Emily Mack
In the ’90s, Meg Ryan was America’s sweetheart. But after starring in a string of beloved romantic comedies — When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail — she ventured into edgier fare with the 2000 thriller Proof of Life. And that was not the only big transition. Ryan struck up a romance with her Proof of Life co-star Russel Crowe… while still married to Dennis Quaid.
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But that’s not really why Ryan and Quaid broke up.
Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid
Meg Ryan met Dennis Quaid, a fellow A-list ’80s star, on the set of the sci-fi movie Innerspace in 1987. They began dating the following year, instantly solidifying their image as Hollywood royalty. The couple married in 1991 and had their only child together, actor Jack Quaid, in 1992.
But not everything was rosy in the Ryan-Quaid household. They split in June of 2000 — right around the time that Ryan was dating her co-star Russel Crowe.
Their divorce was finalized in 2001.
‘Proof of Life’
Proof of Life stars Meg Ryan as Alice Bowman, a woman whose husband is kidnapped by a Marxist guerrilla group. Enter: Russell Crowe as hunky Terry Thorne, an expert negotiator in kidnapping and ransom. As their characters work together on-screen, they fall in love — and behind the scenes, it was a similar story.
Ryan and Crowe began an affair that was fast and intense. Ryan, still married to Dennis Quaid, was “extremely infatuated with Crowe,” according to an official source from her camp and Crowe, too, was smitten. He gifted her a 1963 Buick Riviera and a puppy!
When the tryst eventually leaked to the press, it was a major tabloid sensation. Everyone was talking about Meg Ryan, the cheater. And to top it off, Proof of Life flopped. (Director Taylor Hackford blames the leads’ real-life drama.) But Ryan kept her cool. “Instead of falling apart and going, ‘Ooh,’ I just started laughing This thing that people are so afraid of all the time — public censure or disapproval — has no power if you know yourself,” she told The Guardian in 2003.
Still, Ryan quickly ended things with Crowe. She wasn’t ready for another serious relationship amid her split from Quaid. “Russell wanted to marry Meg and have kids with her,” a source said, but for Ryan, it was “too much too soon.” They were over before the year’s end.
But according to Ryan, the brief affair is not what drove her apart from Quaid.
Dennis Quaid Cheated Too?
There’s no denying that Meg Ryan’s reputation — and career — took a hit in 2000. The Russel Crowe affair left a distinct stain on her sunny image. But in 2008, Ryan opened up to In Style with her side of things. And she did not hold back.
“It was a great story,” she said of her cheating scandal. “[But] what wasn’t in the story was the reality of my marriage for nine years. Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful. I found out more about that once I was divorced.”
Many people were surprised to hear Ryan call out Quaid eight years later. Including Quaid. For his part, he denied the allegations, hitting back with this official statement:
“I find it regrettable that our son, Jack, has to be reminded in a public way of the turmoil and pain that every child feels in a divorce. I, myself, moved on years ago and am fortunate to have a happy, beautiful family.”
— Dennis Quaid, Daily Mail
Still, when reading Ryan’s In Style interview, it’s easy to understand why she’d want to clear her name. As Ryan herself said, she was branded a “scarlet woman” in the wake of the Crowe revelation. She also went on the record to confirm that “Russell didn’t break up the marriage. He was definitely there at the end, but it wasn’t his fault. I was a mess. I hurt him, too, at the end,” she said, re-stating that she wasn’t ready for another long relationship.
Ryan’s next major relationship was with John Mellencamp, though she ended things with the singer in late 2019. She also adopted a daughter from China, Daisy True, in 2006.
Quaid remarried twice. First, to real estate agent Kimberly Buffington in 2004. They had twins together, in 2007, and divorced in 2018. In 2020, Quaid married Laura Savoie in 2020.
After seeing Ryan, Crowe reconciled with his first ex Danielle Spencer, and they married in 2003. The same year they had a son together, and in 2006, another son. They divorced in 2018.
