Mary Elizabeth Winstead facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Winstead in 2010
Born	(1984-11-28) November 28, 1984 (age 40) Rocky Mount, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Riley Stearns ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2017)​ Ewan McGregor ​ (m. 2022)​
Children	1
Relatives	Clara McGregor (stepdaughter) Esther McGregor (stepdaughter)
Signature

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (born November 28, 1984) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her many roles in movies and TV shows. Her first big role was on the TV show Passions.

She became more widely known for her parts in action and adventure films. These include Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). She also starred in the action film Birds of Prey (2020). More recently, she joined the Star Wars universe in the series Ahsoka (2023).

Early Life and Beginnings

Mary Elizabeth Winstead was born on November 28, 1984. She grew up in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. She is the youngest of five children in her family.

When she was five, her family moved to Sandy, Utah. There, she took advanced classes and studied dance. She even attended a summer program with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. She also sang in the International Children's Choir.

Mary Elizabeth dreamed of becoming a ballerina when she was young. She performed in local ballet shows. However, as she got older, she became too tall for ballet. She realized that a dance career was not likely for her.

So, she decided to try acting instead. Since she was still a teenager, she was homeschooled for most of high school. This allowed her to focus on her acting career.

Acting Career Highlights

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has had a long and varied acting career. She has appeared in many different types of movies and TV shows.

Early Acting Roles (1997–2004)

Winstead first appeared in a play called Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. After that, she started getting roles in TV shows. She appeared in Touched by an Angel and Promised Land.

Her first major TV role was as Jessica Bennett in the soap opera Passions. She was on the show from 1999 to 2000. She later left to explore other acting opportunities.

Her next important TV role was in the show Wolf Lake (2001–2002). In 2004, she also had a supporting role in the TV movie Monster Island. She was offered a role in A Cinderella Story but chose to go on a cruise instead.

Rising to Fame (2005–2011)

In 2005, Mary Elizabeth had a small role in the comedy Checking Out. Then, she got a bigger role in the Walt Disney Pictures film Sky High. In this movie, she played a school senior who was also a main character. Sky High was a success and received good reviews.

She then starred in the 2006 movie Final Destination 3. She played Wendy Christensen, the main character who has a special vision. This movie was popular, and critics liked her performance. She also appeared in Black Christmas that same year.

Winstead also appeared in Bobby (2006). This film showed the last hours of Robert F. Kennedy. The cast of Bobby won an award for Best Ensemble Cast.

In 2007, she was in two big movies. She played an actress in Death Proof, directed by Quentin Tarantino. She acted alongside Rosario Dawson and Kurt Russell. This movie was praised by critics.

Her next film was Live Free or Die Hard, where she played John McClane's daughter, Lucy. She starred with Bruce Willis. This movie was a huge success, earning over $383 million.

She starred in Make It Happen, a dance film. Even though it went straight to DVD in the U.S., critics enjoyed her performance.

In 2010, Winstead co-starred with Michael Cera in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. She played Ramona Flowers, a mysterious delivery person. She trained for two months for the fight scenes and did many of her own stunts. Her performance was well-received.

In 2011, she played the lead female role in The Thing. She played Dr. Kate Lloyd, a paleontologist. Critics praised her performance in this film.

Independent Films and TV (2012–2014)

In 2012, Winstead starred in Smashed. She played a character dealing with personal challenges. Her performance received excellent reviews. She won the Dallas International Film Festival Award for Best Actress for this role.

She also played Mary Todd Lincoln in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012). Critics praised her performance in this movie.

In 2012, Winstead and Topher Grace appeared in The Beauty Inside. This was an interactive web series where the main character woke up with a different appearance each day. Winstead played Leah, the main character's love interest.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead at the Entertainment Weekly CapeTown Film Festival

In 2013, she was in A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III. She also co-starred in A.C.O.D. (2013). The Washington Post praised her acting in A.C.O.D..

Winstead worked with director James Ponsoldt again in The Spectacular Now (2013). She played Holly, the sister of the main character. She also briefly appeared in A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), reprising her role as Lucy.

In 2014, Winstead played the main role in Alex of Venice. She played an environmental lawyer who had to raise her son alone. Critics highly praised her performance, calling it "extraordinary."

She also starred in Faults (2014), directed by her former husband, Riley Stearns. Her performance was called "exceptional." Later that year, she appeared in Kill the Messenger.

Recent Projects (2015–Present)

In 2015, Winstead joined the TV series The Returned. This show was about people who had died years ago suddenly reappearing.

She also played Mary Phinney in the historical drama Mercy Street (2016–2017). Critics praised her performance, calling her the "smart, capable center" of the show.

In 2016, Winstead starred in the thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane. She played Michelle, a woman held in a shelter. The film was very popular with critics and at the box office. She was praised for creating a "smart and resourceful" character.

She also appeared in the comedy-drama Swiss Army Man (2016) and The Hollars (2016).

Mary Elizabeth Winstead in 2017

Winstead starred in the TV show BrainDead (2016). She played Laurel Healy, a documentary filmmaker. Critics liked her performance, calling her a "formidable heroine."

In 2017, she starred with Ewan McGregor in the third season of Fargo. She played Nikki Swango, a clever character who was always one step ahead. Her performance received positive reviews.

In 2018, Winstead starred in the comedy-drama All About Nina. Her performance earned her more praise from critics.

She reunited with her Smashed co-star, Aaron Paul, in The Parts You Lose (2019). In 2019, she also starred with Will Smith in the action film Gemini Man.

In 2020, Winstead played the Huntress in the DC Comics film Birds of Prey. She starred alongside Margot Robbie.

In 2021, she played the main character in the action film Kate. In 2023, she joined the Star Wars universe as Hera Syndulla in the Disney+ series Ahsoka. She also voiced Ramona Flowers again in the animated series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

Singing Career

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has always enjoyed singing. In 2007, for her role in Death Proof, she sang an a cappella version of "Baby It's You".

Got a Girl Music Duo

In 2013, Winstead formed a music group called Got a Girl with Dan the Automator. They released their first song, "You & Me," in May 2013. Their album, I Love You but I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now, came out in July 2014. The music on the album is influenced by French pop music from the 1960s. Winstead wrote all the lyrics for the songs.

Guest Appearances

Winstead has also been featured on other artists' songs. She sang on "The Agony" and "Look Across The Sky" for Deltron 3030's album Event 2 in 2013. In 2016, she was featured on the song "Santa Monica" by Honus Honus. She also appeared in the music video for "Noise Pollution" by Portugal. The Man in 2016.

Personal Life

In 2010, Mary Elizabeth Winstead married filmmaker Riley Stearns. They had met when she was eighteen. She starred in and produced his first movie, Faults, in 2014. They separated in May 2017 and later divorced.

In October 2017, it was reported that she was in a relationship with Scottish actor Ewan McGregor. They had met while working on the TV series Fargo. Their son, Laurie, was born on June 27, 2021. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ewan McGregor were married in April 2022.

Filmography

Feature Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2005	The Ring Two	Young Evelyn Borden (née Osorio)	Unrated version only
	Checking Out	Lisa Apple
	Sky High	Gwen Grayson / Royal Pain / Sue "Tenny" Tennyson
2006	Final Destination 3	Wendy Christensen
	Bobby	Susan Taylor
	Black Christmas	Heather Fitzgerald
	Factory Girl	Ingrid Superstar
2007	Death Proof	Lee Montgomery
	Live Free or Die Hard	Lucy Gennero-McClane
2008	Make It Happen	Lauryn Kirk
2010	Scott Pilgrim vs. the World	Ramona Flowers
2011	The Thing	Dr. Kate Lloyd
2012	Smashed	Kate Hannah
	Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter	Mary Todd Lincoln
2013	A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III	Kate
	The Spectacular Now	Holly Keely
	A.C.O.D.	Lauren Stinger
	A Good Day to Die Hard	Lucy Gennero-McClane	Theatrical version only
2014	Faults	Claire	Also producer
	Alex of Venice	Alex Vedder
	Kill the Messenger	Anna Simons
2016	Swiss Army Man	Sarah Johnson
	The Hollars	Gwen
	10 Cloverfield Lane	Michelle
2018	All About Nina	Nina Geld
2019	Gemini Man	Danielle "Danny" Zakarewski
	The Parts You Lose	Gail
2020	Birds of Prey	Helena Bertinelli / The Huntress
2021	Kate	Kate
2024	Rich Flu	Laura Palmer
0TBA	The Hand That Rocks the Cradle	Claire Bartel	Post-production

Television Roles

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has received several awards and nominations for her acting.

See also

In Spanish: Mary Elizabeth Winstead para niños