Admirers all around the world wished they were the stunning Debra Winger when Naval Officer Zack Mayo snatched factory worker Paula into his arms and whisked her from her place of employment in a classic romantic tale.
The iconic moment from the romance drama An Officer and a Gentleman, in which Richard Gere portrayed the dashing hero in navy whites, Officer Zack Mayo, became the standard for romantic tales for daydreamers.
Acting beside some of the sexiest men in Hollywood made Debra Winger the envy of many.
Winger, who is 67 years old, is still stunning today. Winger has shared pictures of herself on Instagram throughout the last few years; initially, she had brown hair, but now it is a naturally wavy gray.
Winger played Drusilla, the younger sister of Lynda Carter’s Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, in the popular TV series Wonder Woman (1979). Her first major role came in the 1976 film Slumber Party ’57. Winger was requested to make more appearances, but she declined out of fear that the role would mold her into a certain mold.
The emerging star would have a lucrative early 1980s and had no regrets about that choice.
She was nominated for multiple Academy Awards and Golden Globes during the peak of her early career for her roles in three classic 1980s films.
She costarred with John Travolta in Urban Cowboy in 1980; at the time, he was making fans go crazy with his slick dance moves in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1988); she also played Emma in Terms of Endearment (1983), where she played a dying young woman with an overbearing mother named Aurora, played by Shirley MacLaine, and as Paula in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982).
Despite her enormous success, Winger took a brief break from acting to focus on other projects. Over forty years after her ascent to fame, rumors about her departure persist.
The majority of these rumors center on Winger’s conflicts with her co-stars.
Despite the fact that Winger reportedly had enough of the attractive Gere on the set, fans couldn’t get enough of him.
As stated in a passage from co-star Louis Gossett Jr.’s book “An Actor and a Gentleman,” which ABC News published, “The onscreen chemistry between the two of them was terrific, but it was a different story once the camera was turned off.” They were too close to one another to have remained apart.
Additionally, according to Gossett, Winger didn’t think highly of Gere’s acting and once called him “a brick wall.” She also called Taylor Hackford, the film’s director, who she did not like, “animal.”
Not just the characters in the movie bothered her.
MacLaine was a gorgeous, quirky, and seasoned veteran who contrasted with Winger, who was a free spirit both in real life and in her part as Emma.
Their romance began with that first meeting.
In a People interview, MacLaine stated, “I was wearing all my leftover movie-star fur coats to see how my character would feel.” “Debra was there, wearing a miniskirt and combat boots.I exclaimed, “Oh my goodness.”
According to People, “In fact, the set turned into the origin of Hollywood’s most cherished rumors.” Winger desired first place. It was said that one slugged the other.
Subsequently, the two women faced off at the Oscars after receiving nominations for best actress.
“I deserve this,” MacLaine declared in her acceptance speech as she took the award home.
Despite the rumors, Winger maintains that she “pushed the pause button” on Hollywood for private, not for work-related, reasons.
“I didn’t care for the parts that were about to happen. That was something I had already done or experienced. I required a challenge. I totally embraced the challenge that my life presented to me, Winger said to People.
MacLaine was a gorgeous, quirky, and seasoned veteran who contrasted with Winger, who was a free spirit both in real life and in her part as Emma.
Their romance began with that first meeting.
In a People interview, MacLaine stated, “I was wearing all my leftover movie-star fur coats to see how my character would feel.” “Debra was there, wearing a miniskirt and combat boots.I exclaimed, “Oh my goodness.”
According to People, “In fact, the set turned into the origin of Hollywood’s most cherished rumors.” Winger desired first place. It was said that one slugged the other.
Subsequently, the two women faced off at the Oscars after receiving nominations for best actress.
“I deserve this,” MacLaine declared in her acceptance speech as she took the award home.
Despite the rumors, Winger maintains that she “pushed the pause button” on Hollywood for private, not for work-related, reasons.
“I didn’t care for the parts that were about to happen. That was something I had already done or experienced. I required a challenge. I totally embraced the challenge that my life presented to me, Winger said to People.
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?
Acting alongside Hollywood’s hottest men, Debra Winger was the envy of many.
Today, Winger, 67, is as beautiful as ever. In the past few years, Winger has posted photos herself on Instagram, first with brown hair and now to a natural wavy gray.
Winger’s first starring role was in the 1976 film Slumber Party ‘57, which led to a part on the hit TV series Wonder Woman (1979), where she played Drusilla, the younger sister to Lynda Carter’s Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. Winger was asked to appear more often but concerned she’d be typecast by that role, she declined.
There were no regrets for that decision, the early ‘80s would be prosperous for the rising star.
At the height of her young career, she received numerous nods from the Academy and Golden Globes for performances in three iconic movies of the 1980’s.
In 1980, she starred in Urban Cowboy, with John Travolta, who at the time was driving fans wild with his smooth dance moves in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1988); as Paula in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and in Terms of Endearment (1983), where she played Emma, a dying young woman with an over-bearing mother, Aurora, played by Shirley MacLaine.
Despite her huge success, Winger, carving hours from her acting schedule, took a mini Hollywood hiatus, and more than four decades after her rise to stardom, speculation of why she left is still circulating.
Most of these rumours revolve around the feuds that Winger had with her co-stars.
Though fans couldn’t get enough of the handsome Gere, it’s been widely reported that Winger had enough of him on the set.
According to an excerpt published on ABC News from the book, “An Actor and a Gentleman,” by co-star, Louis Gossett Jr., who played Sgt. Emil Foley: “The onscreen chemistry between the two of them was terrific, but it was a different story once the camera was turned off. They couldn’t have stayed farther apart from each other.”
Gossett also claims that Winger didn’t think much of Gere’s acting and wrote that she once described Gere as “a brick wall.” And, the film’s director, Taylor Hackford, whom she also did not like, she referred to as “animal.”
It wasn’t only people on that film that ruffled her feathers.
Winger, a free spirit in real life and in her role as Emma, also clashed with the prolific MacLaine, a glamorous, eccentric and seasoned veteran.
Their first meeting set the stage for their relationship.
“To see how my character would feel 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.’”
People writes, “Indeed, the set became the source of Hollywood’s most relished rumors. Winger wanted top billing. One reportedly slugged the other.”
And then, the women were pitted against each other in the Oscars when they were both nominated for best actress.
MacLaine, taking the trophy home, said in her acceptance speech, “I deserve this!”
Rumors aside, Winger insists she “pushed the pause button” on Hollywood for personal reasons and not professional.
“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 starring in the 1995 romcom Forget Paris with Billy Crystal, Winger took a six-year break.
In that time, she moved to New York City and shifted her focus to actor Arliss Howard, whom she married in 1996. The pair have a son, Gideon Babe, who was born in 1997, and she is stepmother to Sam, Howard’s son from a previous marriage. She also has another biological child, Noah Hutton, whom she mothered while married to her first husband, Timothy Hutton (1986 to 1990).
She reappeared in the 2001 film Big Bad Love, that was directed and produced by her husband, who also co-starred alongside Winger and Rosanna Arquette, who’s next project was 2002 film Searching for Debra Winger. As director of the documentary, Arquette attempts to answer why Winger temporarily abandoned her career at peak performance.
Winger gained some momentum with roles in Rachel Getting Married (2008) with Anne Hathaway, the 2017 romcom The Lovers, and the crime-comedy, Kajillionaire (2020).
In 2021, she was in With/In, Volume two of the anthological drama film, in the segment Her Own, which is written and directed by her husband, who also co-stars.
“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,” Winger said, adding, “…although there must be some in-crowds that I just don’t know about.”
Without Debra Winger, we couldn’t imagine Hollywood, and we hope she wins an Oscar soon! Which Winger films are your favorites?
You Won’t Believe Your Eyes: Unseen Princess Diana Photos Finally Revealed!
Princess Diana earned the title “The People’s Princess” because she was loved by many, not just because it sounded nice. She was important to the British people because of her charity work and kindness. She once said she wanted to be the Queen in people’s hearts, not just on paper.
Her death in a tragic accident in Paris was one of the saddest events in recent British history. Even though she’s gone, people still remember her, especially through her sons William and Harry.
We’ve seen many beautiful photos of Diana over the years, but some of them haven’t been talked about as much.
Princess Diana’s life had many challenges, and she passed away when she was still young. After she married into the royal family, she faced a lot of difficulties, and people followed her everywhere.
Diana had two sons, Harry and William, who she raised on her own.
Even with all the struggles, Diana was a loving mother. She always put Harry and William first, wanting them to have as normal a childhood as possible.
Diana often took her boys to fun places like amusement parks. She knew they were royal, but she also wanted them to have regular kid experiences. Sometimes, she would even take them out of the palace to eat fast food.
Her chef, Darren McGrady, once said Diana came into the kitchen one day and said, “Cancel lunch for the boys, I’m taking them out, we’re going to McDonald’s.” He was surprised, but Diana said it was because the boys wanted the toys that came with the meal.
William and Harry loved spending time with their mom. She raised them to be like any other kids, and in many ways, they were!
Diana always wanted to be the best mom she could be, even though she knew brothers sometimes fight.
She wanted her sons to always be close friends.
A historian named Robert Lacey talked about Harry and William’s childhood in his book. He said Diana wanted her boys to promise to always be best friends.
Lacey mentioned a psychic named Simone Simmons in the book. Diana apparently told Simmons’ sons to promise to always be best friends. Both boys promised and hugged their mom.
It was a really sweet moment. Then, they went to play soccer together.
From the beginning, Diana put her children first, even though she was royal. She wanted to keep them close and protect them from anything that might separate them, even from the rest of the Royal Family.
A statue of Diana was revealed by William and Harry. Even though they promised to always be close, their relationship has gotten worse lately. It started when Harry decided to leave the Royal Family in 2020.
A year ago, William and Harry got together on what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday to show off a new statue of her. The statue, made of bronze, showed Diana with three kids and was put in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, where she used to live.
They said in a statement that they remember her love, strength, and the good things she did in the world. They wish she was still here, and they hope the statue will always remind people of her.
This year marked 25 years since Diana died. William and Harry both remembered her, but they did it separately.
A source close to the royal family told People Magazine that William spent the day quietly with his wife, Kate Middleton, at Windsor.
Ahead of the anniversary on August 31, Harry spoke about his mother, saying he hoped to make her proud.
Princess Diana – Charles’s affair with Camilla
“I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for how she did it,” Harry said on the anniversary. “I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her. Every day, I hope to do her proud.”
Besides leading an extremely public life, Diana had personal issues like any other person. For the Princess, one of the biggest problems involved her husband, then-Prince Charles.
Just years after his wedding to Diana, Charles engaged in an affair with Camilla, who would later become his wife.
According to Prince Charles’ authorized biography, as quoted by Town Country, their affair started in 1986. Charles was still married to Princess Diana then, and she found out about it.
In 1989, Diana confronted Camilla over the affair, telling her to back off.
Diana once spoke to Camilla, telling her she knew about her and Charles. She said Camilla had everything she could want, including two beautiful kids, but Diana still wanted her husband back. Diana felt sad and knew what was happening, not wanting to be treated like she didn’t know.
At Diana’s funeral, the Queen did something unusual. Normally, she doesn’t have to bow to anyone. But at Diana’s funeral, she broke that rule and bowed to Diana’s coffin as it passed by her.
Things didn’t stay normal for Charles and Diana for long. In 1992, they said they were separating, but they still did their royal duties. Four years later, they got divorced. Diana got to keep her home and title as Princess of Wales, but she gave up the title of Royal Highness and any claim to the throne.
Diana’s death in 1997 was a big shock to everyone. Her funeral was in Westminster Abbey, and then she was buried at Althorp Park, her family’s home. More than 2000 people came to her funeral. After the ceremony, her coffin was taken through London, where people could say goodbye.
Diana was always followed by photographers. She was one of the most photographed people in the world. Newspapers paid lots of money for her photos, even if they were blurry.
Her sons, William and Harry, saw how the press treated her. Harry said he wanted to leave the Royal Family when he was young because of how they treated his mom before she died.
Over the years, many photos of Diana were taken. Some were just for selling, but some showed her warmth and her life. There are lots of unseen photos of Diana out there. People are now sharing them to show a different side of her.
Diana became a style icon at the height of her fame, and she took that with her to the slopes while skiing.
In 1990, Diana and the children – alongside her sister’s children – went to Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Virgin’s Richard Branson owned the island.
Diana sure knew how to have fun. Look at this beautiful picture of when she and Harry visited the amusement park Thorpe Park in 1992.
Diana was often referred to as “The People’s Princess.” She participated in many humanitarian efforts, setting an excellent standard for how a kind and compassionate person should behave. Here, Princess Diana is seen visiting an Orthopedic workshop in Luanda, Angola, sitting with victims of land mines.
We can go on and on about these beautiful pictures of Diana. This one was taken in 1971 when she was on a summer holiday in Itchenor, West Sussex.
This one was taken outside Diana’s flat in Coleherne Court, London, before her engagement to Charles.
In this picture, Harry is poking his tongue out at people near Buckingham Palace. Diana looks a bit surprised.
The brand Barbour is still popular with royals, but Princess Diana wore it the best.
Diana really liked Barbour. During a visit to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 1985, she wore a Barbour-style waxed cotton jacket, and it suited her perfectly.
In this picture, Harry is sticking out his tongue to people near Buckingham Palace. Diana looks a bit surprised.
The clothing brand Barbour is still loved by royals, but Princess Diana may have worn it the best.
Diana really liked Barbour. During a visit to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 1985, she wore a Barbour-style waxed cotton jacket, and it suited her perfectly.
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