Meg Ryan Meg Ryan Meg Ryan (born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra; November 19, 1961) is an American actress and producer. Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera "As the World Turns" in 1982. Subsequently, she began to appear in supporting roles in films during the mid 1980s, achieving recognition in independent films such as "Promised Land" (1988) before her performance in the Rob Reiner-directed romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989) brought her widespread attention and her first Golden Globe nomination. Ryan subsequently established herself, both nationally and internationally,
Meg Ryan the soap opera "As the World Turns" to earn extra money. Due to her success as an actress, she dropped out of college a semester before she planned to graduate. When she joined the Screen Actors Guild, she used the surname "Ryan", her grandmother's maiden name. 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. Around that same time, she appeared in a Burger King commercial. Several television films and smaller film