The Breathtaking Transformation Of Romcom Icon Meg Ryan

One thing you may not know about Meg Ryan? She never intended to become one of the most famous actors on the planet. Though she's as much a staple of romcoms as passionate kisses in the snow, she feels more comfortable living a quiet life. "It always feels very awkward for me to be in front of an audience or in the spotlight. It doesn't come all that naturally," she admitted on the British talk show "Parkinson" in 2007. "I'm compelled though and I like it. I like the work a lot." That may explain why Ryan's transformation is different to most of her peers'. Though many famous faces claw their way to a huge level of fame and do everything they can to stay there, Ryan's spotlight has a pattern of burning bright, dimming, then brightening again — all according to plan.

While she's had a career most actors could only dream of, the "Against The Ropes" star has made it clear her celebrity isn't the only thing that defines her. "What I had in the '90s was a ride. It was a kind of moonshot and was really fun, but it's just one ride out of the billions of things you could be interested in," she told Glamour. And it's that down-to-earth wit and frank take on stardom that's helped make Ryan's decades-long evolution so breathtaking.

Meg Ryan was born Margaret Hyra in Connecticut in 1961, but her early life wasn't the easiest. Her parents divorced when she was a teenager and life changed drastically after Ryan's mom Susan Jordan left their family home. Her dad, Harry Hyra, told People, "[I was] going through a bit of turmoil [my]self and not always paying a lot of attention to the kids. I wish I'd been more caring, more affectionate. Now, I tell the kids I love them. But then I didn't. Maybe Meg felt out on her own." He added, "Susan never left the family, just the house. Still, Meg got the idea that her mother abandoned her."

Meg Ryan later attended New York University to pursue journalism. To earn money, she acted on the side, and landed a role on the soap opera "As the World Turns." But she never intended to act full-time. She'd later tell The New York Times she "never" had big dreams of acting as a child. But despite not getting the acting bug young like most A-listers, the roles kept on coming. So much so that Ryan dropped out of college and joined the Screen Actors Guild, adopting the stage name Meg Ryan. "I was paying my way through school by doing commercials and things like that and one just overtook the other. I think sometimes your life seems to choose you a little bit and I feel like that's what happened," she recalled on "Parkinson." 

After smaller appearances in the likes of "Charles in Charge" and "Top Gun," Meg Ryan landed her breakthrough role in the iconic 1989 romcom "When Harry Met Sally." The star appeared alongside Billy Crystal and was nominated for a Golden Globe. The movie saw huge success, including landing a spot on the American Film Institute's list of 10 greatest romantic comedies of all time.

Landing a Golden Globe nomination for your first major lead role is no easy feat, but Ryan put much of her early success down to being an acting novice. "I really started with no knowledge. I think that I had a beginner's mind, which I see now as a very valuable thing," she later told Deadline. "There's a certain amount of naivete and innocence that's important when you're an artist and there's a lot of value in what you don't know," she added.

As Meg Ryan's career continued to rise, her personal life was on a major high too. She married Dennis Quaid in 1991 after meeting the "Reagan" actor in 1987 on the set of their movie "Innerspace." The two started dating the following year while working on "D.O.A." Ryan jokingly recalled to People, "He courted me relentlessly. I remember thinking, Oh, no! Him?" The year after they married, they welcomed a son, Jack Quaid.

It didn't take long for Ryan to adapt to her new role as a doting mom, either. Her then sister-in-law Evi Quaid spoke about the sweet connection the actor had with her newborn and how she carved out time to be a mom, despite her increasingly busy schedule. "She's adamant about her time with Jack. It's very specific. They go to the park. He plays in the sand. She reads to him," she said.

Huge roles continued to flood in for new mom Meg Ryan. In 1993, With a bold, chin-length haircut that grabbed everyone's attention, she landed another of her most iconic gigs in the classic romcom "Sleepless in Seattle." Ryan appeared alongside Tom Hanks and the role earned her another Golden Globe nomination. She'd go on to reunite with Hanks for another giant of the genre, "You've Got Mail," which earned her a third Golden Globe nod. 

But as Ryan's star continued to rise, things behind the scenes weren't the rosiest. The actor's relationship with her parents had fractured, and her dad Harry Hyra alluded to the tension in a 1993 interview with People. "I have a talking relationship with my daughter that I fostered for years, that I have worked hard to mend," he said. Ryan's relationship with her mom was more strained. Ryan seemingly hadn't reconciled the abandonment issues that arose when she was a child, and Susan Jordan confirmed she hadn't spoken to her famous daughter since 1990. "I wish there would be forgiveness. To be frank, I pray for it. It's a painful business to be estranged from your child," Jordan said.

After nine years of marriage, Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid announced their separation in 2000. Quaid filed for divorce soon after and, sadly for fans of the powerhouse duo, they weren't one of the celeb couples who called off their divorce and got back together. Various rumors flew about why they went their separate ways, including an alleged affair between Ryan and her "Proof of Life" co-star Russell Crowe. Ryan admitted to cheating in a 2018 InStyle interview but went on to say that it was not the cause of her divorce. "Russell didn't break up the marriage. He was definitely there at the end, but it wasn't his fault," she said (via Today). "Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful. I found out more about that once I was divorced."

Quaid later blamed Ryan's stratospheric rise to stardom for the demise of their marriage. "When we met, you know I was the big deal," he said on "Megyn Kelly Today" in 2018. "I have to admit it, I actually did feel like I disappeared. I didn't think I was that small, but I was." Six years later, Quaid spoke again about the downfall of their romance on "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?" but only had sweet words for his ex and admitted he didn't regret their union. "She was ascending as I went into rehab and Meg is really such a great, sweet person and really talented and deserved all her success," he said (via People).

Meg Ryan continued her reign as romcom queen in the 2001, which included a role in "Kate & Leopold" with Hugh Jackman as her love interest. However, she was ready for a new chapter and a new career challenge. That involved signing up to star in the 2003 thriller "In The Cut" with Mark Ruffalo. "It wasn't at all like anything I usually receive. I've never done a thriller," she told the BBC at the time. "It was a cool opportunity to do something new."

But that wasn't the only major change for Ryan. She temporarily stepped away from acting after "In The Cut" failed to set the box office alight. "I wasn't as curious about acting as I was about other things that life can give you. I wanted to live more," she told The New York Times of her career hiatus. "I was burned out. I didn't feel like I knew enough anymore about myself or the world to reflect it as an actor. I felt isolated." Cue Ryan's first significant retreat from the spotlight.

Meg Ryan's personal life was thriving in 2006. She became a mom again when she adopted a little girl named Daisy True. "It's been a two-year process, but nothing prepares you for the second a little person gets handed to you," she told O, The Oprah Magazine shortly after bringing her 14-month-old home. She'd later tell The Sunday Times, "I always thought I'd adopt, and at various points, I was on the brink of it. But it was particular to Daisy, I guess. I don't know how events conspired to bring us together, but it was perfect."

Though Ryan was more focused on her personal life than work, that didn't mean she was totally absent from our screens. In 2007, she made an unexpected move and appeared in an independent movie, teaming up with Adam Brody and Kristen Stewart for "In the Land of Women." She followed that up with the bigger budget movies "The Deal" and "The Women," before appearing in another independent film in 2009, the romcom "Serious Moonlight." That same year, she made a guest appearance in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" as herself, but sightings of Ryan became few and far between. Her desire to live a quieter life was encapsulated by her wardrobe, as she was spotted in a lot of all-black ensembles that were sensible, subtle, and didn't make her stand out.

By 2011, Meg Ryan was again focused on living her life outside the spotlight — and her personal life was thriving because of it. She began dating musician John Mellencamp and was spotted around the Big Apple spending quality time with him and Daisy True. "I thought that was her husband because they seemed for comfortable and familiar with each other, just like an old married couple," an onlooker who saw the new couple together told People. Speaking about why Ryan decided to leave Los Angeles for the concrete jungle of New York City, her friend and writer Delia Ephron told People, "Los Angeles is just about movies. New York is about so much more than that, and so is Meg."

Ryan and Mellencamp split for the first time in 2014, around the same time Ryan faced rampant rumors she'd gone under the knife. In an exclusive interview with Glam, plastic surgeon Samuel Golpanian speculated that between 2006 and 2011, "She may have gotten a facelift, maybe even a mini facelift, and possibly a brow lift." Unlike fellow actor Lindsay Lohan, who explicitly hit back at facelift rumors, Ryan hasn't publicly confirmed or denied getting any plastic surgery.

After a few years out of the spotlight, Meg Ryan took a leaf out of Goldie Hawn's transformation book and branched out into directing. She made her directorial debut via 2015's "Ithaca," which she also starred in. "It was one of the hardest things I have done in my career. It takes so much of you — but at the same time it was really fun," she told Vanity Fair. Ryan also teased that we may see more of her behind the camera. "Acting for a while was really fun and it still is — but directing is something even more," she said. 

But as famous as she still was, the Connecticut native wasn't interested in playing the game of celebrity in the social media age. "I am a terrible celebrity. If I started my career today, I wouldn't have a chance. It's a totally different experience," she said, admitting she struggled with the constant attention social media brings. She later came around to the idea at least a little, though, as she joined Instagram in 2016.

Social media savvy or not, Ryan was happy. "I love my age. I love my life right now. I love what I know about. I love the person I've become, the one I've evolved into," she told Porter (via TooFab). The actor-turned-director was also quick to hit back at those speculating about if she'd had work done. "We get stuck in these conversations about looks and hair color and our roots. It's interesting and funny for five minutes, but it's not that interesting," she lamented.

After "Ithaca," Meg Ryan slipped back into her under-the-radar life. "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 told People. "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."

Life away from Hollywood was still full of exciting moments. In 2017, Ryan reunited with John Mellencamp and the two got engaged the following year. But this actor-turned-director was in no rush to walk down the aisle for the second time. "Yes, I'm going to get married at some point. But for now this engagement thing is a state of grace," she told InStyle. Ryan also made it clear her most important title wasn't fiancé, but mom. "Most of all, what I'm ambitious for in the 12 hours a day that I'm awake is my kids' happiness," she gushed. "I'm either figuring out how to provide for them, figuring out how to say it right, figuring out all those mom things. I want them to be happy."

Unfortunately, cracks started appearing in Ryan and Mellencamp's reignited romance and they called off their engagement in 2019. An Us Weekly insider claimed it was Ryan's decision to pull the plug. "She'd had enough and ended [their engagement]. She has no regrets," they said.

After years away from romcoms, Meg Ryan was ready to reclaim her crown. In 2023, she appeared in "What Happens Later" alongside David Duchovny, also co-writing and directing the project. Fans were thrilled to see her back in a big, blockbuster romcom, with one X user tweeting, "Yay! Come on back, Meg! Those of us who have been copying your hair for decades are here with open arms!"

But her return to the spotlight wasn't without controversy. Fans continued to fixate on her appearance, and the plastic surgery allegations came flooding back. "I'd really like to see what her face would look like if she would have just aged gracefully, without the surgeries. She always had that natural beauty," one X user quipped. But Ryan didn't seem too bothered by the chatter and proudly embraced aging. "Our culture is so obsessed with youth. As an old person now, I love my age. I love where I'm at," she told Glamour. "Aging is not that terrifying. We're all doing it. I wish someone had told me earlier, 'Just relax. It is what it is. Don't pay attention to the obstacles.'"

The star was ready to make a statement as she courted fame again, too. After years of avoiding the spotlight and low-key dressing, Ryan embraced the benefits of a glam team. On Instagram, she posted a shot of her sitting on the floor as three people tended to her hair and makeup. "It takes a village," she joked.

Though Meg Ryan was firmly back in the spotlight in 2025, that didn't mean she was ready to throw herself into project after project. Instead, she chose her roles wisely to bolster her comeback. In spring, The Hollywood Reporter announced she'd been cast alongside Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo in the Lena Dunham-directed romcom "Good Sex." The star was also becoming a red carpet regular again, attending the likes of the 2025 Oscars and the Vanity Fair afterparty. Jack Quaid shared how proud he was to see his mom reignite her career in her 60s, telling Entertainment Tonight, "Obviously, I am very biased, but no one deserves it more than her."

It seemed the star was better equipped than ever before to take on the world (again). Speaking at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2024, Ryan said her work as a director had helped her become a better actor. "I understand acting more now because of that," she said (via Deadline). "I think, as an actor, you're a soloist in an orchestra. You don't see the big picture," she explained. Seemingly more confident than ever and with a more comprehensive understanding of her craft, Ryan's next chapter could be her biggest yet.