Meg Ryan ((born November 19, 1961) is an American actress and producer. Born Margaret Mary Emily Hyra in Fairfield, Connecticut, Ryan graduated from Bethel High School in 1979 and went on to study journalism as an undergraduate, first at the University of Connecticut and then at New York University. To earn extra money while working on her degree, Ryan went into acting using her new name Meg Ryan. She dropped out of college a semester before she would have graduated and has said this decision was due to her success as an actress.

In 1981, she had her big screen debut with a brief appearance as Candice Bergen's daughter in George Cukor's last film Rich and Famous (1981). Ryan also had a part in the television series One of the Boys (1982, which was later canceled. In 1984, she moved to tinsel town and landed a job in the western Television Series Wildside (1985). Meg's small part in the blockbuster movie Top Gun (1986) led to her being cast in Steven Spielberg's Innerspace (1987) where she co-starred with Dennis Quaid. She again co-starred with Quaid in the remake of D.O.A. (1988) and they married on Valentine's Day in 1991.

In 1989, Ryan got the leading female role in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and the movie scene at the restaurant became famous. Ryan was nominated for both the Golden Globe and the BAFTA. In 1990, she co-starred with Tom Hanks in Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and this time she played three roles as DeDe/Angelica/Patricia. She appeared again with Tom in the very successful Sleepless in Seattle (1993) for which she was again nominated for the Golden Globe. She also played leading roles in several other romantic-comedy films, including French Kiss, Addicted to Love, City of Angels, You've Got Mail and Kate & Leopold, films which together grossed a total of more than $870 million worldwide.