Meg Ryan’s roles in some of the most endearing romantic leads of the 1980s and 1990s solidified her status as one of America’s sweethearts.
The endearing actress, known for her blond shag hairstyle, will always be associated with classic films like You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle.
Nothing at the time suggested that Ryan’s fame would wane, yet after 2018, she vanished entirely from the big screen.
The 90s girl next door isn’t in the spotlight anymore, but Ryan, who is now 61, recently made an appearance on the red carpet and caused some people to take notice.
Meg Ryan was someone I couldn’t help but have a thing for in the 1980s and 1990s. The blonde, blue-eyed beauty was known as “America’s sweetheart” for a reason: she was the queen of romantic comedies.
For twenty years, she was one of Hollywood’s most admired actors, and her star was burning brightly.
However, it was by no means certain that Meg Ryan would become well-known worldwide.
Ryan was raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, after being born in 1961. Harry Hyra, her father, was a math teacher of Polish heritage. Naturally, being on stage ran in the family because Ryan’s mother, Susan Jordan, was an actor before becoming a teacher.
Changed her name.
However, Meg’s relationship with her parents grew strained later in life after they divorced in 1976 when she was just 15 years old.
After a string of incidents, Meg would actually sever her relationship with her mother. When she registered with the Screen Actors Guild, she also chose to adopt her grandmother’s maiden name, Ryan, as her surname.
Ryan decided to pursue journalism as a young lady, first at the University of Connecticut and later at New York University. Her life would alter during her time at college, but maybe not in the way most people thought.
To supplement her income, Meg Ryan began performing in soap operas and TV ads. She unexpectedly got a part in As the World Turns, and the young, gifted actress caught the attention of several producers.
After leaving college, Ryan started working in the entertainment sector. When she created a vibrant portrayal of Carole Bradshaw, the wife of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), she achieved a mini-breakthrough in the popular film Top Gun.
The romantic action film helped Meg Ryan earn larger parts and became the highest-grossing film of 1986.
On the set of Top Gun, she also fell in love. She began dating Anthony Edwards, her on-screen spouse and co-star. After some time of dating, the pair even moved in together.
Ryan costarred with Dennis Quaid, his future spouse, in the 1987 science fiction film Innerspace.
She had already appeared in “Top Gun,” albeit in a minor role. Additionally, she starred alongside John Candy in the recently released film “Armed and Dangerous.” However, this was a huge stride forward for her, and naturally, she met Dennis, with whom she subsequently married,” Joe Dante, the filmmaker, told Cinema Retro.
Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan were married on February 14, 1991, after falling in love right away.
Dennis compared it to a thunderbolt. “This is it,” we both thought. We will spend time together.
On Valentine’s Day, the ceremony took place in the hotel room of the couple. The wedding did not include Ryan’s mother.
She told the New York Post, “I realized I could never have gotten married in front of a whole group of people,” adding, “I was laughing and crying at the same time.”
The queen of romantic comedies
When she was cast in the lead role of the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, her career took off.Alongside Billy Cristal, Ryan played Sally Albright. Despite not being well received by critics, the movie is now considered a cult masterpiece.
Additionally, the film would establish Meg Ryan’s unchallenged status as the rom-com queen.
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks costarred in Sleepless in Seattle, another popular romantic comedy, in 1993. The adorable “girl-next-door” enthralled the moviegoers once more and received accolades for her performance.
The well-known director of Nora Ephron stated Vanity Fair in 1995, “I think her ‘cuteness’ sometimes blinds people to how genuinely gifted she is as a comic actress.”
In addition, Tom Hanks disclosed some information about his co-star, saying that Meg Ryan might be quite different from the characters she plays in Nora Ephron’s films. Meg had other sides, while being called “the current soul of the romantic comedy” by critics.
In 1995, the well-known actor stated, “Meg is not perky, I always got the distinct impression that this woman is not to be messed around with.”
Her casting as Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle was by no means certain. She was actually the sixth choice; Michelle Pfeiffer, Kim Basinger, and Julia Roberts were all offered the part but declined.
roles that are darker
After Sleepless in Seattle became a hit, Meg Ryan declined a part in the well-known film The Silence of the Lambs.Rather, she concentrated on her strengths, which were romantic comedies.
However, in 1996, the actress decided she wanted to try something new. Thus, Meg Ryan played a significantly darker part in the war thriller Courage Under Fire, costarring with Denzel Washington and Matt Damon.
At the time of its 1996 release, the movie was a box office hit, and Ryan seemed unstoppable. One of the best years of her career, 1998, saw her continue to achieve success. Everything was in place for another box office triumph when he costarred with Nicolas Cage in the romantic comedy City of Angels. Critics praised Meg Ryan once more, and the film made close to $200 million.
She reunited with Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail the same year, which was another pivotal part in her career. The movie, which is set in the time when emails and the internet were becoming commonplace, centers on two adversaries who fall in love after exchanging emails without realizing who the other person is.
For the film, Meg was nominated for her third Golden Globe, and the New York Times reported:
“This time, Ms. Ryan plays her role blithely and credibly, with a lot of affectionate chemistry with Mr. Hanks, a fresh air, and little cute fidgeting.”
What a wonderful way to end the actress’s illustrious decade!
However, if the 1990s were a decade of success, the actress faced even greater difficulties in the 2000s. The all-American decent girl had a lot of drama in her personal life and had a few failures to start the new decade.
Rumors of a romance started to spread when she costarred with Russell Crowe in Proof of Life. In 2000, Ryan and her spouse simultaneously declared their divorce.
The tabloids criticized and scandalized Ryan at this tumultuous period in her personal life for her relationship with Russel Crowe throughout her marriage. Naturally, the affair made news because her actions didn’t align with the public’s perception of their favorite girl next door.
Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan
Many people were unaware that, even before the actress began dating Russell Crowe, Ryan and Dennis Quaid’s marriage was in ruins.
Frequently depicted as a romantic fairy tale and the ideal Hollywood union, their union was anything but.
“The narrative was fantastic. However, the truth of my nine-year marriage was not depicted in the novel. It hurt me a lot when Dennis was unfaithful to me for a long time. After becoming divorced, I learned more about that,” Meg Ryan said in an interview with InStyle Magazine in 2008.
Meg Ryan claims that her divorce from Dennis Quaid was unrelated to her relationship with her Proof of Life co-star.
Russell didn’t end the marriage, but I believe he took a significant knock. Ryan clarified and went on, “He was undoubtedly present at the end, but it wasn’t his fault:
The press and general public tuned in long after. “It has nothing to do with another person,” she stated, explaining why we broke up.
Years following their well-publicized divorce, Ryan’s remarks clearly upset her ex-husband.
He told the New York Daily News, “It was eight years ago, and I find it unbelievable that Meg continues to rehash and rewrite the story of our relationship in public.”
Dennis Quaid remembers their union more positively, despite Meg Ryan calling it a “very unhealthy marriage.”
Quaid admitted to Independent that he still loved her. We have a great time together, and I really like her. We had a great 13 years together. She changed my life; we had a child together and shared a lot.
The son of Meg Ryan
Ryan and Quaid would always share a unique kinship because of their son, even if they parted ways.
Jack Quaid, aged 29, is an actor who has followed in his parents’ footsteps since his birth in 1992. Since his first appearance in the film The Hunger Games, Jack has made numerous appearances in TV shows and motion pictures.
Following the widely reported divorce, Meg Ryan took a three-year hiatus from performing at the most tumultuous time in her life. She seemed to have a strong bond with her son, and she wanted to concentrate on her family.
For instance, they collaborated in 2015 when Meg directed Jack in the film Ithaka, taking a backstage role.
“I’m fortunate that they recognized my desire to become an actress as I grew up. “Oh, that probably isn’t the wisest choice, you should have a backup plan,” Jack told Insider in 2022, adding, “I didn’t grow up in a household that didn’t quite understand what that meant.”
Meg Ryan’s daughter
Meg Ryan experienced some career difficulties in the mid-00s, and her star status started to wane. She made the decision to grow her family and began concentrating more on her personal life.
She adopted a 14-month-old kid from China while she was a single mother. In 2006, we welcomed her into the family with the name Daisy.
“I was on a mission to connect with someone, and Daisy and I were able to meet this way at this time. I just really wanted a baby.” We get along so well. Additionally, Ryan told Redbook magazine in 2007 that “there is no difference in the love you feel between having Jack and now having Daisy in a different way.”
In 2008, Meg Ryan starred in the comedy-drama The Women, which was her final major role. She then took a break from acting and avoided the limelight for some time.
She attempted directing in Ithaca, as previously indicated, but it didn’t seem like her thing. The former all-American girl and megastar has limited her acting career to a few small roles during the past several years.
“I was more interested in other things life has to offer than I was in acting. In 2019, she told the New York Times, “I wanted to live more,” and went on:
“I don’t think of myself as a performer by nature. I was aware that I was being given chances and that I could do a certain piece of music. I could accomplish some things. I also like acting. It was enjoyable, in my opinion. However, I had to navigate the position of performing.
Today, Meg Ryan
Since Meg Ryan hasn’t been on the white screen as frequently in recent years, many people have naturally wondered what has happened to her.
In my opinion, Meg Ryan still has the same appearance as she did when she first made her Hollywood debut since her face is so closely linked to the stunning romantic comedies she produced.
Perhaps this is the reason I was a little taken aback when I saw her today. Actresses, of course, age as well. Meg Ryan is 61 years old, as evidenced by her most recent photos. She is still really skilled and beautiful, though.
She currently attempts to compose romantic comedies and contributes to the production of an NBC program.
In 2019, the actress stated, “I’m also preparing myself to direct, and I’m working on a fun e-commerce project with some of my friends.”
Meg Ryan occasionally makes an appearance at gala premieres, but she is less frequently spotted on the red carpet as a result.
She currently attempts to compose romantic comedies and contributes to the production of an NBC program.
In 2019, the actress stated, “I’m also preparing myself to direct, and I’m working on a fun e-commerce project with some of my friends.”
Meg Ryan occasionally makes an appearance at gala premieres, but she is less frequently spotted on the red carpet as a result.
Meg Ryan still seems to have the drive to create and leave her mark on the world, which is amazing to experience in person today.
She may never be as well-known as she was in the 1990s, but her amazing movies and romantic comedies have left a lasting impression on those of us who have seen them.
Meg, thank you for all the memories and best of success going forward!