Biography & trivia

*    Meg Ryan was born on 19th November 1961 in Fairfield, U.S.A.

*    Her birth name is Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra but she prefers to use Meg Ryan in short for her film credits.

*    Meg Ryan’s mother Susan Jordan was an actress & teacher, her father Harry Hyra was a math teacher and basketball player. Her parents separated when she was 15 years old.

*    Meg Ryan has three siblings Dana,  Annie and Andrew Hyra, a musician who works in ‘Billy Pilgrim’ band.

*    She attended ‘St. Pius X Elementary School’, in Fairfield and its the same school where her mother used to work as English teacher. She later attended Bethel High School,  University of Connecticut and New York University, where she studied journalism.

*    She made her acting debut with Rich and Famous in 1981 alongside Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen. Her first major commercial blockbuster was  When Harry Met Sally… in 1989 and she earned Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the film. In 1990 decade Meg Ryan worked for hits like The Doors in 1991 alongside Val Kilmer and Kyle MacLachlan, Sleepless in Seattle in 1993 with Tom Hanks and Bill Pullman, When a Man Loves a Woman in 1994, City of Angels in 1998 with Nicolas Cage and Andre Braugher, You’ve Got Mail in  1998 with Tom Hanks for which she earned Golden Globe nomination, Hurlyburly in 1998 with Sean Penn.

*    In 2000 decade Meg Ryan worked for several blockbusters like Proof of Life in 2000 with Russell Crowe, Kate & Leopold in 2001 opposite Hugh Jackman, In the Land of Women in 2007 alongside Kristen Stewart & Olympia Dukakis, The Women in 2008 alongside Annette Bening and Eva Mendes.

*    In 2010 decade Meg Ryan worked for ‘Lives of The Saints’ ‘Half the Sky’ etc.

*    Ryan married her D.O.A. co-star Dennis Quaid on 14th Feb 1991 on a condition that he should quit his cocaine addiction before marriage. The couple had a son Jack Quaid born in 1992, who is also an actor and director. She broke up with Dennis Quaid in late 2000 and their divorce was finalized on 16th July, 2001.

*    She later had a relationship with her Proof of Life co-star Russell Crowe. In 2010 she was in a serious relationship with singer John Mellencamp and he announced that he is his 18 years of marriage with Elaine Irwin Mellencamp.

*    Ryan adopted a baby girl from China in Jan 2006 and named her Daisy True.

Interview excerpts

“I think it I was more defined by my career, it probably would have been difficult, but I’m a really creative person in a lot of ways and it’s been this unbelievable time to see what else I’m  good at. You go through these funny waves with fame when sometimes you are famous and sometimes you are not, and you can look forward to these lulls because you get to have real interactions with other people and have unexpected experiences.”

Filmography / all movies list