Meg Ryan became one of America’s most beloved actresses in the 80s and 90s, thanks to her roles in unforgettable romantic comedies. With her signature blond shag haircut, Ryan captured hearts in classics like Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail.
Her charm and appeal seemed unstoppable, but after 2018, she vanished from the big screen. Recently, the now 61-year-old Ryan made a surprising appearance on the red carpet, catching everyone’s attention.
Who could forget the crushes we all had on Meg Ryan during her prime? Her blonde hair and blue eyes made her the quintessential queen of romantic comedies, earning her the nickname “America’s Sweetheart.” For two decades, she was a major Hollywood star, but her path to fame was anything but straightforward.
Born in 1961 in Fairfield, Connecticut, Meg Ryan was raised by her father Harry Hyra, a math teacher of Polish descent, and her mother Susan Jordan, who was also a teacher and had a background in acting.
Unfortunately, her parents divorced when she was just 15, and this caused a rift between Meg and her family. Later, she would distance herself from her mother and adopted the surname “Ryan,” her grandmother’s maiden name, for her acting career.
Ryan initially pursued a journalism degree at the University of Connecticut and New York University. But her career took a turn when she began appearing in TV commercials and soap operas. Her big break came with a role in As the World Turns, which led to more opportunities.
Meg left college to chase her acting dreams, and her role in Top Gun as Carole Bradshaw, wife of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, made her a rising star. Top Gun was a huge success in 1986, opening doors for bigger roles.
On the set of Top Gun, Ryan found romance with co-star Anthony Edwards. They dated and even moved in together. By 1987, she was working with Dennis Quaid in Innerspace. Director Joe Dante noted, “She had already been in ‘Top Gun’ but in a small part.
She also had the lead in ‘Armed and Dangerous’ with John Candy that had come out recently. But this was a great step up for her and of course, she was introduced to Dennis and later they got married.”
Ryan and Quaid’s relationship was described by Dennis as, “It was like a thunderbolt. Both of us felt, ‘This is it. We’re going to be together.’” They married on February 14, 1991, in their hotel room, with no guests, including Ryan’s mother. Meg confessed to the New York Post, “I was laughing and crying at the same time. And I realized I could’ve never gotten married in front of a whole group of people.”
Ryan’s career reached new heights with the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally… where she played Sally Albright opposite Billy Crystal. Though it wasn’t an immediate hit with critics, it became a cult classic, cementing her status as the rom-com queen.
In 1993, Ryan starred alongside Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle, which was another major success. Nora Ephron, the film’s director, remarked, “I think her ‘cuteness’ sometimes blinds people to how genuinely gifted she is as a comic actress.”
Tom Hanks added, “Meg is not perky, I always got the distinct impression that this woman is not to be messed around with.” Surprisingly, Ryan was the sixth choice for the role of Annie Reed, with stars like Julia Roberts and Michelle Pfeiffer having turned it down.
After Sleepless in Seattle, Ryan chose not to take a role in The Silence of the Lambs and continued to focus on romantic comedies. However, in 1996, she took on a more serious role in Courage Under Fire alongside Denzel Washington and Matt Damon.
The film was a success, and 1998 brought another hit with City of Angels, where she starred with Nicolas Cage. The film grossed nearly $200 million and received praise for Ryan’s performance.
Later that year, Ryan and Hanks reunited for You’ve Got Mail, a film about two rival bookshop owners who fall in love through anonymous emails. The New York Times praised Ryan, saying, “Ms. Ryan plays her role blithely and credibly this time, with an air of freshness, a minimum of cute fidgeting, and a lot of fond chemistry with Mr. Hanks.”
Despite a stellar decade, the 2000s were more challenging for Ryan. She faced personal drama and professional flops. Rumors swirled about her relationship with Russell Crowe during the filming of Proof of Life. At the same time, Ryan and Quaid announced their separation in 2000.
The tabloids had a field day with the rumors, but Ryan later clarified that her marriage to Quaid was already troubled before her involvement with Crowe. “It was a great story. But what wasn’t in the story was the reality of my marriage for nine years. Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful,” Ryan told InStyle Magazine in 2008.
Ryan and Quaid’s son, Jack Quaid, born in 1992, followed his parents into acting. He made his debut in The Hunger Games and has appeared in various TV shows and films. During her turbulent time, Ryan took a three-year break from acting to focus on her family.
In 2015, she directed Jack in Ithaca, and he appreciated the support, saying, “It’s lucky that I got to grow up saying, ‘Hey, I want to be an actor’ and they understood that.”
In 2006, Ryan adopted a baby girl from China named Daisy. She described the experience to Redbook magazine: “I just really wanted a baby; I was on a mission to connect with somebody, and Daisy and I got to meet each other this way at this time. We are so compatible.”
Ryan’s last major role was in 2008’s The Women. After that, she stepped away from acting and explored other interests. She attempted directing with Ithaca, though she admitted it wasn’t her true passion. In a 2019 interview with the New York Times, she said, “I wasn’t as curious about acting as I was about other things that life can give you. I wanted to live more.”
Today, Meg Ryan is less visible in Hollywood but remains active in other ways. She writes romantic comedies and produces a show for NBC. She’s also on Instagram, where she shares her thoughts with over 600,000 followers. She told Instyle, “Like anything if it’s overindulged, then it’s a problem.
But I appreciate hearing from—well, not everyone [laughs]—but hearing directly from people, because it allows for more of a complexity in the understanding of a person.”
According to a source close to her, a comeback in Hollywood might be on the horizon. In 2020, a source told OK! Magazine that Ryan is “ready to conquer Hollywood once again.” It’s great to see that Meg Ryan still has a spark and might return to the limelight, even if her time in the 90s was unforgettable.
Thank you, Meg, for all the wonderful memories and best of luck with your future endeavors!