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Meg Ryan (born November 19, 1961) is an American film actress whose lead roles in four 1990s romantic comediesWhen Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, French Kiss and You've Got Mail grossed over $670 million worldwide. In 1995, critic Richard Corliss called her the "the current soul of romantic comedy.", A leading contender for the position of America's Sweetheart since the late 1980s, this cute, personable, and petite blonde actress gained fame with her first leading role in Rob Reiner's romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989), opposite Billy Crystal. Ryan's vociferous faking of an orgasm in a NYC delicatessen has been hailed as a modern comedy classic. The Connecticut-born former homecoming queen made her film debut at age 20 as Candice Bergen's daughter in "Rich and Famous" (1981) before turning to TV. She was a troubled teen in "Amy and the Angel" (ABC, 1982), and soap opera cultists embraced her as Betsy Montgomery on "As the World Turns" (CBS, from 1982-84). After the premiere of "Charles in Charge" (CBS, 1984) and the short-lived Western series "Wildside" (ABC, 1985), Ryan pretty much abandoned the medium, though. Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra in Fairfield, Connecticut, the daughter of Susan Hyra Jordan (née Ryan), a former actress, casting director, and English-teacher, and Harry Hyra, a math teacher. She has two sisters, Dana and Annie, and a brother, Andrew. Ryan was raised a Roman Catholic and graduated from Saint Pius X Elementary School in Fairfield, where her mother taught the sixth grade. There, Ryan was confirmed into the Catholic Church, choosing Anne as her confirmation name. Ryan's mother had appeared in one television commercial and later worked briefly as an assistant casting director in New York City. She supported and encouraged her young daughter's study of acting. She graduated from Bethel High School in 1979. She went on to study journalism at the University of Connecticut and then at New York University, while acting in television commercials to earn extra money. Her success as an actress led her to drop out of college only a semester shy of graduating. At age 18, through her mother's connections, Ryan booked her first television commercial, doing chin-ups and giggling to promote "Tickle" deodorant. First registering in features with a small but memorable role as Anthony Edwards' wife in Tony Scott's "Top Gun" (1986), Ryan went on to play a journalist in the Joe Dante sci-fi flick "Innerspace" (1987), opposite Dennis Quaid, whom she later married. The pair then headlined the unsuccessful noir remake "D.O.A." (1988). Ryan garnered some positive notices for her atypical performance as a tough, desperate drifter in "Promised Land" (1988) but her generally bubbly, accessible persona has been best served by romantic comedies. She has been paired with some of Hollywood's most charismatic leading men in comedies and dramas: playing multiple roles opposite Tom Hanks in "Joe Versus the Volcano" (1990); with Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison's spacey common-law wife in "The Doors" (1991); and as Alec Baldwin's bewitched bride in "Prelude to a Kiss" (1992). Ryan has also reteamed with Hanks as his long distance love interest in "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993), directed by Nora Ephron. The trio once again reunited with "You've Got Mail" (1998), an update of the 1940 classic "The Shop Around the Corner". After a role in Rich and Famous, Ryan played Betsy Stewart in the daytime drama As the World Turns from 1982 to 1984; she was featured in a popular romantic story arc. Several TV film and smaller movie roles followed, including Amityville 3-D and Promised Land; for her role in the latter she received her first Independent Spirit Award nomination. Ryan then appeared in two romantic movies D.O.A. and The Presidio. In 1986, she played Carole Bradshaw (wife of naval aviator Nick "Goose" Bradshaw; played by Anthony Edwards) in Top Gun , and appeared in several memorable scenes. Ryan played Lydia Maxwell in the movie Innerspace, which also starred Dennis Quaid. Her first full-blown hit in a leading role was the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... (1989) which paired her with comedic leading man Billy Crystal. Her portrayal of Sally Albright, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, is memorable for her depiction of a theatrical faked orgasm in a Manhattan delicatessen. The film would be the first of three successful Nora Ephron films in which Ryan would be cast as a bubbly, feisty, incurable romantic.[citation needed] Ryan then starred in The Doors, and Prelude to a Kiss. Both films were moderately successful. 1993 saw the release of the hugely successful romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, which paired Ryan with leading man Tom Hanks for the second of three times. She made several attempts to break away from the romantic comedy ingenue stereotype, and garnered critical acclaim for her work in When a Man Loves a Woman in which she played an alcoholic and Courage Under Fire, portraying a captain in the Gulf War. Both films were substantial successes at the box office. Many of her films of the 1990s were hits not only in North America, but also abroad. In 1994 Ryan won the Harvard Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year. That same year, People Magazine dubbed her one of "The 50 most beautiful people in the world." In 1997, Ryan voiced the lead role in the animated film Anastasia, which garnered good reviews and enjoyed box office success. In 1998 Ryan starred in two films. The first, City of Angels, drew negative reviews, but became a huge financial success, topping nearly 200 million worldwide. You've Got Mail, which once again paired Ryan with Tom Hanks, earned her a third Golden Globe nomination and made over $250 million worldwide. In 2000, Ryan starred in the action thriller Proof of Life opposite Russell Crowe. She also received a paycheck of $15 million, establishing her as one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. The film was a critical and commercial flop. A leading contender for the position of America's Sweetheart since the late 1980s, this cute, personable, and petite blonde actress gained fame with her first leading role in Rob Reiner's romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989), opposite Billy Crystal. Ryan's vociferous faking of an orgasm in a NYC delicatessen has been hailed as a modern comedy classic. The Connecticut-born former homecoming queen made her film debut at age 20 as Candice Bergen's daughter in "Rich and Famous" (1981) before turning to TV. She was a troubled teen in "Amy and the Angel" (ABC, 1982), and soap opera cultists embraced her as Betsy Montgomery on "As the World Turns" (CBS, from 1982-84). After the premiere of "Charles in Charge" (CBS, 1984) and the short-lived Western series "Wildside" (ABC, 1985), Ryan pretty much abandoned the medium, though. First registering in features with a small but memorable role as Anthony Edwards' wife in Tony Scott's "Top Gun" (1986), Ryan went on to play a journalist in the Joe Dante sci-fi flick "Innerspace" (1987), opposite Dennis Quaid, whom she later married. The pair then headlined the unsuccessful noir remake "D.O.A." (1988). Ryan garnered some positive notices for her atypical performance as a tough, desperate drifter in "Promised Land" (1988) but her generally bubbly, accessible persona has been best served by romantic comedies. She has been paired with some of Hollywood's most charismatic leading men in comedies and dramas: playing multiple roles opposite Tom Hanks in "Joe Versus the Volcano" (1990); with Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison's spacey common-law wife in "The Doors" (1991); and as Alec Baldwin's bewitched bride in "Prelude to a Kiss" (1992). Ryan has also reteamed with Hanks as his long distance love interest in "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993), directed by Nora Ephron. The trio once again reunited with "You've Got Mail" (1998), an update of the 1940 classic "The Shop Around the Corner". Although nearly typecast as a lightweight performer, Ryan has offered several change-of-pace dramatic performances; several of the films, however, proved to be disappointments at the box office. She starred opposite Quaid in the moody Texas-set romance "Flesh and Bone" (1993) and Andy Garcia as an alcoholic wife and mother in "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1994). In Michael Hoffman's long-delayed "Restoration" (1995), Ryan undertook the pivotal role as an Irish patient in a Quaker hospice who becomes romantically involved with a doctor (Robert Downey Jr.) and acquitted herself nicely although her brogue had a tendency to come and go. She was better served as the US Army captain whose actions during Operation Desert Storm come under investigation in "Courage Under Fire" (1996), as a surgeon romanced by a heavenly creature in the person of Nicolas Cage in "City of Angels" and as a drug-abusing go-go dancer involved with a second-rate actor in "Hurlyburly" (both 1998). But regardless of whether she is playing at being the queen of screen romance or essaying far more interesting and dramatic characterizations, Ryan holds the screen. One senses that her full range and potential remain untapped. Perhaps if she ever undertakes her dream role to portray poet Sylvia Plath, audiences may see her at the real peak of her prowess. After yet another turn as a cute romantic comedy lead with her male cute romantic comedy counterpart Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail" (1998), Ryan next starred in the disappointing "Hanging Up" (2000). Also in 2000, Ryan starred in the thriller "Proof of Life" with Russell Crowe. While the movie was of little interest to moviegoers and critics alike, it spawned the highly interesting love affair of Ryan and Crowe which would result in Ryan's eventual divorce from Dennis Quaid. 2001 found Ryan consistantly in the gossip pages following her highly publicized split with Crowe in December of 2000. Reports of his abrupt ending of their passionate affair put Ryan in a rather uncomfortable spotlight. She starred in the lightweight romantic comedy "Kate and Leopold" (2001) opposite Hugh Jackman and sported a sexy, revamped post-breakup look on several magazine covers. Feeling her image as America's Adorable Sweetheart growing a bit shopworn (and her box office clout diminishing) Ryan--always a tad edgier than her established on-screen persona--relished the opportunity to take some chances with her choice of roles: she starred opposite Mark Ruffalo in the thriller "In the Cut" (2003), directed by Jane Campion. In a role originally slated for Nicole Kidman (who produced the film), Ryan stretches as a dark, alienated woman with masochistic leanings, entering into a potentially troubling relationship with a police detective following a violent robbery. Baring the darker corners of her soul on screen as never before, Ryan also bared her body in controversial full frontal nude scenes that were both a Campion trademark and a radical departure from previous Ryan fare. She next took on anonter non-cupcake role as hard-hitting real-life female boxing promoter Jackie Kallen in "Against the Ropes" (2003) for actor/director Charles Dutton. That same year, Ryan starred opposite Diane Keaton in the comedy Hanging Up, which received poor reviews, but grossed over $51 million. A year later, she once again returned to her romantic comedy roots in the film Kate & Leopold. The film was well-received by some critics, but failed to find an audience. In 2003, she broke away from her usual roles, starring in Jane Campion's In the Cut, an erotic crime thriller. While her decision earned Ryan much media attention, the movie still proved to be a failure with both critics and audiences, grossing only $23 million in theaters. In October 2003, while in the UK to promote In the Cut, Ryan had a controversial interview with Michael Parkinson on the long-running television talk show Parkinson, which resulted in some negative publicity in the British press. Ryan talked with Oprah Winfrey (March 1, 2006, The Oprah Winfrey Show) about her work with CARE in India and empowering women in poor countries. Ryan's most recent project, George Gallo's My Mom's New Boyfriend, was shot in the fall of 2006 in Shreveport, Louisiana and is due to be released in 2008. The romantic comedy stars Ryan opposite Antonio Banderas. Ryan is joined by former co-star Tom Hanks's son, Colin, who plays her son in the film. In 2007 she played the role of Sarah, in In the Land of Women, co-starring Adam Brody, and won over critics and the public. Ryan's next project is a remake of the 1939 film The Women, which is slated to begin filming in New York City in August 2007. The $18 million remake of the George Cukor classic is being directed by Murphy Brown creator Diane English and produced by Mick Jagger. It's slated for release in 2008. Ryan will play the central character, Mary Haines, a wealthy woman who is one of the last to find out that her husband is cheating on her with a shop girl. The leading role was originally made famous by actress Norma Shearer. Annette Bening, Eva Mendes and Candice Bergen are also slated to star in the remake. Ryan married actor Dennis Quaid on Valentine's Day in 1991, after starring in two films with him. Ryan agreed to marry him only after he kicked his cocaine addiction. Quaid and Ryan had one child together, Jack Henry, born April 24, 1992. The couple divorced on July 16, 2001. In January 2006 Meg Ryan adopted a 14 month old girl from China, Daisy True. Ryan tends to support the U.S. Democratic Party, especially its environmental protection programs and initiatives. In 2003, she supported General Wesley Clark's campaign for U.S. president. She supported John Kerry during the 2004 presidential elections. |
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