Blond-haired, blue-eyed with an effervescent personality, Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra in Fairfield, Connecticut, to Susan . In 1994, Meg won the Harvard Hasty Pudding Award as "Woman of the Year" and was voted as being one of "The 50 most beautiful people in the world 1994" by People Magazine.
In 1979, she graduated from Bethel High School and was Prom Queen.
In June 1999, ranked #57 in Premiere magazines "The 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood" list.
In 1998, she was ranked #59 on Entertainment Weeklys most powerful people in Hollywood.
In April 1998, she was voted most favorite female movie star by the readers and online users of the "People Weekly Magazine".
In October 1997, she was ranked #94 in Empire magazines "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
She began Prufrock Pictures in 1994. Then in 2000, Prufrock Pictures was shut down.
She met actor Anthony Edwards during the making of the film Top Gun and moved in with him. They were a couple until she met actor Dennis Quaid during the film Innerspace , and she moved in with and eventually married him. Both actors portrayed military fighter pilots in their respective roles. Had she been chosen for the role of Robin Monroe in Six Days Seven Nights , that would have made the third time she would have been she would play a character involved with a pilot, albeit not a military pilot.
She turned down the Nicole Kidman role in To Die For .
"Meg Ryan" is an anagram of "Germany". When she registered with the Screen Actors Guild as a teenager, Meg used her maternal grandmothers maiden name, "Ryan", as her stage surname.
She was born at 10:08 AM EST.
Savage Garden s song, "All Around Me", was written about her, inspired by a crush from Daniel Jones , the bands composer.
On 4 February 2002, a Los Angeles judge granted a restraining order against John Michael Hughes, a 40 year old real estate agent who had been hanging around Ryans home claiming to be her fiancee.
She was a member of the jury at the Festival International de Cannes in 2003.
She took three weeks of boxing lessons, to prepare for her role in Against the Ropes ; Ryan wanted to understand the sport, and the terms her character would use.
She shared a Los Angeles house with Daphne Zuniga when both were struggling actresses.
She lost the lead role in Washington Square to Jennifer Jason Leigh.
She and her good friend Tom Hanks have been co-stars in three movies as love interests: Sleepless in Seattle , Joe Versus the Volcano and Youve Got Mail .
She did several national commercials as a teenager for Barbie and other products.
She was voted "cutest" girl in school, class secretary, and homecoming queen in her senior year of high school.
A famous haircut by Sally Hershberger was named "Meg" in honor of Ryan, since she was the first one to have it.
She was offered the role of "Molly Jensen" in Ghost , but turned it down. The part later went to Demi Moore.
She turned down the role of "Vivian Ward" in Pretty Woman . Julia Roberts was later given the role.
She has twice played Candice Bergen s daughter, first in Rich and Famous and again in The Women .
Her first film audition was for the role played by Brooke Shields in Endless Love .
She was in consideration for the part of Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction but Uma Thurman , who went on to receive a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was cast instead.
She was offered the role of Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie in Steel Magnolias , but she turned it down in order to film When Harry Met Sally... . Julia Roberts , who went on to receive a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was cast instead.
An asteroid is named after her - 8353 Megryan.
She is the second wife of Dennis Quaid.
She is the ex-sister-in-law of Randy Quaid.
Her father is of half Rusyn/Ruthenian and half Polish ancestry, and her mother is of approximately three quarters Irish and one quarter German, descent. Her paternal great-grandfather, Orest J. Hyra, was born in Galicia, Halychyna, and met Megs great-grandmother, Anna Durniak, the daughter of immigrants, in the United States.
She was originally offered Jodie Foster s role in The Silence of the Lambs . Coincidentally both actresses share the same birthday (November 19th). Ryan is exactly one year older than Foster (Ryan was born in 1961 and Foster in 1962).
She has two children - Jack Henry Quaid (Jack Quaid ; b.April 24, 1992) with her ex-husband Dennis Quaid and adopted daughter Daisy True Ryan (b.November 2004, adopted as 14-month-old in January 2006 from China).
In 2003, she made an infamous appearance on the BBCs top talk show "Parkinson" to promote In the Cut , which has gone down in British television history and was described by host Michael Parkinson as his "most difficult TV moment".
On at least one movie her contract stipulated that extras would not look her in the eye.
The best thing about modern living is anaesthesia. Definitely.
