We wrote the biography of actress Meg Ryan, who won many prestigious awards and nominations with her performances in her roles and her directorial debuts.
Real name Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra was born on November 19, 1961 in Fairfield, Connecticut. She was born to her mother, Susan Jordan Duggan, a former actress and English teacher, and her father, Harry Hyra, a math teacher. Ryan, whose father is of Polish descent, was raised a Catholic. Ryan has two sisters, Dana and Annie, and a musician brother, Andrew Hyra. When she was 15, her parents divorced.
Graduating from Bethel High School in Fairfield in 1979, Ryan studied journalism first at the University of Connecticut and then at New York University. She appeared in television commercials and the soap opera "As the World Turns" to earn extra money while she was in college. Her success in acting caused her to drop out of college a semester before graduating. When she turned 18, she wanted to use her grandmother's maiden name, "Ryan".
In 1981, following her film debut in the drama "Rich and Famous", her last film directed by director George Cukor, Ryan played the role of Betsy Stewart in the daytime TV drama series "As the World Turns" from 1982 to 1984. Her character in the series was featured in a popular romantic story. She also appeared in some television commercials for the Burger King restaurant chain and Aim toothpaste in the early 1980s. She appeared in several television and minor film roles, including appearances in the TV series "Charles in Charge"(1984), the comedy "Armed and Dangerous"(1986), and the supernatural horror movie "Amityville 3-D"(1983). The following year, her role in "Promised Land" (1987), written and directed by Michael Hoffman, earned Ryan her first Independent Spirit Award nomination.
In 1986, she played Anthony Edwards' character Carole Bradshaw, wife of naval flight officer Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, in the Tony Scott-directed action movie "Top Gun." The film, which received mixed reviews after its release, was a great success with its production budget. At the same time, the film became the highest-grossing domestic film of 1986. The following year, she appeared with Dennis Quaid in the science fiction comedy film "Innerspace" (1987), directed by Joe Dante. She then starred with Dennis Quaid and Charlotte Rampling in "D.O.A."(1988), a remake of the movie of the same name. That same year, she appeared in the crime movie "The Presidio" with Sean Connery and Mark Harmon.
Ryan made her lead role in the romantic comedy-drama movie "When Harry Met Sally..."(1989), reuniting with comic book actor Billy Crystal. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Later, she co-starred with Tom Hanks in the romantic comedy movie "Joe Versus the Volcano" (1990) directed by John Patrick Shanley. The movie later became a cult movie. The following year, she appeared in Oliver Stone's biographical musical "The Doors"(1991), which had moderate success. Then she starred in the romantic fantasy film "Prelude to a Kiss", which again failed.
In 1993, she reunited with Tom Hanks for the second time in the highly successful romantic comedy "Sleepless in Seattle." Later that year, she appeared alongside Dennis Quaid and James Caan in the mystery thriller "Flesh and Bone," directed by Steve Kloves. The film received average to mixed reviews.
The following year, Ryan played an alcoholic high school guidance counselor in the romantic drama film "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1994), directed by Luis Mandoki and co-starring with Andy Garcia. Both the film and its performance were well received by the critics. The film was a notable commercial success, earning Ryan her first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her performance. That same year, Ryan co-starred with Tim Robbins in the romantic comedy film "I.Q." directed by Fred Schepisi. She also co-starred with Tim Robbins and Walter Matthau. She later won Harvard's "Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year" award, and People Magazine recognized Ryan as one of the "50 most beautiful people in the world."
In 1995, she appeared with Kevin Kline in "French Kiss", a comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan that appeals to the image of "America's Sweetheart". She was subsequently crowned with the Female in Film Crystal Award, awarded to "distinguished women who, through their resilience and the excellence of their work, have helped expand women's role in the entertainment industry."
In 1996, she co-starred with Denzel Washington as a helicopter pilot in the critical and commercial success war drama film "Courage Under Fire." The following year, she voiced the lead role in the animated musical fantasy drama film "Anastasia", which met with critical acclaim and box office success. That same year, they played a pair of abandoned lovers determined to take revenge in the romantic black comedy movie "Addicted to Love," along with Matthew Broderick. The film had mixed reviews and a poor box office success.
Ryan appeared in two films in 1998. The first was when she starred with Nicolas Cage in the romantic fantasy movie "City of Angels." While the film received positive reviews, it grossed approximately $200 million worldwide. The second was the romantic comedy "You've Got Mail," which reunited Ryan with Tom Hanks. She earned a third Golden Globe nomination for her performance and more than $250 million worldwide.
Ryan's first feature film in the 2000s was "Hanging Up," a family comedy-drama film directed by Diane Keaton and based on Delia Ephron's 1995 novel, about the three sisters bonding together over the impending death of their grumpy father. The film, in which Ryan co-starred with Diane Keaton, Lisa Kudrow and Walter Matthau, received poor reviews from critics. That same year, Ryan was seen portraying the character of David Morse in the action thriller "Proof of Life" directed by Taylor Hackford and co-starring with Russell Crowe. Grossing $63 million worldwide, the film became a moderate critical and commercial success.
A year later, she starred in the romantic comedy fantasy film "Kate & Leopold" (2001), directed by James Mangold and with Hugh Jackman. The film garnered mixed and positive reviews. It was also Ryan's top-grossing film of the decade, with a total gross of $70 million.
In 2003, Ryan appeared alongside Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Jason Leigh in the erotic thriller "In the Cut," written and directed by Jane Campion, leaving her other usual roles. The image-contradictory portrayal of Ryan and the film garnered a lot of attention, but the film was unsuccessful with the critics and failed to meet the production budget at the box office. She continued her career by playing the lead role in Charles S. Dutton's directorial debut "Against the Ropes" (2004), a fictionalized sports drama about American boxing manager Jackie Kallen, who became the first woman to be successful in the sport. The film was a low-grossing box office hit and was criticized by critics for its similarity to other boxing films.
After a three-year hiatus, Ryan returned to the film industry with the independent romantic comedy-drama "In the Land of Women" (2007), directed by Jon Kasdan. She played the role of Sarah Hardwicke in the film, opposite Kristen Stewart and Olympia Dukakis. Receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was a moderate commercial success, surpassing its production budget. Ryan's performance also received many positive responses.
She made her 2008 film debut with William H. Macy in the lead role in "The Deal," a satirical comedy film directed by Steven Schachter and based on Peter Lefcourt's novel of the same name. The film, which had its world premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, received generally mixed and negative reviews. Her final film in 2008 came with the comedy-drama film "The Women", a remake of the 1939 film written, produced and directed by Diane English. The all-female cast consisted of Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith. With a budget of $18 million, the indie production was a financial success, grossing $50 million worldwide. However, it received a disastrous negative response from critics.
The following year, Ryan starred with Kristen Bell and Justin Long in the independent black comedy "Serious Moonlight" directed by Cheryl Hines. Acquired by Magnolia Pictures, the production was released in limited numbers in North America only, with critical response to the film generally mixed and negative. Despite this, she was praised for Ryan's "awesome" performance. Also that year, she guest-starred in the seventh season of the TV sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm".
In October 2012, Ryan appeared in the PBS documentary "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide". The series depicted women and girls living under difficult conditions and struggling to challenge them.
After a four-year hiatus, she reunited with Lisa Kudrow in 2013's improv comedy series "Web Therapy," for which she shot five episodes. Her next feature film came with "Fan Girl" (2015), an independent teen comedy about a 15-year-old girl played by Kiernan Shipka, who is passionate about filmmaking and sets out to make a movie about her favorite band All Time Low.
Also that year, she made her directorial debut with "Ithaca," a drama based on William Saroyan's 1943 novel The Human Comedy. Starring in the movie, Ryan had its world premiere at the Middleburg Film Festival in October. In its sequel, it was revived as flashbacks in "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022) to illustrate the emotional conflicts between the lead character Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and the Bradshaws' grown son, Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller).
Personal life
Ryan got married to actor Dennis Quaid on February 14, 1991. The couple has a child named Jack Quaid, who was born on April 24, 1992. Announcing their separation in June 2000, the couple divorced in July 2001. In 2000, Ryan fell in love with actor Russell Crowe while working on her movie "Proof of Life."
In January 2006, she adopted a 14-month-old Chinese girl named Daisy True. From 2010 to 2014, Ryan was romantically involved with American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp. The couple, who reunited in 2017, announced their engagement on November 8, 2018. However, she left again in October 2019. Ryan also owns a production company called "Prufrock Pictures".