Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra in Fairfield Connecticut to Susan (Duggan) the former actress and English teacher, as well as Harry Hyra, a maths teacher. She is of Ruthenian, Polish, Irish, and German family heritage ("Hyra" is an Irish and Ruthenian surname and "Ryan" is the maiden name of her maternal grandmother). Meg graduated from Bethel high school, Bethel in June 1979. Moving to New York, she attended New York University where she majored in journalism. Meg Ryan was her new name and she started acting to earn extra money as she finished her studies. 1981 was her debut on the big screen. She played Candice Bergen's child in the film directed by George Cukor Rich and Famous (1981). She auditioned and was made Betsy in the day time soap as the World Turns (1956). She was a part of the cast from 1982 until 1984. Meg was also a part of the TV show One of the Boys (1982) but it was swiftly cancelled. In 1984, she relocated to tinsel town and landed an appearance in the western TV series Wildside (1985). Meg played a minor role in Top Gun (1986), and then was included in Steven Spielberg's Innerspace (1987) in which she starred with Dennis Quaid. She starred again with Quaid in the remake of D.O.A. (1988) and got married on Saint Valentine's Day 1991. In 1989, Meg appeared in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and the scene at the restaurant was a hit. 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 was also a part of the hugely successful Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and received nominations for the Golden Globe. Meg was able to break away from the trend in 1994, when she played the role as Meg's alcohol-dependent wife and mother "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1994). She returned to being "cute" following the film's release with I.Q. (1994) and French Kiss (1995). The year 1994 was the year that Meg was awarded the Harvard Hasty Pudding Award for being "Woman of the Year" and was also voted as one of "The 50 most beautiful people in the world in 1994" by People Magazine.