Meg Ryan

Blue-eyed, blonde-haired with a lively personality, Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra in Fairfield, Connecticut, to Susan (Duggan) (Duggan), who was an English teacher and actor, and Harry Hyra, a math teacher. Ruthenian and Polish, Irish, German and German descent. "Hyra" Hyra, her maternal grandmother's maiden name, is Ruthenian. 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, her new name, stepped into acting in order to earn money as she finished her degree. 1981 was her big screen debut. She played Candice Bergen's child in George Cukor's film Rich and Famous (1981). She auditioned and was chosen to play Betsy in the day time soap As the World Turns (1956). She was a part of the cast from 1982 to 1984. Meg also played a role in the TV series One of the Boys (1982) which, however, was soon canceled. She relocated to Hollywood in 1984 and was offered an interview for the western television series Wildside (1985). Meg was a small part in Top Gun (1986), which led to her casting in Steven Spielberg's Innerspace (1987) in which she co-starred with Dennis Quaid. She was again in the same role with Dennis Quaid in the remake of D.O.A. (1988) and the couple were married on Saint Valentine's Day in 1991. Meg was in When Harry Met Sally... (1989), that made the scene at the restaurant famous. 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 co-starred alongside Tom in Sleepless in Seattle (1993), for which she was nominated again for the Golden Globe. In 1994, Meg decided to act contrary to the norm when she acted as the wife of an alcoholic and mother in the film When a Man Loves a Woman (1994). Following that, Meg returned to her "cute" I.Q. (1994) and French Kiss (1995). In 1994, Meg was awarded the Harvard Hasty Pudding Award for being "Woman of the Year" and was named as one of "The 50 most beautiful people in the world in 1994" by People Magazine.