Movie Stars   >   Meg Ryan   >   Biography

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan recently starred in In The Cut, a psychological thriller, opposite Mark Ruffalo. The film was written and directed by Jane Campion (The Piano). Ryan portrayed a lonely New York woman who discovers the darker side of passion after becoming involved with a tough homicide detective who is investigating a series of murders in her neighborhood. The film premiered at The Toronto Film Festival in 2003 and opened the London Film Festival of that same year.

Noted for her versatility and an ineffable charm that comes through in a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles, Ryan starred in the 2001 Miramax romantic comedy Kate & Leopold opposite Hugh Jackman. The film was directed by James Mangold. Her other recent work includes the Castle Rock thriller Proof of Life and Diane Keaton's comedy Hanging Up, in which she starred opposite Keaton, Lisa Kudrow and Walter Matthau. She also starred in Nora Ephron's romance You've Got Mail, opposite Tom Hanks, which garnered her a third Golden Globe nomination, and Anthony Drazan's searing independent film version of Hurlyburly, with Sean Penn, Chazz Palminteri, Gary Shandling, Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright Penn.

Ryan's comedic ,appeal was widely recognized in her first Golden Globe-nominated performance as Sally Allbright in When Harry Met Sally, directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron. She went on to star in Nora Ephron's hit romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, opposite Tom Hanks, garnering a second Golden Globe nomination.

Acclaim has also come to Ryan for her distinctive dramatic portraits, including her role opposite Denzel Washington as the first military woman nominated for a Medal of Honor in Courage Under Fire, directed by Ed Zwick, and her moving portrayal of a wonderful woman with a drinking problem in Luis Mandoki's When a Man Loves a Woman, opposite Andy Garcia. For her performance opposite Kiefer Sutherland in the Sundance Institute's Promised Land, she earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination.

Ryan has also starred opposite Nicolas Cage in City of Angels, with Matthew Broderick in Addicted to Love and with Kevin Kline in French Kiss. Her additional film credits include I.Q., Anastasia, Innerspace, D.O.A., The Presidio, Joe Versus the Volcano, The Doors, Prelude to a Kiss, Flesh and Bone and Restoration.

A Fairfield, Connecticut native, Ryan embarked on her acting career after studying journalism at New York University. She made her motion picture debut as Candice Bergen's daughter in Rich and Famous, and attracted the attention of moviegoers and critics in her 1986 performance as a fighter pilot's wife in Top Gun.

Ryan resides in Los Angeles.


Meg Ryan Facts

Birth NameMargaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra
OccupationActress, Producer
BirthdayNovember 19, 1961 (47)
SignScorpio
BirthplaceFairfield, Connecticut, USA
Height5' 8" (1m73)

Selected Filmography

City of Angels
Sleepless in Seattle
French Kiss
You've Got Mail
Anastasia
The Women
When Harry Met Sally...
Kate & Leopold
Proof of Life
Joe Versus the Volcano
Continue » Add/Update data | Find more details on the Meg Ryan Movies page
  • Main@
  • Image Galleries@