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Meg Ryan and Richard Cohen in You've Got Mail (1998)

Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan in City of Angels (1998)

Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, and Jane Adams in You've Got Mail (1998)

Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, and Jean Stapleton in You've Got Mail (1998)

Meg Ryan and Greg Kinnear in You've Got Mail (1998)

Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Meg Ryan, Mickey Rooney, and Wendie Malick in One of the Boys (1982)

Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, and Frank Whaley in The Doors (1991)

Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan in The Doors (1991)

Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan in Addicted to Love (1997)

Matthew Broderick, Meg Ryan, and Maureen Stapleton in Addicted to Love (1997)

Meg Ryan, Kelly Preston, and Tchéky Karyo in Addicted to Love (1997)

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and Ross Malinger in Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, David Hyde Pierce, Le Clanché du Rand, Kevin O'Morrison, Tom Tammi, and Valerie Wright in Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Meg Ryan and Matt Damon in Courage Under Fire (1996)

Meg Ryan and Candice Bergen in Rich and Famous (1981)

Meg Ryan and Lori Loughlin in Amityville 3-D (1983)

Blonde-haired, blue-eyed with an effervescent personality, Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra in Fairfield, Connecticut, to Susan (Duggan), an English teacher and one-time actress, and Harry Hyra, a math teacher. She is of Ruthenian, Polish, Irish, and German ancestry ("Hyra" is a Ruthenian surname, and "Ryan" is her maternal grandmother's maiden name). Meg graduated from Bethel high school in June 1979. Moving to New York, she attended New York University where she majored in journalism. To earn extra money while working on her degree, Meg went into acting using her new name Meg Ryan. In 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 tried out and was cast as Betsy in the day time television soap As the World Turns (1956). She was part of the cast from 1982 to 1984. Meg also had a part in the television series One of the Boys (1982), but this show was soon canceled. In 1984, she moved to tinsel town and landed a job in the western television Series Wildside (1985). Meg's small part in the blockbuster movie Top Gun (1986) led to her being cast in Innerspace (1987) where she co-starred with Dennis Quaid. She again co-starred with Quaid in the remake of D.O.A. (1988) and they married on Saint Valentine's Day in 1991. In 1989, Meg appeared in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and the scene at the restaurant became famous. Meg was nominated for both 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 appeared again with Tom in the very successful Sleepless in Seattle (1993) for which she was again nominated for the Golden Globe. In 1994, Meg decided to act against type when she appeared as the alcoholic wife and mother in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994). After that, she went back to "cute" with both I.Q. (1994) and French Kiss (1995). In 1994, Meg won the Harvard Hasty Pudding Award as "Woman of the Year" and was voted as being one of "The 50 most beautiful people in the world 1994" by People Magazine.

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