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Wikipedia
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra (born November 19, 1961), professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982. Subsequently, she began to appear in supporting roles in big screen films during the mid-1980s, achieving recognition in several independent films such as Promised Land (1987), before her performance in the Rob Reiner-directed cult comedy When Harry Met Sally... (1989) brought her widespread attention and her first Golden Globe nomination.
In the 1990s, Ryan starred in a string of popular romantic dramas and comedy films, includingSleepless in Seattle (1993), French Kiss (1995), Addicted to Love (1997), City of Angels (1998), and You've Got Mail (1998), whose total gross was over $870 million worldwide.[1] At that time,TIME critic Richard Corliss called her "the current soul of romantic comedy." In addition to these romantic comedy roles, she garnered critical acclaim for her work in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), in which she played an alcoholic, and in Courage Under Fire (1996), portraying a captain in the Gulf War.
Ryan has two children: Jack, from her marriage to actor Dennis Quaid, and Daisy, whom she adopted from China. Meg and her children moved to New York City in the summer of 2010.
Early life
Ryan was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, the daughter of Susan Jordan (née Ryan) of Irish origins – a former actress and English teacher – and Harry Hyra, a math teacher. Ryan's mother had appeared in one television commercial and later worked briefly as an assistant casting director in New York City. She supported and encouraged her young daughter's study of acting. Ryan has two sisters, Dana and Annie, and a brother, musician Andrew Hyra, of the band Billy Pilgrim. Her parents divorced in 1976, when she was 15 years old.
Ryan was raised a Roman Catholic and graduated from Saint Pius X Elementary School, in Fairfield, where her mother taught sixth grade. There, Ryan was confirmed into the Catholic Church, choosing the name "Anne" as her confirmation name. Ryan graduated from Bethel High School in 1979. She went on to study journalism at the University of Connecticut and then at New York University, while acting in television commercials to earn extra money. Her success as an actress led her to drop out of college a semester before graduating.
Career
Early career
After a role in Rich and Famous, Ryan played Betsy Stewart in the daytime drama As the World Turns, from 1982 to 1984; she was featured in a popular romantic story arc. Several TV film and smaller movie roles followed, including Amityville 3-D and Promised Land; for her role in the latter she received her first Independent Spirit Award nomination.
In 1986, she played, "Carole Bradshaw," (wife of Naval Flight Officer "Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw"; played by Anthony Edwards) in Top Gun, and appeared in several scenes. Ryan played "Lydia Maxwell" in the movie Innerspace, which also starred her soon-to-be husband, Dennis Quaid. Ryan then appeared in a film-noir remake, D.O.A., and an action film, The Presidio. In the latter, she starred alongside ex-James Bond star Sean Connery and future NCIS star Mark Harmon.
Commercial breakthrough
Her first full-blown hit in a leading role was the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... (1989), which paired her with comedic leading manBilly Crystal. Her portrayal of Sally Albright, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, is memorable for her depiction of a theatrically faked orgasm in Katz's Delicatessen in Manhattan.
Ryan then starred in The Doors and in Prelude to a Kiss. Both films were moderately successful. 1993 saw the release of the hugely successful romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, which paired Ryan with leading man Tom Hanks for the second of three times. (The first was in Joe Versus the Volcano, which earned a "cult following" but was a commercial disappointment.)
1994—1999
Beginning with 1994, Ryan made several attempts to break away from the romantic comedy ingenue stereotype. In Luis Mandoki's When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), a romantic social drama film, also starring Andy Garcia, she played an alcoholic high school guidance counselor. Well-received by critics, who noted it "a first-class production, accentuated by fine performances and an unflinching script,"Ryan was applauded for the performance of her "roller-coaster role." While the film became a notable success during its domestic run, grossing US50 million in the United States alone, the actress received her first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination the following year. The same year, Ryan starred alongside Tim Robbins in Fred Schepisi's highly fictionalized comedy I.Q. (1994). The film centers on a mechanic and a Princeton doctoral candidate who fall in love, thanks to the candidate's uncle, Albert Einstein, played by Walter Matthau.
Many of her films of the 1990s were hits not only in North America, but also abroad. In 1994, Ryan won Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year. That same year, People Magazine dubbed her one of "the 50 most beautiful people in the world." In 1995, criticRichard Corliss called her "the current soul of romantic comedy." That same year, she appeared opposite Kevin Kline in Lawrence Kasdan's French Kiss, a romantic comedy that catered to her America's Sweetheart persona. The film grossed slightly over $100 million.
In 1997, Ryan voiced the lead role in the animated film Anastasia, which garnered good reviews and enjoyed box office success. In 1998, Ryan starred in two films. City of Angels drew positive reviews and became a financial success, topping nearly $200 million worldwide. You've Got Mail once again paired Ryan with Hanks, earning her a third Golden Globe nomination and making over $250 million worldwide. She also appeared in 1998's Hurlyburly with Sean Penn.
2000—2006
Ryan's first film in the 2000s was Hanging Up, a Diane Keaton-directed family dramedy about a trio of sisters who bond over their ambivalence toward the approaching death of their distant, curmudgeonly father. Also starring Keaton, Lisa Kudrow, and Walter Matthau, the movie adaptation of Delia Ephron's 1995 novel received poor reviews by critics, and grossed slightly over US$51 million, falling US$9 million short of recouping its budget of $60 million.
The same year, Ryan was cast in the action thriller Proof of Life opposite Russell Crowe, directed by Taylor Hackford. In the film, she portrayed the distraught wife of a kidnapped engineer, played by David Morse, while relying on a resourceful troubleshooter who makes a profession of dealing with international bandits. While the film became a lukewarm critical and commercial success, grossing US$63 million worldwide,it garnered much reportage in the tabloid press in association with Ryan and Crowe's affair. Stephen Holden, film critic forThe New York Times, did not think the film worked well and opined that the actors did not connect.
A year later, she once again returned to her romantic comedy roots with Kate & Leopold (2001), alongsideHugh Jackman. A film about a duke who travels through time from New York in 1876 to the present and falls in love with a successful market researcher in the modern New York, the James Mangold-directed project received a mixed-to-positive response, with Lael Loewenstein of Variety summing it as "a mostly charming and diverting tale." At a total gross of US$70 million, it would eventually remain Ryan's highest-grossing film of the decade.[17]
In 2003, Ryan broke away from her usual roles, starring alongside Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Jason Leigh inJane Campion's erotic thriller film In the Cut. Originally, co-producer Nicole Kidman was cast in the lead, but the actress eventually dropped out of the project after five years of development, leaving the role to Ryan instead, who appeared nude in a lengthy and rather graphic love scene for the first time in her career. Although her image-conflicting depiction earned Ryan and the film much media attention, the movie failed with critics and grossed only US$23 million in theaters.
Ryan followed this strategy with a leading role in Charles S. Dutton's directorial debut Against the Ropes(2004). A fictionalized sport drama about American boxing manager Jackie Kallen, who was the first woman to become a success in the sport, and her rocky relationship with protege Luther Shaw. The film grossed less than US$6 million in the U.S. and was panned by critics, in part because of its resemblance to other boxing movies, such as the Rocky series.
2007—present
Following a three years hiatus, Ryan returned to film with Jon Kasdan's 2007 independent project In the Land of Women, a movie she described as "kind of like The Graduate, but with cancer."[19] Starring alongside Kristen Stewart and Olympia Dukakis, she played Sarah Hardwicke, a mother and wife facing breast cancer, who connects with her neighbour's much younger grandson, played by Adam Brody. Released to generally mixed reviews by critics,[20] the film grossed US$17.5 million worldwide,[21] exceeding its budget of US$10 million.[22]Ryan received a positive response for her performance, with Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times noting it "the best work [she] has done in forever."[23]
Ryan's first film release of 2008 was The Deal, a satirical comedy film based on Peter Lefcourt's 1991 novel of the same title about Hollywood. Directed by Steven Schachter and co-starring William H. Macy, the film was shot in Cape Town and other South African locations and celebrated its world premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Garnering generally mixed to negative reviews, it failed to draw interest among film studios, resulting in a straight-to-DVD release in January 2009.[24] In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge said, "The characters seem to be doing all the laughing, while the general public has nothing to cling to but the horndog flirtation between mismatched leads William H. Macy and Meg Ryan — hardly ideal ingredients for mainstream success."[25] Already shot in fall of 2006, Ryan's other film project, George Gallo's movie My Mom's New Boyfriend, also went direct-to-DVD in 2008.[26] Co-starring Colin Hanks,Selma Blair, and Antonio Banderas, the action comedy received overwhelmingly negative reviews, with David Nusair of Reel Film noting it "an unmitigated disaster virtually from its opening frames."[26]
Ryan's last project of 2008 was The Women, a remake of the same-titled 1939 production, in which she appeared among an all-female cast comprising Annette Bening, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith.[27]Written, produced and directed by Diane English, the film centers on a group of four female Manhattansocialites whose primary interest is idle gossip, with Ryan portraying a wealthy woman whose husband is cheating on her with a shop girl, played by Eva Mendes. Ryan was the first actress to join the long-delayed project, which struggled to find a bankroller since the early 1990s, resulting in an independent production budgeted at US$18 million.[27] Upon its release, The Women received a disastrous response from critics, with Richard Schickel of TIMEcalling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen." The film was a financial success, however, becoming Ryan's most successful film since 2001's Kate & Leopold with a worldwide gross of US$50 million.
In 2009, Ryan starred alongside Kristen Bell and Justin Long in the independent comedy film Serious Moonlight. In this film, directed by actress Cheryl Hines and based on a screenplay by late writer Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered a year prior to filming, Ryan portrayed a high-powered female attorney who learns that her husband, played by Timothy Hutton, is about to leave their troubled marriage, and decides to hold him captive by duct-taping him to a toilet. Picked up by Magnolia Pictures, the production received a limited release throughout North America only, and grossed less than US$150,000 worldwide. Critical reaction to the project was generally mixed-to-negative,although Ryan was praised for her "terrific" performance. Also in 2009, Ryan guest-starred on the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Personal life
Ryan married actor Dennis Quaid on Valentine's Day 1991, after starring in two films with him. Ryan agreed to marry him only after he kicked his cocaine addiction.Quaid and Ryan had one child together, Jack Henry, born on April 24, 1992. The couple separated in 2000, and their divorce became final on July 16, 2001. In September 2008, Ryan revealed Quaid had been unfaithful to her for a long time while they were married.
Meg Ryan had a relationship with actor Russell Crowe for a few months in 2000 after she and her ex-husband Dennis Quaid separated; however, the relationship did not last
In January 2006, Ryan adopted a 14-month-old girl from China named Daisy True.
She is currently romantically linked to rock legend John Mellencamp, who announced on December 30, 2010 that he and his wife, Elaine Irwin Mellencamp, are divorcing after 18 years of marriage.
Political involvement
Ryan has supported the U.S. Democratic Party, especially its environmental protection programs and initiatives. In 2003, she supportedWesley Clark's campaign for U.S. president. She supported John Kerry during the 2004 presidential elections.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | As the World Turns | Betsy Stewart Montgomery Andropoulos | |
| 1982 | ABC Afterschool Special | Denise | Episode 'Amy and the Angel' |
| 1982 | One of the Boys | Jane | Series cancelled after 13 episodes |
| 1984-85 | Charles in Charge | Meagan Parker | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Wildside | Cally Oaks | 6 episodes |
| 1990-91 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Dr. Blight (voice) | Cast member |
| 2007 | The Simpsons | Dr. Swanson | 1 episode 'Yokel Chords' |
| 2009 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Herself | Season 7 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | A Century of Cinema | Herself | Documentary with film personalities. |
| 2002 | Searching for Debra Winger | Herself | Rosanna Arquette film |
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