Occupation: Actress, Producer
Date of Birth: November 19, 1961
Place of Birth: Fairfield, Conn., USA
Sign: Sun in Scorpio, Moon in Aries
Relations: Ex-husband: Dennis Quaid; kid: Jack Henry; father: Harry Hyra (teacher);
mother: Susan Jordan; siblings: Dana, Annie, Andrew
Education: University of Connecticut

Having paid her UConn tuition bills by performing in commercials, Meg Ryan abandoned the books her sophomore year to work in her first feature film, Rich and Famous (1981). Her perky good looks and winsome smile landed her romantic leads in When Harry Met Sally (1989), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990, with Tom Hanks), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), French Kiss (1995, co-starring with Kevin Kline), City of Angels (1998, also starring Nicolas Cage), Kate & Leopold (opposite Hugh Jackman) and many more. 

But she is more than a pretty face, proving that she can take on dramatic and comedic roles with equal aplomb with strong performances in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) and Courage Under Fire (1996, also starring Denzel Washington and Matt Damon). She's been married to actor Dennis Quaid.

Facts about Meg Ryan:

Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra, better known to us nowadays as Meg Ryan, was born on 19th November 1961 in Fairfield, Connecticut in the United States of America. She was raised in the Catholic faith.

Was nominated for American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) in 1999 for YOU'VE GOT MAIL.

Meg was engaged to investment banker Buck Burnaman prior to meeting Anthony Edwards on the set of TOP GUN.

1994 meant a hectic year for Meg with WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN, I.Q is released and the charming FRENCH KISS is made.

Worried Meg Ryan begged a Los Angeles court not to release her stalker John Michael Hughes - fearing if free he'd continue to pester her.

Meg Ryan is healing her fragile heart - with another new love.

She won American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) in 1998 for SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and for WHEN HARRY MET SALLY in 1990 for the same category.

She sold her New York home with ex-husband Dennis Quaid - whom she left after an affair with Russell Crowe, her co-star in Proof the Life.

When she first hits the booze in the opening scenes in WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN (1994), she does so in San Francisco's famous Buena Vista Café in Fisherman's Wharf. It was here that America's first Irish Coffee was first created in 1952.

Meg Ryan's mother Susan left her family to become an actress.

Her father Henry Hyra is now a teacher.

She was known in her schooldays as Peggy Hyra.

In 1978 Meg changed her surname to Ryan which was her mothers maiden surname.

In 1979 having been voted the cutest girl in high school Meg moved to New York.

Personal quotes:

"Love really is the force that makes the world go round - but it's a kind of magic, and magic doesn't always make sense. It's all about balance. You can't be so cynical that you don't let your heart make decisions, and you don't want to be so open-hearted that you get hurt. When you fall in love, it's so weird. It's so illogical. It's like jumping off a bridge into the unknown."
- Meg Ryan

"I won't get into Meg's stuff, but she of all people had a reason to be a pessimist about life... So I decided I was going to be an optimist... like Meg."
- Dennis Quaid