PERSONAL
Original name, Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra; born November 19, 1961, in Fairfield, CT; daughter of Harry Hyra (a mathematics teacher) and Susan Hyra Jordan (an actress, casting director, and teacher; maiden name, Ryan); married Dennis Quaid (an actor), February 14, 1991 (divorced, July 16, 2001); children: Jack Henry Quaid. Education: Attended University of Connecticut, c. 1979, and New York University. Avocational Interests: Photography.
Addresses: Agent— Steve Dontanville, William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.
Manager— Suzan Bymel, Management 360, 9111 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Publicist— PMK/HBH Public Relations, 8500 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Beverly Hills, CA 90211; Annett Wolf, Wolf/Kasteler/Van Iden and Associates Public Relations, 335 North Maple Dr., Suite 351, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.
Career: Actress and producer. Prufrock Pictures (also known as Fandango Films), Los Angeles, cofounder, c. 1993, owner, 1993–2000. Appeared in advertisem*nts in the United States and Japan. Cannes International Film Festival, member of jury, 2003.
Awards, Honors: Independent Spirit Award nomination, Independent Features Project West, best female lead, 1989, for Promised Land; Golden Apple Award (with Pauline Collins), Hollywood Women's Press Club, female discovery of the year, 1989; Film Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, American Comedy Award, funniest lead actress in a motion picture (leading role), and Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—comedy/musical, all 1990, for When Harry Met Sally…; American Comedy Award, funniest actress in a motion picture (leading role), Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—comedy/musical, and MTV Movie Award nominations, best female performance and best on-screen duo (with Tom Hanks), all 1994, for Sleepless in Seattle; named Hasty Pudding woman of the year, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Harvard University, 1994; Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role, 1994, and MTV Movie Award nomination, best female performance, 1995, both for When a Man Loves a Woman; Crystal Award (with Sharon Stone), Women in Film, 1995; American Comedy Award nomination, funniest actress in a motion picture (leading role), 1996, for French Kiss; Annie Award nomination, International Animated Film Society, outstanding individual achievement for voice acting by a female performer in an animated feature production, 1997, for Anastasia; named one of "the top 100 movie stars of all time," Empire, 1997; named one of the most powerful people in Hollywood, Entertainment Weekly, 1998; named favorite female movie star, People Weekly readers and online viewers, 1998; Saturn Award nomination, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, best actress, Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination, favorite actress—drama or romance, and MTV Movie Award nomination (with Nicolas Cage), best onscreen duo, all 1999, for City of Angels; Blockbuster Entertainment Award, favorite actress—comedy or romance, Golden Globe Award nomination, best actress in a comedy or musical motion picture, American Comedy Award nomination, funniest lead actress in a motion picture (leading role), and Golden Satellite Award nomination, International Press Academy, best performance by an actress in a comedy or musical motion picture, all 1999, for You've Got Mail; ShoWest Award, National Association of Theatre Owners, actress of the year, 1999; named one of "the one hundred most powerful people in Hollywood," Premiere, 1999; Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination, favorite actress—suspense, 2001, for Proof of Life; subject of the song "All Around Me," by Savage Garden.
CREDITS
Film Appearances:
Debby at the age of eighteen, Rich and Famous, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists, 1981.
Lisa, Amityville 3–D (also known as Amityville: The Demon and Amityville III: The Demon ), Orion, 1983.
Carole Bradshaw, Top Gun, Paramount, 1986.
Maggie Cavanaugh, Armed and Dangerous, Columbia, 1986.
Bev, Promised Land (also known as Young Hearts ), Vestron, 1987.
Lydia Maxwell, Innerspace, Warner Bros., 1987.
Donna Caldwell, The Presidio (also known as The Presidio: The Scene of the Crime ), Paramount, 1988.
Sydney Fuller, D.O.A., Buena Vista, 1988.
Sally Albright, When Harry Met Sally…, Columbia, 1989.
DeDe, Angelica Graynamore, and Patricia Graynamore, Joe versus the Volcano (also known as Joe against the Volcano ), Warner Bros., 1990.
Pamela Courson, The Doors, TriStar, 1991.
Rita Boyle, Prelude to a Kiss, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1992.
Annie Reed, Sleepless in Seattle, TriStar, 1993.
Kay Davies, Flesh and Bone, Paramount, 1993.
Alice Green, When a Man Loves a Woman (also known as Significant Other and To Have and to Hold ), Buena Vista, 1994.
Catherine Boyd, I.Q., Paramount, 1994.
Kate, French Kiss (also known as Paris Match ), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1995.
Katherine, Restoration, Miramax, 1995.
Captain Karen Emma Walden, Courage under Fire, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1996.
Maggie, Addicted to Love (also known as Forlorn ), Warner Bros., 1997.
Voice of Anastasia, Anastasia (animated), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1997.
Bonnie, Hurlyburly, Fine Line, 1998.
Dr. Maggie Rice, City of Angels (also known as Stadt der Engel ), Warner Bros., 1998.
Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail, Warner Bros., 1998.
Alice Bowman, Proof of Life, Warner Bros., 2000.
Eve Mozell Marks, Hanging Up, Columbia, 2000.
Kate McKay, Kate & Leopold, Miramax, 2001.
Frannie Averey (some sources cite Thorstin), In the Cut, Screen Gems, 2003.
Jackie Kallen, Against the Ropes, Paramount, 2004.
Mary Hemingway, Papa, Paramount, 2005.
Film Producer:
French Kiss (also known as Paris Match ), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1995.
Lost Souls, New Line Cinema, 1999.
Executive producer, The Wedding Planner (also known as Wedding Planner—verliebt, verlobt, verplant ), Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2001.
Desert Saints, Artisan Entertainment, 2002.
Television Appearances; Series:
Jane, One of the Boys, NBC, 1982.
Betsy Stewart Montgomery Andropoulos, As the World Turns, CBS, 1982–1984.
Cally Oaks, Wildside, ABC, 1985.
Voice of Dr. Blight, Captain Planet and the Planeteers (animated; also known as The New Adventures of Captain Planet ), TNT and syndicated, 1990–1991.
Television Appearances; Movies:
Herself, Searching for Debra Winger, Showtime, 2002.
Television Appearances; Specials:
Denise, "Amy and the Angel," ABC Afterschool Specials, ABC, 1981.
Hollywood's Leading Ladies with David Sheehan (also known as The Leading Ladies of the Movies ), NBC, 1993.
Narrator, Celebrate Storytelling with Tracey Ullman (animated), PBS, 1994.
The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 1994.
Hollywood Stars: A Century of Cinema, The Disney Channel, 1995.
Herself, The Making of "Hanging Up " (also known as Getting Connected: The Making of Hanging Up and HBO Look: The Making of "Hanging Up "), HBO, 2000.
Herself, 20th Century Fox: The Blockbuster Years, American Movie Classics, 2000.
Herself, America: A Tribute to Heroes, multiple networks, 2001.
Herself, Concert for New York City, VH1, 2001.
Herself, E! 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment History, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.
(In archive footage) Celebrity Naked Ambition, Channel 5, 2003.
Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:
The American Film Institute Salute to Elizabeth Taylor, ABC, 1993.
(Uncredited) Herself, The 69th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1997.
Presenter, The 70th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1998.
Herself, 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Fox, 2000.
Herself, AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Tom Hanks, USA Network, 2002.
The 34th NAACP Image Awards, Fox, 2003.
Television Appearances; Episodic:
Megan Harper, "Hurricane Meagan," Charles in Charge, CBS, 1984.
Megan Harper (some sources cite Jane), "War," Charles in Charge, CBS, 1984.
Megan Harper, "Charles 'R' Us," Charles in Charge, CBS, 1985.
Herself, The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross (also known as The Last Resort ), Channel 4, 1987.
Narrator, "Red Riding Hood/Goldilocks," Storybook Classics, Showtime, 1990.
Herself, The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001.
Herself, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1996.
"Tom Hanks: Hollywood's Golden Boy," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 1997.
Herself, The Oprah Winfrey Show, syndicated, 2000.
Herself, Revealed with Jules Asner, E! Entertainment Television, 2001.
Herself, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2001, 2004.
Presenter and narrator, "The White Elephants of Thailand with Meg Ryan," Nature, PBS, 2002.
Before They Were Stars, ABC, 2002.
Herself, Parkinson, BBC, 2003.
Herself, The Terry and Gaby Show, Channel 5, 2003.
Herself, Tinseltown.TV, 2003.
Herself, Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, syndicated, 2004.
Herself, On–Air with Ryan Seacrest, syndicated, 2004.
Herself, The View, ABC, 2004.
Appeared in The Entertainment Business and Inside the Actors Studio, both Bravo; appeared in other episodes of Biography, Arts and Entertainment.
Television Executive Producer:
Northern Lights (movie; also known as L'etoile du nord ), The Disney Channel, 1997.
Quints (pilot), UPN, 1999.
RECORDINGS
Videos:
Herself, How Harry Met Sally…, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists Home Entertainment, 2000.
OTHER SOURCES
Books:
St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, St. James Press, 2000.
Periodicals:
Empire, issue 52, 1993, pp. 64–65; issue 78, 1995, pp. 70–72; October, 1997, p. 202.
Entertainment Weekly, December 18, 1998, pp. 24–30.
Flicks, July, 1998, pp. 28–29; March, 1999, pp. 26, 27.
Good Housekeeping, July, 1998, pp. 96–99.
Harper's Bazaar, December, 1998, pp. 214–19.
In Style, April, 2000, p. 370.
Jane, April, 1998, pp. 84–89.
Los Angeles, January, 1999, pp. 48–51, 121.
Los Angeles Times, April 12, 1998.
People Weekly, June 2, 1993, p. 69; December 21, 1998, pp. 104–110; November 3, 2003, p. 73.
Premiere, May, 1996, pp. 52–58; "Women in Hollywood" issue, 1999, pp. 50–55.
Rolling Stone, February 11, 1988.
Time Out, February 3, 1999, pp. 16–18, 20.
Times (London), June 14, 1998.
US Weekly, December 24, 2001, pp. 42–46.
Vanity Fair, May, 1995, p. 105.
Woman's World, June 22, 1999, pp. 16–17.
