Catch up With Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan and the Rest of the 'Sleepless in Seattle' Cast 31 Years Later
Sleepless in Seattle was the cross-country love story starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan that had the whole nation swooning with its heart, sense of family and a couple at the center of it that everyone could root for. And to celebrate the timeless film turning 31 — and timeless means commemorating every anniversary — we uncovered what the Sleepless in Seattle cast has been up to since they left the observation deck of the Empire State building.
The film follows recently widowed Seattle resident Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) , whose son Jonah (Ross Malinger) calls into a radio show asking them to find his dad a new wife. Somehow, his message gets heard by journalist Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) all the way in Boston, touching her heart and setting her off to figure out who he is — despite the fact she's engaged to another man.
But will the two be able to find each other? C'mon, this is a romcom! The film was directed by the late Nora Ephron, and heavily inspired by the 1957 movie An Affair to Remember.
Wanting to have a sleepless night in Seattle? The film is available for streaming on Max.
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Tom Hanks
CHARACTER PLAYED: Sam Baldwin
BORN: July 9, 1956 in Concord, California
BEST KNOWN FOR: Bosom Buddies (1980-1982), Big (1988), A League of Their Own (1992), Toy Story (1995, 1999, 2010 and 2014), Saving Private Ryan (1998), You've Got Mail (1998), Cast Away (2000), Catch Me If You Can (2002), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2020) and Asteroid City (2023).
PERSONAL: Hanks was married to Samantha Lewes from 1978 to 1987, and they had two children together. Then, he married Rita Wilson in 1988 and they have been together ever since. They have two children.
THOUGHTS ON SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE: Despite their sizzling on-screen chemistry, it turns out Meg Ryan and Hanks, weren't that close off-camera . "I must say, Meg and I are not real close pals," Hanks admitted in 2023. "We see each other every now and again. It's like, we don't hang out for coffee. But when we pick up, we just pick up where we left off and it's an effortless thing that I don't think either one of us examines it too much, because if we did, it'd be a problem."
FUN FACT: Hanks was working on Toy Story at the same time.
Meg Ryan: Sleepless in Seattle cast
CHARACTER PLAYED: Annie Reed
BORN: November 19, 1961 in Fairfield, Connecticut
BEST KNOWN FOR: As The World Turns (1982-1984), Top Gun (1986), When Harry Met Sally...(1989), The Doors (1991), You've Got Mail (1998), Kate & Leopold (2001) My Mom's New Boyfriend (2008), and What Happens Later (2023).
PERSONAL: Ryan was married to Dennis Quaid from 1991-2001. They had one child together.
THOUGHTS ON SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE: Ryan worked with Hanks two other times — in You've Got Mail (1998) and Ithaca (2015) — and recently shared that "[Hanks] doesn't like there to be drama. I feel the same way. We're just really there to have fun, this is supposed to be a creative experience and there's no reason to get heavy."
FUN FACT: Meg Ryan only got the role of Annie because Julia Roberts, Kim Basinger, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jodie Foster declined.
Ross Malinger
CHARACTER PLAYED: Jonah Baldwin
BORN: July 7, 1984 in Redwood City, California.
BEST KNOWN FOR: Kindergarten Cop (1990), Good Advice (1993-1994), Sudden Death (1995), Mick Freno: Licensed Teacher (1996-1997) and Frog and Wombat (1998).
PERSONAL: Malinger now works as a car salesman.
FUN FACT: Malinger only got the role ofJonah after another child actor got fired. To this day, no one knows who that actor was.
Rita Wilson: Sleepless in Seattle cast
CHARACTER PLAYED: Suzy
BORN: October 26, 1956 in Los Angeles, California
BEST KNOWN FOR: Now and Then (1995), Jingle All The Way (1996), Runaway Bride (1999), Old Dogs (2009), My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) and Asteroid City (2023).
PERSONAL: Wilson has been married to Hanks since 1988. They have two children together.
THOUGHTS ON SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE: "The story is just great. People really want to see a good love story."
FUN FACT: Wilson and Hanks had been married for five years already when filming for Sleepless in Seattle began — despite this, though, the two played brother and sister.
Victor Garber
CHARACTER PLAYED: Greg
BORN: March 16, 1949 in London, Ontario, Canada.
BEST KNOWN FOR: Titanic (1997) Annie (1999), Legally Blonde (2001), Alias (2001-2005), Web Therapy (2011-2015), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (2016-2021) and Family Law (2021-2024).
PERSONAL: Garber has been married to Rainer Andreesen since 2015. They don't have any children.
FUN FACT: Hanks and Garber completely improvised the scene where they cried to Dirty Dancing.
