Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra (born November 19, 1961), known professionally as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. After playing several minor roles in film and television, Ryan got the leading female role in When Harry Met Sally.... Over the next 15 years, she played leading roles in several romantic-comedy films, including Sleepless in Seattle (1993), French Kiss (1995), Addicted to Love (1997), City of Angels (1998), You've Got Mail (1998), and Kate & Leopold (2001), films which together grossed a total of more than $870 million worldwide. In 1995, Time critic Richard Corliss called her "the current soul of romantic comedy."
| Full Name | Meg Ryan |
| Net Worth | $45 million |
| Date Of Birth | November 19, 1961 |
| Place Of Birth | Fairfield, Connecticut, USA |
| Height | 1.73 m |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Profession | Film producer, Voice Actor, Film director |
| Work Position | Awards for Meg Ryan |
| Education | Bethel High School, Saint Pius X Elementary School, University of Connecticut, New York University |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Dennis Quaid |
| Children | Jack Quaid, Daisy True Ryan |
| Parents | Susan Jordan Duggan, Harry Hyra |
| Siblings | Andrew Hyra, Annie Hyra, Dana Hyra |
| Nicknames | Meg Ryan, Ryan, Meg |
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| Twitter |
| Instagram |
| IMDB |
| Awards | Bambi - International actress |
| Nominations | Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo, Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead,... |
| Movies | When Harry Met Sally..., You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, Ithaca, French Kiss, Kate & Leopold, Top Gun, City of Angels, The Women, When a Man Loves a Woman, Joe Versus the Volcano, In the Cut, Proof of Life, Innerspace, Serious Moonlight, Against the Ropes, Prelude to a Kiss, In the Land of Wo... |
| TV Shows | Wildside, One of the Boys |
| Star Sign | Scorpio |
| # | Quote |
|---|
| 1 | On why she hasn'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. (2008) |
| 2 | 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. |
| 3 | The best thing about modern living is anaesthesia. Definitely. |
| 4 | (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". |
| 5 | People say that chivalry is dead, I don't think that it's dead, I think it's just got the 'flu! |
| # | Fact |
|---|
| 1 | Has 2 children - Jack Henry Quaid (Jack Quaid; b.April 24, 1992) with her ex-husband Dennis Quaid and adopted daughter Daisy True Ryan (b.November 2004, adopted as 14-month-old in January 2006 from China). |
| 2 | Was originally offered Jodie Foster's role in "Silence of the Lambs" (1991). Coincidentally both actresses share the same birthday (November 19th). Ryan is exactly one year older than Foster (Ryan was born in 1961 and Foster in 1962). |
| 3 | Her father has Polish ancestry and her mother is of three quarters Irish, and one quarter German, descent. Her paternal great-grandfather, Orest J. Hyra, was born in Galicia, Halychyna, Poland, and met Meg's Polish-American great-grandmother, Anna Durniak, in the United States. |
| 4 | Ex-sister-in-law of Randy Quaid. |
| 5 | Second wife of Dennis Quaid. |
| 6 | An asteroid is named after her - 8353 Megryan. |
| 7 | Was offered the role of Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie in Steel Magnolias (1989), but she turned it down in order to film When Harry Met Sally... (1989). Julia Roberts, who went on to receive a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was cast instead. |
| 8 | Was in consideration for the part of 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. |
| 9 | Her first film audition was for the role played by Brooke Shields in Endless Love (1981). |
| 10 | Has twice played Candice Bergen's daughter, first in Rich and Famous (1981) and again in The Women (2008). |
| 11 | Was offered the role of Clarice Starling, in the movie The Silence of the Lambs (1991), that eventually went to Jodie Foster. |
| 12 | Turned down the role of "Vivian Ward" in Pretty Woman (1990). Julia Roberts was later given the role. |
| 13 | Was offered the role of "Molly Jensen" in Ghost (1990), but turned it down. The part later went to Demi Moore. |
| 14 | A famous haircut by Sally Hershberger was named "Meg" in honor of Ryan, since she was the first one to have it. |
| 15 | Voted "cutest" girl in school, class secretary, and homecoming queen her senior year of high school. |
| 16 | Did several national commercials as a teenager for Barbie and other products. |
| 17 | She and her good friend Tom Hanks have been co-stars in three movies as love interests: Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and You've Got Mail (1998). |
| 18 | Lost the lead role in Washington Square (1997) to Jennifer Jason Leigh |
| 19 | Shared an L.A. house with Daphne Zuniga when both were struggling actresses |
| 20 | Took three weeks of boxing lessons, to prepare for her role in Against the Ropes (2004); Ryan wanted to understand the sport, and the terms her character would use. |
| 21 | Member of jury Festival International de Cannes 2003 |
| 22 | 4 February 2002 - An L.A. judge granted a restraining order against John Michael Hughes, a 40 year old real estate agent who had been hanging around Ryan's home claiming to be her fiancee. |
| 23 | Savage Garden's song, "All Around Me", was written about her, inspired by a crush from Daniel Jones, the band's composer. |
| 24 | Born at 10:08 AM EST |
| 25 | "Meg Ryan" is an anagram of "Germany". When she registered with the Screen Actors Guild as a teenager, Meg used her maternal grandmother's maiden name, "Ryan", as her stage surname. |
| 26 | Turned down the Nicole Kidman role in To Die For (1995). |
| 27 | Met actor Anthony Edwards during the making of the film Top Gun (1986) and moved in with him. They were a couple until she met actor Dennis Quaid during the film Innerspace (1987), and she moved in with and eventually married him. Both actors portrayed military fighter pilots in their respective roles. Had she been chosen for the role of Robin Monroe in Six Days Seven Nights (1998), that would have made the third time she would have been she would play a character involved with a pilot, albeit not a military pilot. |
| 28 | Began Prufrock Pictures in 1994. Then in 2000, Prufrock Pictures was shut down. |
| 29 | Ranked #94 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] |
| 30 | Voted most favorite female movie star by the readers and online users of the "People Weekly Magazine" [April 1998] |
| 31 | Ranked #59 on Entertainment Weekly's most powerful people in Hollywood [1998] |
| 32 | Ranked #57 in Premiere (USA) magazine's "The 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood" list. [June 1999] |
| 33 | Graduated from Bethel High School. Was Prom Queen. [1979] |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | 2000 | TV Special documentary | Herself |
| The 52nd Annual Directors Guild Awards | 2000 | TV Special | Herself |
| The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards | 1999 | TV Special documentary | Herself - Nominee |
| Bravo Profiles: The Entertainment Business | 1998 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Herself |
| Mezamashi terebi | 1998 | TV Series | Herself |
| The 70th Annual Academy Awards | 1998 | TV Special | Herself - Presenter: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration |
| The 1998 Annual ShoWest Awards | 1998 | TV Special | Herself |
| Making Angels | 1998 | Video documentary short | Herself / Dr. Maggie Rice |
| The 69th Annual Academy Awards | 1997 | TV Special | Herself (uncredited) |
| The Magical Journey of 'Anastasia' | 1997 | Video documentary short | Herself |
| Maury | 1996 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Crook & Chase | 1996 | TV Series | Herself |
| Inside the Actors Studio | 1996 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The Little Picture Show | 1995 | TV Series | Herself |
| CBS This Morning | 1995 | TV Series | Herself |
| A Century of Cinema | 1994 | Documentary | Herself |
| Today | 1994 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The 51st Annual Golden Globe Awards | 1994 | TV Special | Herself - Nominee |
| AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor | 1993 | TV Special documentary | Herself |
| Hollywood's Leading Ladies with David Sheehan | 1993 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| The 42th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards | 1990 | TV Special | Herself |
| AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Gregory Peck | 1989 | TV Special | Herself (uncredited) |
| The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross | 1987 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Price Is Right | 1983 | TV Series | Herself |
| Gylne tider | 2016 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Tavis Smiley | 2016 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The Talk | 2016 | TV Series | Herself |
| The Late Late Show with James Corden | 2016 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Entertainment Tonight | 2006-2016 | TV Series | Herself |
| Extra | 2016 | TV Series | Herself |
| Live with Kelly and Ryan | 2008-2016 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Good Morning America | 1991-2016 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | 2016 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| CBS News Sunday Morning | 2016 | TV Series | Herself |
| There's Something About Romcoms | 2016 | TV Movie documentary | Herself / Sally / Annie |
| The 70th Annual Tony Awards | 2016 | TV Special | Herself - Presenter |
| Everything Is Copy | 2015 | Documentary | Herself |
| Anderson Live | 2012 | TV Series | Herself |
| Half the Sky | 2012 | Documentary | Herself |
| Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief | 2010 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| Streisand: Live in Concert | 2009 | TV Special documentary | Herself - Audience Member (uncredited) |
| Der Kabel 1 Kinotipp | 2008 | TV Series documentary |
| Bambi Verleihung 2008 | 2008 | TV Movie | Herself - Winner |
| Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show | 2004-2008 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The 2nd Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute | 2008 | TV Movie | Herself - Presenter |
| The Second Abu Dhabi Film Festival Awards | 2008 | TV Special | Herself |
| Larry King Live | 2008 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Late Show with David Letterman | 1995-2008 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Pangea Day | 2008 | TV Movie | Herself |
| Delivering 'You've Got Mail' | 2008 | Video short | Herself |
| The Making of 'Anastasia' | 2006 | Video documentary | Herself |
| The Oprah Winfrey Show | 2000-2006 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope | 2005 | TV Special | Herself |
| The View | 2004 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | 2004 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Love Hollywood Style | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | 1998-2004 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Tinseltown TV | 2003 | TV Series | Herself |
| Tussen de sterren | 2003 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| The Terry and Gaby Show | 2003 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Parkinson | 2003 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| Charlie Rose | 2003 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| What's Going On? | 2003 | TV Series documentary |
| AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Tom Hanks | 2002 | TV Special | Herself |
| Searching for Debra Winger | 2002 | Documentary | Herself |
| Nature | 2002 | TV Series documentary | Herself |
| Revealed with Jules Asner | 2001 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The Rosie O'Donnell Show | 1996-2001 | TV Series | Herself - Guest |
| The Concert for New York City | 2001 | TV Special documentary | Herself |
| America: A Tribute to Heroes | 2001 | TV Special documentary | Herself |
| The Directors | 1999-2001 | TV Series documentary | Herself - Interviewee |
| The Making of 'Hanging Up' | 2000 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| HBO First Look | 1998-2000 | TV Series documentary short | Herself / Alice Bowman / Kathleen Kelly |
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|
| 2015 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Savannah Film Festival |
| 2008 | Bambi | Bambi Awards | Best Actress - International | The Women (2008) |
| 2008 | François Truffaut Award | Giffoni Film Festival |
| 1999 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actress - Comedy/Romance | You've Got Mail (1998) |
| 1999 | Icon Award | Elle Women in Hollywood Awards |
| 1999 | ShoWest Award | ShoWest Convention, USA | Actress of the Year |
| 1995 | Crystal Award | Women in Film Crystal Awards |
| 1994 | American Comedy Award | American Comedy Awards, USA | Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) | Sleepless in Seattle (1993) |
| 1994 | Woman of the Year | Hasty Pudding Theatricals, USA |
| 1990 | American Comedy Award | American Comedy Awards, USA | Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) | When Harry Met Sally... (1989) |
| 1989 | Golden Apple | Golden Apple Awards | Female Discovery of the Year | Together with Pauline Collins |
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|
| 2016 | Audience Award | Edinburgh International Film Festival | Ithaca (2015) |
| 2016 | Film and Literature Award | Film by the Sea International Film Festival | Ithaca (2015) |
| 2009 | Razzie Award | Razzie Awards | Worst Actress | The Women (2008) |
| 2006 | EDA Special Mention Award | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Actress Most in Need of a New Agent |
| 2001 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actress - Suspense | Proof of Life (2000) |
| 2000 | Stinker Award | The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | Worst On-Screen Group | Hanging Up (2000) |
| 1999 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical | You've Got Mail (1998) |
| 1999 | Saturn Award | Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA | Best Actress | City of Angels (1998) |
| 1999 | American Comedy Award | American Comedy Awards, USA | Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) | You've Got Mail (1998) |
| 1999 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actress - Drama/Romance | City of Angels (1998) |
| 1999 | Blimp Award | Kids' Choice Awards, USA | Favorite Movie Actress | You've Got Mail (1998) |
| 1999 | MTV Movie Award | MTV Movie Awards | Best On-Screen Duo | City of Angels (1998) |
| 1999 | Golden Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical | You've Got Mail (1998) |
| 1998 | Annie | Annie Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production | Anastasia (1997) |
| 1998 | OFTA Film Award | Online Film & Television Association | Best Voice-Over Performance | Anastasia (1997) |
| 1996 | American Comedy Award | American Comedy Awards, USA | Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) | French Kiss (1995) |
| 1996 | People's Choice Award | People's Choice Awards, USA | Favorite Motion Picture Actress |
| 1995 | MTV Movie Award | MTV Movie Awards | Best Female Performance | When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) |
| 1995 | Actor | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) |
| 1994 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical | Sleepless in Seattle (1993) |
| 1994 | MTV Movie Award | MTV Movie Awards | Best Female Performance | Sleepless in Seattle (1993) |
| 1994 | MTV Movie Award | MTV Movie Awards | Best On-Screen Duo | Sleepless in Seattle (1993) |
| 1993 | People's Choice Award | People's Choice Awards, USA | Favorite Motion Picture Actress |
| 1990 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical | When Harry Met Sally... (1989) |
| 1990 | CFCA Award | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | When Harry Met Sally... (1989) |
| 1990 | David | David di Donatello Awards | Best Foreign Actress (Migliore Attrice Straniera) | When Harry Met Sally... (1989) |
| 1989 | Independent Spirit Award | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Female Lead | Promised Land (1987) |
