Share

Meg Ryan biography

1 photo

Quick Facts

Best Known For

Actress Meg Ryan became America's sweetheart with starring roles in When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail.


Quiz

Think you know about Biography?

Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.

Play Now

Synopsis

Born Margaret Hyra in 1961, Meg Ryan's first acting success came with a role on the soap opera As The World Turns from 1982 to 1984. Her big film break was in the 1986 hit Top Gun. Ryan became America's Sweetheart when she starred in a string of hit romantic comedies in the 1990s, including When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993),

Contents

and You've Got Mail (1998).

Profile

Actress. Born Margaret Hyra on November 19, 1961, in Fairfield, Connecticut. Ryan??s first substantial role was as Betsy Stewart Montgomery Andropoulos on the soap opera As the World Turns from 1982 to 1984. In the mid-1980s, her film career began to heat up with a part in the wildly successful 1986 military action drama Top Gun with Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards. She then went on to co-star with Dennis Quaid in Innerspace (1987) and D.O.A. (1988). Ryan later married Quaid in 1991.

It was her portrayal of cute, funny Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally (1989) that took her career to a new level. The box office hit led to a string of other successful romantic comedies, such as Sleepless in Seattle (1993), French Kiss (1995), and You??ve Got Mail (1998).

Most of her more dramatic efforts, such as Proof of Life (2000), In the Cut (2003), and Against the Ropes (2004), have failed to register with film audiences. In 2001, Ryan ended her ten-year marriage to Dennis Quaid. The couple has one child together??a son named Jack. While some reports indicated that her relationship led to the split, Ryan has said that the marriage was in trouble before then. She told talk show host Oprah Winfrey on her television show in 2006 that ??I should have left sooner.??

After taking a break from the spotlight, Ryan re-emerged in 2006 with the announcement of her adoption of a little girl from China. At first she named her daughter Charlotte, but soon changed it to Daisy to better fit the child??s personality. During her time away from Hollywood, Ryan has been working with CARE, a charitable organization dedicated to ending poverty by helping women work together.

Ryan returned to the big screen in 2007 with In the Land of Women, a dramatic comedy. She followed this in 2008 with The Deal and along side fellow actresses Annette Bening, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith in The Women. Ryan played a high-powered attorney opposite Timothy Hutton in 2009's Serious Moonlight which only received mixed reviews and had a limited release.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

ADVERTISEMENT
9468255 9468255
profile id: 9468255
profile name: Meg Ryan
profile occupation:
related profile id: 9468255
related profile name: Meg Ryan
related profile occupation:
related profile img: /imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/R/Meg-Ryan-9468255-1-402.jpg
related profile URL: /people/meg-ryan-9468255
profile
pop
Your Connections

Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.

specific profile connection
Your Friends' Connections
specific friend connection
Profile Connections
    Show More Connections
    Included In These Groups
    • Famous People Involved in Sex Scandals

      What is it with celebrities and sex scandals? Like love and marriage, famous people and sex scandals just seem to go hand in hand. They're some of society's most powerful people, but these actors, politicians, athletes and musicians just can't seem to control their desires. These days it seems like if you open the closet of nearly any celebrity, some kind of (sexy) skeleton is sure to fall out. Here are the famous people who have had their naughty indiscretions—often plastered all over the front page of the newspaper.

      View group

      Famous People Involved in Sex Scandals 105 people in this group

    • Sparks On The Set

      Most people get to know their co-workers well...and sometimes working together can even lead to romance. Just like in the office, many Hollywood stars find romance at work—or rather, on the set. Some of the most famous couples in Hollywood history met while making a film, including Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Here's a look at the famous actors and actresses whose chemistry set off sparks on the set.

      View group

      Sparks On The Set 57 people in this group

    • Name Changers

      In entertainment, where the line between fiction and reality is often blurry, names are a crucial part of a celebrity's image. Stage names are often chosen to make an actor or musician's name easier to pronounce or remember, or simply to make it sounds more attractive. Here are famous celebrities who have changed their names.

      View group

      Name Changers 236 people in this group

    See all related groups


    ADVERTISEMENT

    Celebrity Connections

    Show More Connections
    Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!