Editing Meg Ryan (section)

=== 1989–1999: Career breakthrough and stardom ===
Ryan's first leading role was the romantic comedy ''[[When Harry Met Sally...]]'' (1989), which paired her with comic actor [[Billy Crystal]] and earned her a nomination for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical]]. Her portrayal of Sally Albright includes an oft-recounted scene in which her character, lunching with Crystal's character in [[Katz's Delicatessen]] in [[Manhattan]], theatrically demonstrates for him how easy it is for a woman to fake an [[orgasm]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Twenty-Five Years After 'When Harry Met Sally,' People Still Fake Orgasms in Katz's Deli |url=http://www.newsweek.com/twenty-five-years-later-people-still-wont-stop-faking-orgasms-katzs-deli-258596 |access-date=June 13, 2015 |publisher=Newsweek |first=Zach |last=Schonfeld |date=July 14, 2014}}</ref>

Ryan next appeared in [[Oliver Stone]]'s moderately successful film ''[[The Doors (film)|The Doors]]'', and in ''[[Prelude to a Kiss (film)|Prelude to a Kiss]]'', which flopped.<ref>{{cite web |title=Prelude to a Kiss |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2708178433/weekend/ |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> In 1993, the hugely successful romantic comedy ''[[Sleepless in Seattle]]'' paired Ryan for a second time with [[Tom Hanks]]. They had previously been the romantic leads, with Ryan playing three different women, in [[John Patrick Shanley]]'s ''[[Joe Versus the Volcano]]'' in 1990 — a commercial disappointment which later developed a cult following. (Hanks and Ryan were once again paired in another box-office success, ''[[You've Got Mail]]'', in 1998.)<ref>{{cite news |title=Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan to reunite on-screen in 'Ithaca': report |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/tom-hanks-meg-ryan-reunite-screen-report-article-1.1844986 |access-date=June 13, 2015 |work=New York Daily News|date=June 26, 2014 |first=Rachel |last=Maresca}}</ref> She earned her second nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her performance in ''Sleepless in Seattle''. She was offered the role of FBI agent [[Clarice Starling]], the protagonist of ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'' (1991), but rejected it due to the film's gruesome and violent themes.

In 1994, Ryan played an [[Alcoholism|alcoholic]] high-school guidance counselor – far from the romantic-comedy [[Ingenue (stock character)|ingenue]] roles for which she had become famous – in [[Luis Mandoki]]'s social romantic drama ''[[When a Man Loves a Woman (film)|When a Man Loves a Woman]]'', also starring [[Andy Garcia]]. The film and her performance were both well received by critics.<ref name="Kate & Leopold 2001">{{Cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kate_and_leopold/ |title=''Kate & Leopold'' (2001) |publisher=[[Flixster]] |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=September 8, 2010}}</ref> A critic for ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called the film "a first-class production, accentuated by fine performances and an unflinching script,"<ref name="variety10">{{cite magazine |first=Leonard |last=Klady |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117902641.html |title=''When a Man Loves a Woman'' review |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=April 24, 1994 |access-date=September 19, 2010}}</ref> and another praised Ryan for her "roller-coaster role".<ref name="variety10" /> The film was a notable success, grossing $50&nbsp;million in the United States alone,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/When-a-Man-Loves-a-Woman-(1994)|title=''When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994) |publisher=The Numbers |access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> and garnered Ryan a nomination for the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role]].<ref name="awards">{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=John |author-link=John Wilson (Golden Raspberry) |title=29th Annual Golden Raspberry (Razzie) Award "Winners" |work=Home of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation |publisher=Golden Raspberry Award Foundation |url=http://www.razzies.com/history/08winners.asp |access-date=May 1, 2009|year=2009}}</ref> The same year, Ryan returned to type, starring alongside [[Tim Robbins]] in [[Fred Schepisi]]'s romantic comedy ''[[I.Q. (film)|I.Q.]]'' The film centers on a mechanic and a [[Princeton University|Princeton]] doctoral candidate who fall in love, with the aid of the graduate student's uncle, [[Albert Einstein]] (played by [[Walter Matthau]]). Ryan later won Harvard's [[Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year]] award, and ''[[People Magazine]]'' dubbed her one of "the 50 most beautiful people in the world".

In 1995, critic [[Richard Corliss]] called Ryan "the current soul of romantic comedy". The same year she also starred opposite [[Kevin Kline]] in [[Lawrence Kasdan]]'s ''[[French Kiss (1995 film)|French Kiss]]'', a comedy catering to her "America's Sweetheart" image, and was awarded the [[Women in Film Los Angeles|Women in Film]] [[Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards#THE CRYSTAL AWARD|Crystal Award]] – given to "outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry."<ref name="wif">{{cite web |url=http://wif.org/past-recipients |title=Past Recipients |publisher=wif.org |access-date=May 20, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724120329/http://www.wif.org/past-recipients |archive-date=July 24, 2011}}</ref>

In 1996, Ryan starred as a helicopter pilot in the war drama ''[[Courage Under Fire]]'', a critical and commercial success. The following year, she voiced the lead role in the animated film ''[[Anastasia (1997 film)|Anastasia]]'', which met with good reviews and box office success, and she and [[Matthew Broderick]] played a pair of jilted lovers bent on revenge in the black comedy ''[[Addicted to Love (film)|Addicted to Love]]'', giving Ryan a female lead at least superficially different from her usual roles.
In 1998, she starred in two films. ''[[City of Angels (film)|City of Angels]]'' (an American remake of [[Wim Wenders]]' ''[[Wings of Desire]]'') drew positive reviews and earned nearly $200&nbsp;million worldwide. ''[[You've Got Mail]]'', reteaming Ryan with Hanks, earned her a third nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and made more than $250&nbsp;million worldwide. She also appeared in 1998's ''[[Hurlyburly (film)|Hurlyburly]]'' with [[Sean Penn]].