LOS ANGELES, Dec. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Hollywood actress Winona Ryder, convicted of shoplifting last year, was praised by a judge Monday for abiding by the rules of her probation.

    Ryder's lawyer, Shepard Kopp, said that the judge plans to review Ryder's case later and consider reducing her felony convictions to misdemeanors.

    "I want to compliment you on your behavior on probation," Superior Court Judge Elden Fox told the Ryder, who did not speak during the hearing.

    The judge said her probation report had been very positive. "And there's an indication that things are going well," he said.

    Ryder has been undergoing therapy and completed 480 hours of community service at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, California.

    Fox ordered Ryder, 31, to return to court May 26 for a six-month review and said he would decide then if she needs continued probation supervision.

    Ryder was convicted in a trial in 2002 of stealing about 6,000 US dollars worth of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills in 2001.

    The judge placed her on three years probation a year ago and fined her 2,700 dollars. She was also ordered to pay 6,355 dollarsin restitution to the store and 1,000 dollars in restitution to the court. She made those payments.

    Ryder, who began her film career as a teenager in 1986, earned Academy Award nominations for her roles in "Little Women" and the "The Age of Innocence." Enditem