acting scene over the years, fans haven’t forgotten Winger’s timeless beauty. “You look GREAT, lady,” one social media user commented in part on one of the actress’s final Instagram posts. Another person shared , “Still beautiful,” and a third wrote , “Debra, you look lovely.”
