- Born
- Birth nameMargaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra
- Nickname
- Meg
- Height5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
- Blonde-haired, blue-eyed with an effervescent personality, Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra in Fairfield, Connecticut, to Susan (Duggan), an English teacher and one-time actress, and Harry Hyra, a math teacher. She is of Ruthenian, Polish, Irish, and German ancestry ("Hyra" is a Ruthenian surname, and "Ryan" is her maternal grandmother's maiden name). Meg graduated from Bethel high school in June 1979. Moving to New York, she attended New York University where she majored in journalism. To earn extra money while working on her degree, Meg went into acting using her new name Meg Ryan. In 1981, she had her big screen debut with a brief appearance as Candice Bergen's daughter in George Cukor's last film Rich and Famous (1981).
She tried out and was cast as Betsy in the day time television soap As the World Turns (1956). She was part of the cast from 1982 to 1984. Meg also had a part in the television series One of the Boys (1982), but this show was soon canceled. In 1984, she moved to tinsel town and landed a job in the western television Series Wildside (1985). Meg's small part in the blockbuster movie Top Gun (1986) led to her being cast in Steven Spielberg's Innerspace (1987) where she co-starred with Dennis Quaid. She again co-starred with Quaid in the remake of D.O.A. (1988) and they married on Saint Valentine's Day in 1991. In 1989, Meg appeared in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and the scene at the restaurant became famous. Meg was nominated for both the Golden Globe and the BAFTA.
In 1990, she co-starred with Tom Hanks in Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and this time she played three roles as DeDe/Angelica/Patricia. She appeared again with Tom in the very successful Sleepless in Seattle (1993) for which she was again nominated for the Golden Globe. In 1994, Meg decided to act against type when she appeared as the alcoholic wife and mother in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994). After that, she went back to "cute" with both I.Q. (1994) and French Kiss (1995). In 1994, Meg won the Harvard Hasty Pudding Award as "Woman of the Year" and was voted as being one of "The 50 most beautiful people in the world 1994" by People Magazine.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Me
- SpouseDennis Quaid(February 14, 1991 - July 16, 2001) (divorced, 1 child)
- ChildrenDaisy True Ryan
- ParentsSusan Ryan (Duggan)Harry Hyra
- Striking blue eyes
- Returned to work three months after giving birth to her son Jack Quaid to begin filming Sleepless in Seattle (1993).
- She took three weeks of boxing lessons to prepare for her role in Against the Ropes (2004); she wanted to understand the sport, and the terms her character would use.
- Turned down the role of "Vivian Ward" in Pretty Woman (1990). Julia Roberts was later given the role.
- An asteroid is named after her: 8353 Megryan.
- Was considered for or offered the role for the following films: (1) Molly Jensen in Ghost (1990), but turned it down. The part later went to Demi Moore; (2) Jade Butterfield in Endless Love (1981). The part went to Brooke Shields; (3) Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction (1994) but Uma Thurman, who went on to receive a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was cast instead.
- People say that chivalry is dead, I don't think that it's dead, I think it's just got the 'flu!
- [commenting on the nudity and sex in In the Cut (2003)] You don't go, 'Wow! I get to do a nude scene.' But I love the sex scene in this movie. It was scary, honest and raw. But people could find my body very unattractive. There could be a backlash against it.
- The best thing about modern living is anaesthesia. Definitely.
- Clearly romantic comedy is my franchise genre, I don't mind saying that, it's true. I love doing them and hopefully always will do them. I don't feel particularly typecast because I think I do so many different kinds of things. Whether they're seen or not is another issue.
- [in 2008 on why she hadn't been working very much recently] I've been famous since I was a teenager. There are a lot of empty spaces in that. I just feel like I've been filling in the cracks a little bit. I feel very fortunate, very free.
- Kate & Leopold (2001) - $15,000,000
- Proof of Life (2000) - $15,000,000
- You've Got Mail (1998) - $10,500,000
- City of Angels (1998) - $8,500,000
- I.Q. (1994) - $5,000,000
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