Meg Ryan

Background

Meg Ryan was born on November 19, 1961, and was raised in Fairfield, Connecticut. She was born to former actress-teacher Susan Jordan and mathematics teacher Harry Hyra. She went to the local St. Pius X Elementary School and has two sisters, Annie and Dana, along with a brother, Andrew Hyra, who is a musician and member of the Billy Pilgrim band. Her parents split in 1976 when she was only 15 years old. She graduated in 1979 from Bethel High School and studied at the University of Connecticut and then at New York University. She acted in T.V. commercials and starred in the soap opera “As the World Turns” in college for extra income. However, she left college before graduating. She took her grandmother’s maiden name, Ryan, upon joining the Screen Actors Guild.

Ryan debuted in “Rich and Famous” in 1981, followed by “As the World Turns” from 1982 to 1984 as Betsy Stewart. Multiple T.V. shows and smaller movie roles came about during this period. She appeared in “Top Gun” in 1986, along with several other films. She had her breakout leading role in 1989 with “When Harry Met Sally,” where she earned a Golden Globe nomination for the role in this movie. In 1993, she had another mega-hit with the movie “Sleepless in Seattle.” She also worked with Tom Hanks in “You’ve Got Mail.” Ryan also played a different role in the 1994 film “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Another success was “French Kiss” in 1995 and then the 1998 film “City of Angels.” Her 2001 movie “Kate & Leopold” with Hugh Jackman was successful, while she worked in different movies like “In the Cut” and “Against the Ropes.” She also appeared in independent films such as “In the Land of Women” in 2007 and “The Deal” in 2008. Ryan also starred in several independent movies thereafter. She also worked in several productions from 2010 onwards and was featured in “Half the Sky” in 2012. She debuted as a director with “Ithaca” in 2015.

Ryan married Dennis Quaid, an actor, on February 14, 1991. They have a child together, Jack Quaid, but got divorced in 2001. She was once romantically linked to Russell Crowe in 2000. She adopted a 14-month-old girl, Daisy True, in 2006. She has been in an on-and-off relationship with American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp over the years.