Meg Ryan is an American actress who made her debut in 1981. Named Margaret Mary Emily Hyra at birth, the actress spent her early years in Fairfield, Connecticut, before her career took her to different places in the country and beyond. She began acting in 1981, in the George Cukor-directed comedy-drama, Rich and Famous and subsequently established herself as a force to reckon with, both nationally and internationally.
Ryan was one of the most successful actresses during the 1990s and early 2000s. She was specifically an icon in the romantic comedy genre with roles in movies like When Harry Met Sally(1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), French Kiss (1995), You’ve Got Mail (1998), and Hanging Up (2000). More than just playing characters in front of the camera, Ryan also works behind it. She is now focused on her career as a director and producer away from the spotlight. Explore the following facts to learn more about Meg Ryan, the rom-com queen.
5. Meg Ryan Reigned Supreme As A Rom-Com Queen
An undoubtable beauty with enchanting charisma and a bubbly personality, Meg Ryan checks all the boxes to qualify as a screen queen. She was one of the industry’s “It Girls” and earned her place as a rom-com queen beyond the shores of Hollywood. Ryan’s acting career experienced an upsurge from 1989 up to the early 2000s. Thanks to romantic comedy films like When Harry Met Sally, French Kiss (1995), and Kate & Leopold, (2001), she became a screen goddess.
Meg Ryan’s reign in the romantic comedy genre began with her role in When Harry Met Sally where she played her first leading role alongside comic actor Billy Crystal. The movie also earned her a Golden Globe nomination and has remained one of the best rom-com of all time. After her role in Kate & Leopold (2001), alongside Hugh Jackman, which received mixed reactions, Ryan shifted from her usual rom-com roles to her work behind the camera.
4. She Now Works More Behind The Scenes
Meg Ryan’s time as a rom-com queen was iconic ut things are different for her now. She focuses on a career behind the scenes and prefers to live her life away from the spotlight without being the center of attention. Already a made star herself, Ryan has chosen the path of making other people stars through her directorial exploits.
Ryan made her directorial debut in 2015 with a drama film, Ithaca which she also starred in. The movie is based on the novel The Human Comedy written by William Saroyan. Following the success of the Ithaca, Ryan realized she has a calling behind the camera. She has since focused on directing and producing more projects.
3. Her Parents Were Teachers
Meg Ryan was raised by teachers. The Fairfield native was born on November 19, 1961, to Susan Jordan (née Duggan) and Harry Hyra. While her mom, Susan is a former actress, she also worked as an English teacher. Ryan’s father, on the other hand, worked as a math teacher.
Her father is of Polish descent and through both parents, Ryan has a mixed ancestry comprising Ruthenian, Polish, Irish, and German. She was raised Catholic and her parents made sure she got the best education and support to make the most of her talent. Ryan’s parents divorced in 1976 when the actress was 15 years old.
2. Her Name Is An Anagram Of “Germany”
Before Meg Ryan became a household name, the actress was known as Margaret Hyra. Her stage name is actually an anagram derived from rearranging “Germany” but the actress already had a history with the name “Ryan.” Upon joining the Screen Actors Guild at the beginning of her career, she used her grandmother’s maiden name “Ryan” as her surname and added “Meg” as her first name and when rearranged, both names form “Germany”.
1. She Adopted A Child From China
Meg Ryan is the mother of two children – a son named Jack Henry Quaid with her ex-husband Dennis Quaid and a daughter, Daisy True Ryan whom she adopted from China. Ryan gave birth to her son on born on April 24, 1992, and three months later, she was back to filming Sleepless in Seattle (1993). The son of two actors, Jack has followed in his parents’s footsteps to join the entertainment industry. He is an accomplished actor known for his breakout role as Hughie Campbell in The Boys.
Ryan’s daughter was born in November 2004 in China and was adopted by the actress as a 14-month-old toddler in January 2006. Daisy True Ryan has maintained a low profile and not much has been revealed about her. Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid got divorced in 2001 after their separation a year before. Her next known relationship was with John Mellencamp to whom she got engaged but they later called it off.Billy Crystal
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