Debra Winger is an American actress who rose to prominence as one of the most acclaimed performers of her generation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She gained international fame with the film *Urban Cowboy* (1980) and consolidated her star status with a series of highly successful roles. Her career is marked by three Academy Award nominations for Best Actress for her intense performances in *An Officer and a Gentleman* (1982), *Terms of Endearment* (1983), and *Shadowlands* (1993). Her other significant works include Bernardo Bertolucci's *The Sheltering Sky* (1990). In the mid-1990s, at the height of her career, she voluntarily retired from acting for several years, later returning to work in independent films and television series, maintaining critical acclaim for her versatile talent.