Meg Ryan

Blue-eyed blonde with a lively personality, Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra in Fairfield, Connecticut, to Susan (Duggan), an English teacher and one-time actress as well as Harry Hyra, a math teacher. Her family heritage includes Ruthenian, Polish and Irish in addition to German. ("Hyra") is her Ruthenian surname, and "Ryan", is her maternal grandmother's maiden. Meg graduated from Bethel High School, Bethel in May 1979. Moving to New York, she attended New York University where she majored in journalism. Meg Ryan was her new name, entered acting to make extra money while she was completing her degree. In the year 1981, she made her big screen debut with the role of Candice Bergen's daughter in George Cukor's last film Rich and Famous (1981). She was cast in the part of Betsy in the soap opera The World Turns the World Turns (1956) after she was able to audition. She was in the cast from 1982 to 1984. Meg was also a character in the television show One of the Boys (1982) but the show was soon put on hold. In 1984, she moved to Hollywood, and was offered a role in the western television Series Wildside (1985). Meg played a minor role in Top Gun (1986), later being part of Steven Spielberg's Innerspace (1987) in which she was starring alongside Dennis Quaid. For the remake of D.O.A., she starred again with Dennis Quaid. (1988) and the couple were married on Saint Valentine's Day in 1991. In 1989, Meg appeared in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and the scene in the restaurant gained a lot of attention. Meg was nominated twice for the Golden Globe and 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. In 1993, she starred alongside Tom in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) in which she was nominated again for the Golden Globe. In 1994, Meg decided to act as if she was a rebel as the alcoholic wife and mother in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994). Meg returned to her role as "cute" afterward with I.Q. (1994) & French Kiss (1995). People Magazine voted Meg as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world in 1994.