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The 60-year-old rom-com queen is retired today but new generations are discovering just what Meg Ryan brought to the big screen throughout the 80’s and 90’s. Hits like “French Kiss”, “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail” are responsible for earning Ryan a net worth of $70 million today.
Ryan got her start with a memorable role on “As the World Turns” from 1982 to 1984 and she appeared as Goose’s wife in the film “Top Gun” in 1986 but according to Celebrity Net Worth, it was her turn in 1989’s “When Harry Met Sally” that made Ryan an international star.
She tried her hand in some drama/action films throughout her career with modest success but it’s the films that made her America’s Sweetheart that many remember Ryan.
Check out the top grossing Meg Ryan films to date.
The Presidio – $20 Million
While the film didn’t do so well in the box office, for a young Meg Ryan in 1988, it put her alongside some of Hollywood’s greats like Sean Connery and Mark Harmon in a action/crime film. Ryan plays Connery’s daughter and the love interest of San Francisco police detective, Harmon.
Innerspace – $25 Million
The film itself isn’t horribly popular but still notable, because it’s Ryan’s meeting co-star Dennis Quaid that results in her decade long marriage to the star. In “Innerspace”, a test pilot is miniaturized and accidentally injected into a store clerk, played by Martin Short. One year later, the pair also starred in D.O.A., a ‘who dun it’ film in which Quaid is hunting a killer on a college campus.
The Doors – $25 Million
It’s the story of the famous and influential rock band from the 1960’s. Val Kilmer plays Jim Morrison and Ryan is his love interest, Pamela Courson. Directed by Oliver Stone, the 1991 biopic followed the famous lead singer from his days at UCLA to his death at the age of 27.
Joe Versus the Volcano – $39 Million
In her first role alongside Tom Hanks, Ryan plays the woman in Joe’s life. He’s a hypochondriac that learns he’s dying. He chooses to throw himself in a volcano on a tropical island and on the way, learns the true meaning of life.
Kate and Leopold – $47 Million
In a time traveling romantic comedy opposite a young Hugh Jackman, Ryan plays a cynical market research executive fighting the feelings she has for a 1876 Duke of Albany (Jackman). According to AARP, humor ensues when New York inventor, played by Liev Schreiber brings the Duke into the future.
When a Man Loves a Woman – $50 Million
In an attempt to break free from her sweet image, Ryan plays opposite Andy Garcia as a woman struggling with alcoholism and the relationship between husband and wife is tested.
Courage Under Fire – $59 Million
Just two years later, in 1994, Ryan takes on a role of a female army commander worthy of a Medal of Honor. Opposite Denzel Washington and a young Matt Damon, Ryan plays Karen Walden in the American war film.
City of Angels – $78 Million
Going back to her roots in a romantic role, Ryan plays an earthly, struggling doctor, who meets an angel, played by Nicolas Cage. According to IMDb, the star-crossed lovers create drama as Cage chooses to stay on Earth just as Ryan loses her life.
When Harry Met Sally – $93 Million
Ryan plays opposite Billy Crystal and Carrie Fisher in a romantic comedy spanning decades as Ryan and Crystal meet, meet again and eventually, fall in love.
You’ve Got Mail – $115 Million
Fans knew by the time the 1998 film hit the big screen, the magical pairing of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks was worth the wait, raking in millions at the box office. Book shop owner, Kathleen Kelly (Ryan) falls in love with a stranger on the Internet, who as luck would have it, turns out to be her friend Hanks.
Sleepless in Seattle – $126 Million
In another Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan pairing, the Nora Ephron directed film follows a widowed man’s son, calling into a radio station in an attempt to find his father new love. Their encounter at the top of the Empire State Building gives fans an “Affair to Remember” vibe.
Top Gun – $180 Million
It was 1986, Ryan was just stepping away from her stint in a well-known soap opera and has little to do with the success of the wildly popular film about U.S. Navy fighter pilots. Even though she plays the wife of “Goose” (Anthony Edwards) with little screen time, the film puts her in the room with Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Tim Robbins and other A-list celebs.
Sources: Celebrity Net Worth, AARP, IMDb
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