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 actress and English teacher and Harry Hyra, a maths teacher. She has Ruthenian, Polish, Irish, and German roots. ("Hyra" is an Irish and Ruthenian surname, and "Ryan" is the maiden name of her maternal grandmother). Meg graduated from Bethel High School, Bethel in May 1979. In the fall of 1979, she relocated to New York, she attended New York University where she majored in journalism. Meg Ryan was her name, and she started acting to earn money as she finished her studies. 1981 was her first big screen appearance. She played Candice Bergen's little girl in the film of George Cukor Rich and Famous (1981). She was chosen for the character of Betsy in the television soap The World Turns the World Turns (1956) after she was able to audition. She was in the show's cast from 1982 to 1984. Meg was also a character in the television series One of the Boys (1982) but the show was later cancelled. Her move to Hollywood came in 1984, and was offered an opportunity to be a part of the western series Wildside (1985). Meg's role in the blockbuster film Top Gun (1986) led to her being selected for Steven Spielberg's Innerspace (1987) in which she co-starred with Dennis Quaid. Meg was also a co-star with Quaid in the remake of D.O.A. (1988) The two were wed on Saint Valentine's Day 1991. In 1989, Meg appeared in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and the scene at the restaurant was a hit. Meg was twice nominated 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. Also, she was part of the highly successful Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and received nominations for the Golden Globe. Meg decided that she would be different from her peers in 1994, by playing the character of Meg as an alcoholic wife/mother in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994). Then, she went back to her "cute" I.Q. (1994) and French Kiss (1996). The year 1994 was the year that Meg won the Harvard Hasty Pudding Award as "Woman of the Year" and was also voted as being one of "The 50 most beautiful women in the world in 1994" by People Magazine.