In a timeless romantic tale, Naval Officer Zack Mayo grabbed factory worker Paula into his arms and transported her from her employment, leaving people everywhere dreaming they were Debra Winger.

The iconic sequence in the romance film Officer and a Gentleman, in which Richard Gere as Officer Zack Mayo, the attractive hero in naval whites, became the benchmark of love stories for daydreamers.

Many people envied Debra Winger for her work with Hollywood’s sexiest guys.

Winger, 70, is still as stunning as she has always been. Winger has been posting images of herself on Instagram for several years, initially with brown hair and now with a natural wavy gray.

Winger’s first big role was in the 1976 film Slumber Party ’57, which led to a role on the successful TV series Wonder Woman (1979), where she played Drusilla, the younger sister of Lynda Carter’s Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. Despite receiving invitations to make more frequent appearances, Winger declined them due to her fear of being stereotypically associated with the character.

There were no regrets about the decision; the early 1980s would be profitable for the burgeoning celebrity.

At the height of her youthful career, she got multiple Academy and Golden Globe nominations for roles in three legendary 1980s films.

In 1980, she starred in Urban Cowboy with John Travolta, who was at the time enthralling fans with his smooth dance moves in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1988); as Paula in Officer and a Gentleman (1982); and in Terms of Endearment (1983), where she played Emma, a dying young woman with an overbearing mother, Aurora, played by Shirley MacLaine.

Despite her enormous success, Winger took a brief sabbatical from acting, and more than four decades later, speculation about the reasons for her departure continues.

Most of these rumors concentrate on Winger’s feuds with her co-stars.

Though fans couldn’t get enough of the attractive Gere, it’s commonly assumed that Winger had enough of him on set.

According to an excerpt from co-star Louis Gossett Jr.’s book, “An Actor and a Gentleman,” 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 much farther apart.”

Gossett also alleges that Winger was unimpressed with Gere’s performance, referring to him as “a brick wall.” She also referred to the film’s director, Taylor Hackford, whom she disliked, as an animal.”

It wasn’t just the characters in the film who made her uncomfortable.

Winger, a free spirit both in real life and as Emma, clashed with the prolific, glamorous, quirky, and experienced veteran MacLaine.

Their initial meeting established the foundation for their relationship.

“To see how my character would feel, I was wearing all of my leftover movie-star fur coats,” MacLaine explained in an interview with People. “Debra was dressed in combat boots and a miniskirt.” I thought, “Oh my goodness.”

Many people claim, “Indeed, the scene became the basis of Hollywood’s most cherished rumors. Winger desired top b” billing. One allegedly slugged the other.

They pitted the women against each other at the Oscars, where they both received nominations for best actress.

MacLaine accepted the prize and stated, “I deserve this!”

Despite the rumors, Winger claims she “paused” her Hollywood career for personal reasons rather than professional ones.

“I was not interested in the next sections. I had previously experienced similar feelings or situations. I needed a challenge. My life challenged me more than the parts, so I embraced it wholeheartedly,” Winger told People.

Winger took a six-year hiatus after co-starring with Billy Crystal in the 1995 romantic comedy Forget Paris.

During that period, she relocated to New York City and focused her attention on actor Arliss Howard, whom she married in 1996. The couple has a son named Gideon Babe, who was born in 1997, and she is the stepmother to Howard’s son Sam from a previous marriage. She also has another biological kid, Noah Hutton, whom she raised while married to her first husband, Timothy Hutton (1986–1990).

She returned in the 2001 picture Big Bad Love, which was directed and produced by her husband, who also co-starred with Winger and Rosanna Arquette, and whose following effort was the 2002 film Searching for Debra Winger. As director of the documentary, Arquette tries to figure out why Winger abruptly abandoned her profession at its pinnacle.

Winger gained popularity after appearing in Rachel Getting Married (2008) with Anne Hathaway, The Lovers (2017), and Kajillionaire (2020), a criminal comedy.

In 2021, she appeared in With/In, Volume 2 of the anthological drama film, in the part Her Own, written and directed by her husband, who also co-starred.

“I’m not sure what Hollywood is. I am currently living under the freaking sign, and all I do is gaze at it and chuckle.” Winger remarked, “Los Angeles is a physical location, but the concept of Hollywood feels nonexistent to me; however, there might be some exclusive groups that I am unaware of.”

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?