Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan, blonde-haired and blue-eyed she was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra in Fairfield Connecticut to Susan (Duggan) who was a former actor and English teacher, as well as Harry Hyra, a maths teacher. She has Ruthenian, Polish, Irish and German family heritage ("Hyra" is a Ruthenian surname, while "Ryan" is her maternal grandmother's maiden name). Meg graduated in June 1979 from Bethel highschool, Bethel. Meg moved to New York and majored as journalist at New York University. To make extra money while completing her studies, Meg went into acting under her new name Meg Ryan. She made her screen debut in 1981, making a brief appearance as Candice Bergen's daughter in George Cukor’s final film Rich and Famous (1981). She was chosen for the part as Betsy in the television soap as the World Turns (1956) after she auditioned. She was in the show's cast from 1982 until 1984. Meg also played a role in the show One of the Boys (1982) which, however, was soon canceled. She relocated to Hollywood in 1984, and was offered an opportunity to be a part of the western series Wildside (1985). Meg was a small part in Top Gun (1986), which led to her casting in Steven Spielberg's Innerspace (1987) where she played alongside Dennis Quaid. She again co-starred with Quaid in the remake of D.O.A. (1988) and got married in Saint Valentine's Day 1991. In 1989, Meg appeared in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and the scene at the restaurant gained a lot of attention. Meg was nominated for the Golden Globe and 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. She also was a part of the hugely successful Sleepless in Seattle (1993), where she received nominations for the Golden Globe. Meg chose to stand out from the trend in 1994, when she portrayed the role as Meg's alcohol-dependent wife and motherin "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1994). She went back to being "cute" after that with I.Q. (1994) as well as French Kiss (1996). People Magazine named Meg "Woman of the Year" in 1994. She was also awarded the Harvard Hasty Pudding Award.