50 facts about Meg Ryan: famous haircut by Sally Hershberger was named "Meg" in honor of Ryan

50 things you missed about actress Meg Ryan.

1. Meg Ryan was born as Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra on November 19, 19661. She is an American actress and film producer.

2. Meg Ryan is well known for playing the lead female role in When Harry Met Sally... and other romantic-comedy films of the 1990s, including Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, French Kiss and Kate & Leopold.

3. Meg Ryan was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, the daughter of Susan Jordan (née Duggan), a former actress and English teacher, and Harry Hyra, a math teacher.

4. Ryan's parents were both raised in Fairfield.

5. Meg Ryan has Polish, Irish, and German ancestry.

6. "Hyra" is a Polish surname, and "Ryan" is her maternal grandmother's maiden name.

7. Meg Ryan was raised a Roman Catholic and attended St. Pius X Elementary School in Fairfield, where her mother taught sixth grade.

8. Her mother Susan Hyra had appeared in a television commercial and later briefly worked as an assistant casting director in New York City. She supported and encouraged her young daughter's acting studies.

9. Meg Ryan has two sisters, Dana and Annie, and a brother, the musician Andrew Hyra, a member of the band Billy Pilgrim.

10. Her parents divorced in 1976, when she was 15 years old.

11. Meg Ryan graduated from Bethel High School in 1979. She went on to study journalism as an undergraduate, first at the University of Connecticut and then at New York University.

12. During college, she acted in television commercials to earn extra money.

13. Meg Ryan dropped out of college a semester before she would have graduated and has said this decision was the result of her success as an actress.

14. When she registered herself with the Screen Actors Guild, she used the surname "Ryan", her grandmother's maiden name.

15. After her film debut in George Cukor's Rich and Famous, Ryan played Betsy Stewart in the daytime drama As the World Turns, from 1982 to 1984, and her character was featured in a popular romantic story arc.

16. Meg Ryan appeared in a Burger King commercial.

17. In 1986, she played Carole Bradshaw, the wife of Naval Flight Officer Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (played by Anthony Edwards) in Top Gun. Ryan starred in the film Innerspace with her future husband Dennis Quaid, then in the remake of D.O.A. and in The Presidio.

17.

18. Her first leading role was the romantic comedy film When Harry Met Sally... (1989), which paired her with comedic leading man Billy Crystal.

19. The year 1993 saw the release of the hugely successful romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, which paired Ryan for the second time with Tom Hanks. They had previously been paired as romantic leads in the film Joe Versus the Volcano-which was a commercial disappointment, but later developed a cult following-and they would later be paired for a third time in the film You've Got Mail.

20. In 1994, Ryan wanted to break away from being typecast and chose to take on several roles that were different from the romantic-comedy ingenue character for which she had become famous.

21. 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. The film and her performance were both well received by critics.

22. In 1994, Ryan won Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year, and People Magazine dubbed her one of "the 50 most beautiful people in the world."

23. In 1995, critic Richard Corliss called her "the current soul of romantic comedy."

24. Meg Ryan appeared opposite Kevin Kline in Lawrence Kasdan's French Kiss, a romantic comedy that catered to her "America's Sweetheart" image, and Ryan was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.

25. In 1997, Ryan voiced the lead role in the animated film Anastasia, which garnered good reviews and enjoyed box office success.

26. In 1998, she 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.

27. In 2003, Ryan broke away from her usual roles, starring alongside Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Jane Campion's erotic thriller film In the Cut. Originally, co-producer Nicole Kidman was cast in the lead, but the actress eventually dropped out after five years of development, leaving the role to Ryan, who appeared nude in a lengthy and rather graphic love scene for the first time in her career.

28. In 2012, Ryan was featured in the documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide premiering on PBS October 1. The series introduces women and girls living under difficult circumstances and fighting to challenge them.

29. Ryan's audiobook recording of William Saroyan's The Human Comedy was released at Audible.com.

30. 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.

31. Meg Ryan ranked #57 in Premiere (USA) magazine's "The 100 Most Powerful People in Hollywood" list.

32. Voted most favorite female movie star by the readers and online users of the "People Weekly Magazine."

33. Meg Ryan took three weeks of boxing lessons, to prepare for her role in Against the Ropes (2004); Ryan wanted to understand the sport, and the terms her character would use.

34. Meg Ryan and her good friend Tom Hanks have been co-stars in three movies as love interests: Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and You've Got Mail (1998).

35. Did several national commercials as a teenager for Barbie and other products.

36. A famous haircut by Sally Hershberger was named "Meg" in honor of Ryan, since she was the first one to have it.

37. Ryan announced in October 2013, that she would be returning to television to produce and star in a new comedy for NBC revolving around a former hotshot New York editor.

38. Meg Ryan married actor Dennis Quaid on Valentine's Day 1991, after starring in three films with him.

39. Meg Ryan agreed to marry him only after he kicked his cocaine addiction.

40. Quaid and Ryan have one child together, Jack Quaid, born April 24, 1992.

41. In 2000, she became involved with Russell Crowe on the set of Proof of Life.

42. She and Quaid separated and their divorce became final on July 16, 2001.

43. In September 2008, Ryan stated that Quaid had been unfaithful to her for a long time while they were married.

44. In January 2006, Ryan adopted a 14-month-old girl from China named Daisy True.

45. As of November 2010, she is in a relationship with American rock singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, who announced on December 30, 2010 that he and his wife, Elaine Irwin Mellencamp, were divorcing after 18 years of marriage.

46. In August 2014, it was reported that they ended their relationship after three years of dating.

47. In October 2014 it was revealed that the couple was back together.

48. Ryan has supported the Democratic Party, especially its environmental protection programs and initiatives.

49. In 2003, she supported Wesley Clark's campaign for U.S. president.

50. Meg Ryan supported John Kerry during the 2004 presidential elections.

Source: Wikipedia.org