Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan married her co-actor, Dennis Quaid, on February 14, 1991 and the marriage lasted for a decade. The couple has a son, actor Jack Quaid.

She adopted a girl child from China, named Daisy True, in 2006. Later, she dated American rock singer-songwriter John Mellencamp from 2010 to 2014.

An asteroid, 8353 Megryan, is named after her.

Meg Ryan was born on November 19, 1961, in Fairfield, Connecticut, to Susan Jordan, a former actress and Harry Hyra, a mathematics teacher. She has two sisters and a brother. Her parents divorced when she was 15.

She traces her family lineage to Polish, Irish, and German descent. ‘Ryan’ is her maternal grandmother's maiden name which she adopted while registering herself with the Screen Actors Guild.

She grew up as a Roman Catholic and went to St. Pius X Elementary School, Fairfield. Later, she studied at the Bethel High School and graduated in 1979.

In college, she studied journalism first at the University of Connecticut and later, at the New York University. During this period, she acted in television commercials to make extra money. Her success as an actress led her to quit college a semester before her graduation.

Meg Ryan debuted in George Cukor's film ‘Rich and Famous’ (1981). Thereafter she played the character of Betsy Stewart in the daytime drama ‘As the World Turns’, from 1982–1984.

Around this time, she appeared in a Burger King commercial and as a result several smaller film roles and television film followed, including a sitcom ‘Charles in Charge’, a horror thriller film ‘Amityville 3-D’ (1983), and an action-crime comedy film ‘Armed and Dangerous’ (1986).

In 1986, she essayed the role of a Naval Flight Officer’s wife, Carole Bradshaw in ‘Top Gun’. The following year she featured in a science-fiction comedy film ‘Innerspace’ and a drama film ‘Promised Land’, earning her first Independent Spirit Award nomination.

In 1988, she appeared in the remake of the famous 1950 noir film ‘D.O.A.’ and crime drama ‘The Presidio’. The year saw her appearing in her first lead role in the romantic comedy film ‘When Harry Met Sally’. The film got her a Golden Globe award nomination for her performance as Sally Albright.

She subsequently appeared in films like ‘The Doors’ (1991) and ‘Prelude to a Kiss’ (1992). In 1993, she appeared for the second time with Tom Hanks in the immensely popular romantic comedy film ‘Sleepless in Seattle’.

In 1989, Ryan starred in the romantic comedy film ‘When Harry met Sally…’ directed by Rob Reiner. She featured in the title role of ‘Sally Albright’ opposite comedian Billy Crystal who starred as ‘Harry’. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination.

She played the character of Annie Reed in the romantic comedy drama ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ in 1993. The film became an international blockbuster soon after its release and got her several Best Female Performance award nominations.

In 1998, she acted as Kathleen Kelly opposite Tom Hanks in the romantic comedy-drama film ‘You've Got Mail’. The commercially successful film explores the lives of two people who are in an online relationship but unaware that they are business rivals in real life. Her performance in the film won her several Best Actress award nominations.