In the 1990s, Ryan starred in a string of popular romantic dramas and comedy films, including Sleepless 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. 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.
Ryan was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, the daughter of Susan Jordan (née Ryan) – 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. [Source]
