Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra in Fairfield Connecticut to Susan (Duggan) who was a former actor and English teacher, as well as Harry Hyra, a maths teacher. She has Ruthenian, Polish, Irish, and German roots. ("Hyra" is a Ruthenian surname, while "Ryan" is her maternal grandmother's maiden name). Meg graduated from Bethel High School, Bethel in May 1979. In the fall of 1979, she relocated to New York, she attended New York University where she majored in journalism. To earn some extra cash while she was completing her degree, Meg went into acting under her new name Meg Ryan. In 1981, she made her big screen debut . She made only a brief appearance as Candice Bergen's daughter in George Cukor's last film Rich and Famous (1981). She auditioned and was eventually cast as Betsy on the daytime TV soap As the World turns (1956). She was a part of the cast from 1982 to 1984. Meg also had a part in the TV series One of the Boys (1982) which, however, was soon canceled. In 1984, Meg relocated to Hollywood and was offered a job with the western-themed television series Wildside (1985). Meg had a small role in Top Gun (1986), and was then cast in Steven Spielberg's Innerspace (1987) in which she was starring alongside Dennis Quaid. For the remake of D.O.A., she starred in a second time with Quaid. (1988) and then got married on Saint Valentine's Day 1991. Meg appeared in 1989's When Harry Met Sally... (1989), and the restaurant scene was made famous. Meg was nominated 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. Meg was also seen alongside Tom in the critically acclaimed Sleepless in Seattle (1993) in which she was nominated for the Golden Globe. Meg took a stand against the grain in 1994 when she portrayed the role of Meg's wife who is an alcoholic and motherin "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1994). Following that, Meg went back to her "cute" I.Q. (1994) and French Kiss (1995). The year 1994 was the year that Meg was awarded the Harvard Hasty Pudding Award as "Woman of the Year" and was also voted as one of "The 50 most beautiful women in the world 1994" by People Magazine.