Mary Elizabeth Winstead | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

With a winning, wholesome demeanor, Mary Elizabeth Winstead began her acting career as a child in her native Utah, before making the climb into studio feature films. A high-profile string of surprisingly strong performances in genre teen and horror features such as "Sky High" (2005), "Final Destination 3" (2006), "Black Christmas" (2006) and Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" half of the double-bill, "Grindhouse" (2007) showcased her resourceful girl-next-door charms to excellent effect. She continued to impress, playing Bruce Willis's fiery daughter in "Live Free or Die Hard" (2007) and the anime-inspired punk Ramona V. Flowers in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" (2010). Although a lead role in the prequel to John Carpenter's "The Thing" (2011) led to a box office bomb, Winstead's follow up as an alcoholic schoolteacher looking to get her life back on track in "Smashed" (2012) earned the actress the critical accolades she had sought for so long. Continued work in film and television, including lead roles on the series "The Returned" (A&E 2015), "Mercy Street" (PBS 2016-17) and the third series of "Fargo" (FX 2014- ) followed. Intriguingly relatable and charming with definite star quality, Winstead seemed poised to ascend to even greater heights in the Hollywood echelon.