Meg Ryan's Life and Career in Photos

The beloved actress has stepped back from the camera in recent years — but her work in the 1990s remains some of Hollywood's most memorable

Having starred in beloved films like When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, Meg Ryan cemented her status as the perennial queen of romantic comedies in the 1990s.

But as her fame grew, so did her determination to step away from the spotlight, and by the 2010s, she had mostly retreated from Hollywood, save for projects involving close friends and family.

Now, the actress is returning to the big screen in a comedy she created, What Happens Later, in theaters on Nov. 3.

As she opens up to PEOPLE about life lately, take a look at Meg Ryan's lengthy life and career in photos.

Meg Ryan's Early Years

Margaret Hyra — a.k.a. Meg Ryan — was born on Nov. 9, 1961, in Fairfield, Connecticut. One of four kids, she eventually moved to New York City to attend NYU, but left early once she was bit by the acting bug.

Meg Ryan on 'As the World Turns'

After scoring a few TV roles, Ryan got her big break on the soap opera As the World Turns, appearing as Betsy on 30 episodes between 1975 and 1984. "She was the good girl of the town," Ryan told Conan O'Brien of her character years later.

Meg Ryan in 'Top Gun'

"I remember when we ... looked at Meg's test," Top Gun star Tom Cruise said of Ryan's casting in the 1986 classic during a chat with HuffPost. "She was just a lightbulb. She just burst in the room. That smile, glow."

The actress portrayed Carole Bradshaw, wife of Anthony Edwards' Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, though didn't return for the 2022 sequel, Maverick. "I didn't want every storyline to always be looking backwards," director Joseph Kosinski told Insider. "It was important to introduce some new characters."

Meg Ryan in 'When Harry Met Sally'

Everyone wanted what Ryan was having when she played opposite Billy Crystal in the 1989 rom-com. The role of Sally Albright set Ryan on the romantic leading lady course that carried her career through the next decade-plus. It also earned the actress her first of three Golden Globe Award nominations for best actress.

Meg Ryan in 'Joe Versus the Volcano'

Ryan teamed up with Tom Hanks for the very first time in the the 1990 comedy, in which she played three characters.

"It's kind of way out there," she said in a 1990 interview. "It's a real fantasy, a real fairytale."

Meg Ryan in 'Sleepless in Seattle'

Ryan and Hanks' classic 1993 rom-com made more than $225 million at the box office and remains a fan favorite today.

"These people romance each other from opposite ends of the continent — an emotionalism of a romance," Ryan, who was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role, said at the time. "They're a good match. They're different yet the same."

In the years that followed, Ryan continued her box office successes with films including When a Man Loves a Woman, French Kiss, Addicted to Love and City of Angels.

Meg Ryan in 'You've Got Mail'

Ryan and Hanks reunited once more in 1998, bringing in $250 million for You've Got Mail. The film earned Ryan her third and most recent Golden Globe Award nomination.

"He's just so easy," Ryan said of working with Hanks in an interview with Sleepless in Seattle producer Gary Foster. "He listens; he roots for other people. [He] doesn't like there to be drama. I feel the same way. We're just really there to have fun, this is supposed to be a creative experience and there's no reason to get heavy."

Meg Ryan in 'Kate & Leopold'

By the turn of the century, Ryan started to slow her pace a bit, appearing in a handful of movies (including In the Cut and The Women) before turning to TV, including a 2009 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Meg Ryan on 'Web Therapy'

By the 2010s, Ryan had pulled back from the spotlight almost completely, appearing on a few episodes of Lisa Kudrow's Web Therapy, and both directing and acting in 2015's Ithaca alongside Hanks and her own son, Jack Quaid.

In a 2013 PEOPLE story, friends of the star said she preferred to focus on her personal life, away from Hollywood.

Living in New York "makes you different," her friend, writer Delia Ephron, explained. "Los Angeles is just about movies. New York is about so much more than that, and so is Meg."

Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid

Ryan and actor Dennis Quaid met in 1988 while filming the movie D.O.A. and wed three years later, eventually welcoming son Jack. In 2000, they split.

"When we met I was the big deal," Quaid told Megyn Kelly years later, adding that his career later stalled while Ryan's skyrocketed in the '90s. "We'd go out on the streets of New York and it would be like, 'Meg! Meg!' And I have to admit it, I actually did feel like I disappeared. I didn't think I was that small, but I was. It was a growth opportunity — I learned from that."

Despite the pair's divorce, he called their time together "the most successful relationship of my life."

Meg Ryan and Son Jack Quaid

At just 1 year old, "he's got this in his life," Ryan said at the time of her son's awareness of the entertainment industry. It certainly stuck: Jack, now 31, already has a decade of credits to his name, including The Hunger Games, The Boys and 2022's Scream.

Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe

Ryan and Russell Crowe met on the set of 2000's Proof of Life and dated briefly afterward, keeping the relationship low-key, according to a PEOPLE story at the time.

Meg Ryan and Daughter Daisy

In 2006, Ryan welcomed daughter Daisy True, then 2, by adoption. In a 2007 interview with Redbook, the actress said, "I am completely convinced that there was nothing random about it. She is the daughter I should have. We are so compatible."

She continued, "I just can't imainge what it was like before she came. Life is good, it's so good with her in it. She and Jack get along great. All of us fit together beautifully."

Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp

Most recently, Ryan dated singer John Mellencamp; the two were also engaged for a time. But after nearly eight years of on-again, off-again, they split for good in 2019.

"John and Meg have had a volatile relationship from the beginning," a source close to Mellencamp told PEOPLE. "They love each other, but there are disagreements which can become issues."

Meg Ryan in 2019

In 2019, Ryan stylishly hit the carpet for a 30th annviersary screening of When Harry Met Sally at the TCM Classic Film Festival. There, she joined director Rob Reiner and costar Crystal.

Meg Ryan in 2021

Despite keeping a low profile, Ryan stepped out again in shimmering black for the 2021 amfAR Gala Los Angeles.

Meg Ryan in 2023

Most recently, Ryan joined longtime friend Michael J. Fox at a screening of his new documentary, Still, in N.Y.C.

Meg Ryan on PEOPLE

In October 2023, Ryan sat down with PEOPLE to talk about her upcoming projects — and her decision to step back from the limelight.

“I took a giant break because I felt like there's just so many other parts of my experience as a human being I wanted to develop,” she said. “It's nice to think of [acting] as a job and not a lifestyle. And that is a great way of navigating it for me."

Next up, she stars in, directed and cowrote the new rom-com What Happens Later, about ex-lovers snowed in together overnight at a regional airport. The film hits theaters on Nov. 3.

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