Meg Ryan became one of America’s favorite actresses when she played lovable roles in romantic movies during the 80s and 90s.
With her charming personality and blond shaggy haircut, she’s best known for classics like *Sleepless in Seattle* and *You’ve Got Mail*.
Back then, no one thought Ryan’s career would slow down, but she disappeared from the big screen after 2018.
Today, the 90s “girl next door” stays out of the spotlight. However, the now 61-year-old recently made a rare appearance on the red carpet, catching everyone’s attention.
I can’t be the only one who had a crush on Meg Ryan in the 80s and 90s. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she was the queen of romantic comedies and earned the title “America’s sweetheart.”
For two decades, she was one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood, with her career shining brightly.
But it wasn’t obvious that Meg Ryan would become famous worldwide.
Born in 1961, Ryan grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut. Her father, Harry Hyra, was a math teacher with Polish roots. Ryan’s mother, Susan Jordan, was also a teacher but had once worked as an actress, so performing ran in the family.
Changed her name
However, Meg’s parents divorced in 1976 when she was just 15, and her relationship with them became strained as she grew older.
In fact, Meg eventually cut ties with her mother after some difficult events. She also decided to change her last name to “Ryan,” which was her grandmother’s maiden name, when she joined the Screen Actors Guild.
As a young woman, Ryan studied journalism at the University of Connecticut and later at New York University. Her college years would change her life, but not in the way most people might have expected.
Meg Ryan started acting in TV commercials and soap operas to make some extra money. Then, she got a role in *As the World Turns*, and many producers noticed the talented young actress.
Ryan decided to drop out of college and focus on her entertainment career. Her big break came with a role in the hit movie *Top Gun*, where she played Carole Bradshaw, the wife of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (played by Anthony Edwards).
*Top Gun* became the highest-grossing movie of 1986 and helped Meg Ryan get bigger roles.
She also found love on the set of *Top Gun*. Ryan began dating her co-star Anthony Edwards, and the couple even moved in together for a while.
In 1987, Meg Ryan starred in the science fiction movie *Innerspace* alongside her future husband, Dennis Quaid.
“She had already been in *Top Gun*, but in a small part. She also had the lead in *Armed and Dangerous* with John Candy, which had come out recently. But *Innerspace* was a big step up for her, and of course, she met Dennis, and later they got married,” the film’s director, Joe Dante, told *Cinema Retro*.
Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid quickly fell in love and got married on February 14, 1991.
“It was like a thunderbolt,” Dennis Quaid said about their relationship. “We both felt, ‘This is it. We’re going to be together.’”
The couple’s wedding was a private ceremony held in their hotel room on Valentine’s Day. Ryan’s mother was not invited to the wedding.
“I was laughing and crying at the same time,” Meg told the *New York Post*. “And I realized I could’ve never gotten married in front of a whole group of people.”
**Queen of rom-coms**
Meg Ryan’s stardom skyrocketed when she landed the lead role in the romantic comedy *When Harry Met Sally…*. She played Sally Albright alongside Billy Crystal. While the movie wasn’t an instant hit with critics, it’s now considered a cult classic.
This film cemented Meg Ryan’s place as the undisputed queen of romantic comedies.
In 1993, Meg Ryan teamed up with Tom Hanks in the romantic comedy *Sleepless in Seattle*. Once again, her charming “girl-next-door” persona captivated audiences, and her performance was widely praised.
“I think her ‘cuteness’ sometimes blinds people to how genuinely gifted she is as a comic actress,” said the famous director Nora Ephron in 1995, according to *Vanity Fair*.
Tom Hanks also shared insights about his co-star, noting that Meg Ryan could be quite different from her on-screen characters in Ephron’s films. Despite being called “the current soul of the romantic comedy,” Meg had other sides to her.
“Meg is not perky; I always got the distinct impression that this woman is not to be messed around with,” Hanks said in 1995.
It wasn’t clear she would get the role of Annie Reed in *Sleepless in Seattle*. She was actually the sixth choice, with Julia Roberts, Kim Basinger, and Michelle Pfeiffer all being considered before her.
**Darker roles**
After the success of *Sleepless in Seattle*, Meg Ryan turned down a role in the famous movie *The Silence of the Lambs*. Instead, she focused on what had made her successful: romantic comedies.
But in 1996, Ryan wanted to try something different. She took on a darker role in the war drama *Courage Under Fire*, starring alongside Denzel Washington and Matt Damon. The film, which came out in 1996, was a box office hit, and Ryan’s success seemed unstoppable.
In 1998, one of the best years of her career, she co-starred with Nicolas Cage in the romantic comedy *City of Angels*. The movie was another big success, grossing nearly $200 million, and Meg Ryan was once again celebrated by critics.
That same year, Meg Ryan landed another major role when she teamed up with Tom Hanks once again for *You’ve Got Mail*. The film, set during the early days of email and the internet, revolves around two business rivals who fall in love through anonymous emails without knowing each other’s true identities.
Meg received her third Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in the movie. The *New York Times* praised her, writing:
“Ms. Ryan plays her role blithely and credibly this time, with an air of freshness, a minimum of cute fidgeting, and a lot of fond chemistry with Mr. Hanks.”
It was a perfect way for Meg Ryan to wrap up a golden decade in her career!
While the 90s were filled with success, the 2000s became much more difficult for Meg Ryan. She began the decade with a few movie flops, and her personal life was filled with drama.
When she starred alongside Russell Crowe in *Proof of Life*, rumors of a romance spread quickly. Around the same time, Ryan and her husband, Dennis Quaid, announced their separation in 2000.
During this tough period, Ryan was heavily criticized by tabloids for being involved with Crowe while still married. Her actions didn’t match the public’s image of her as the beloved “girl-next-door,” and the affair made headlines.
What many didn’t know was that Ryan’s marriage to Dennis Quaid had already been falling apart long before she started dating Russell Crowe.
Though their relationship was often portrayed as a Hollywood fairytale, the reality was much different. “It was a great story. But what wasn’t in the story was the reality of my marriage for nine years. Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful. I found out more about that once I was divorced,” Meg Ryan told *InStyle Magazine* in 2008.
According to Ryan, her relationship with Crowe had nothing to do with her divorce from Quaid.
As Meg Ryan’s journey shows, “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” – John Green.
“I think he took a big hit, but Russell didn’t break up the marriage. He was definitely there at the end, but it wasn’t his fault,” Ryan explained. She continued:
“The public and the press tuned in way after. The reasons we broke up have nothing to do with another person,” she said.
Naturally, her ex-husband wasn’t happy with Ryan’s comments years after their highly publicized divorce.
“It was eight years ago, and I find it unbelievable that Meg continues publicly to rehash and rewrite the story of our relationship,” he told the *New York Daily News*.
It’s amazing to see Meg Ryan today and know that she still has a passion for creating and making an impact.
While she might not reach the same heights as she did in the 90s, she’s certainly left a lasting impression on all of us who enjoyed her wonderful films and romantic comedies.
Thank you for all the memories, Meg, and best of luck in the future!