Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan is a blonde-haired blue-eyed, blonde-haired woman with a vivacious personality. She was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra to Susan (Duggan) and was an English teacher, and also a one-time actress. Harry Hyra was a math teacher. Meg is of Ruthenian, Polish, Irish and German heritage ("Hyra" is an Irish and Ruthenian surname, and "Ryan" is the maiden name of her maternal grandmother). Meg has graduated from Bethel High School, Bethel in May 1979. Meg relocated to New York City and studied journalism at New York University. Meg Ryan was her name, and she started acting to earn a little extra cash while she completed her degree. In the year 1981, she had her big screen debut with a brief appearance as Candice Bergen's daughter in George Cukor's last film Rich and Famous (1981). She was cast in the character as Betsy in the television soap The World Turns the World Turns (1956) after she was able to audition. She was part of the show's cast from 1982 until 1984. Meg also had a part in the TV show One of the Boys (1982) however, the show was eventually cancelled. In 1984, she moved to Hollywood and was offered an opening in 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. In the remake of D.O.A., she starred again with Dennis Quaid. (1988) and was married in Saint Valentine's Day 1991. In 1989, Meg appeared in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and the scene at the restaurant became famous. Meg was nominated for the Golden Globe as well as 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. In 1993, she appeared with Tom in Sleepless in Seattle (1993), for which she was again nominated for the Golden Globe. Meg determined to be different from her peers in 1994 by playing the part of Meg as a drunken mother/wife in the film When a Man Loves a Woman (1994). Then, she returned to her "cute" I.Q. (1994) as well as French Kiss (1995). In 1994, Meg was awarded the Harvard Hasty Pudding Award for being "Woman of the Year" and was voted as being one of "The 50 most beautiful women in the world 1994" by People Magazine.