'Sleepless in Seattle' celebrates 30th anniversary: The cast then and now

By Lori Bashian

Published June 25, 2023

"Sleepless In Seattle" is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its release.

In the movie, newly widowed Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) moves to Seattle with his son, who, in an attempt to get his father back into the dating game, calls into a talk-radio show. Eventually, Sam gets on the phone and catches the attention of Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) in Baltimore, Maryland.

"Sleepless in Seattle" went on to receive two Academy Award nominations for best original song and best original screenplay. 

Here's a look at where the movie's biggest stars are today.

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Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks was already an Academy Award nominated actor for his role as Josh in "Big," with starring roles in movies such as "Splash" and "A League of Their Own," before taking on the role of Sam Baldwin in the 1993 movie "Sleepless in Seattle."

The same year he starred in "Philadelphia" as a gay man with AIDS. The role earned him his second Academy Award nomination, and his first win. The following year, Hanks starred in "Forrest Gump," which earned him his third Academy Award nomination and second win, becoming only the second actor to win in the best actor category two years in a row.

Following the success of those two films, Hanks played real-life astronaut Jim Lovell in "Apollo 13," alongside Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon and others. He voiced Woody in "Toy Story" and played Capt. Miller in "Saving Private Ryan." The latter film earned Hanks his fourth Academy Award nomination for best actor in a leading role.

In 1998, Hanks also reunited with his "Sleepless in Seattle" co-star, Meg Ryan, in another romantic comedy, "You've Got Mail." He later starred in "Toy Story 2," "The Green Mile" and "Cast Away," which earned him his fifth Academy Award nomination. 

Hanks continued to act throughout the 2000s, appearing in "Catch Me If You Can," alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Ladykillers," "The Terminal," "The Polar Express" and "The Da Vinci Code." He also starred in the 2007 movie "Charlie Wilson's War," which earned him his seventh Golden Globe nomination. His other Golden Globe nominations were for "Big," "Sleepless In Seattle" and "Forrest Gump" and more.

After appearing in a few more films and producing some of his own projects, he reprised his role as Woody in the 2010 movie "Toy Story 3." He then starred along Sandra Bullock in the drama "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," and appeared in the films "Captain Phillips" and "Saving Mr. Banks."

In 2013, Hanks made his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron's play "Lucky Guy," and was nominated for a Tony Award for best actor in a play for his role. The following year, his "Alan Bean Plus Four" was published in The New Yorker, and he later appeared in Carly Rae Jepson's music video for "I Really Like You."

His next projects were Steven Spielberg's 2015 drama "Bridge of Spies," "A Hologram for the King" and "Sully," in which he played Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who made the heroic landing in the Hudson River when his airplane engines were damaged.

The actor went on to star in "Toy Story 4," "The Post," alongside Meryl Streep, "Greyhound" and "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," in which he played Mr. Rogers and was nominated for his sixth Academy Award, his first in the supporting actor category.

Most recently, Hanks starred in the Academy Award nominated film "Elvis," as well as "Pinocchio," "A Man Called Otto" and "Asteroid City." Along with acting, Hanks is a successful producer of such films as "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," "Mamma Mia" and "Where the Wild Things Are," as well as the shows, "Olive Kitteridge," "Big Love" and "The Pacific."

Along with his many Oscars, Hanks has also received an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, a Kennedy Center Honors medallion, Presidential Medal of Freedom, a French Leigon of Honor and the 2020 Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award.

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Hanks married his first wife, actress Samantha Lewes in 1978. The couple had two children together, a son Colin and a daughter Elizabeth, before getting a divorce in 1987. Lewes passed away in 2002 at the age of 49 from bone cancer.

He met his second wife, Rita Wilson, in 1981 when they were both on an episode of "Bosom Buddies," however they did not become a couple until meeting for a second time on the set of "Volunteers" in 1985. The two got married in 1988 and have two sons together, Chet and Truman Hanks.

Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan already had success in the realm of romantic comedies, having starred in the very successful movie "When Harry Met Sally" before playing Annie Reed in "Sleepless in Seattle." She had also previously starred in "Prelude to a Kiss" and "Top Gun."

She continued acting throughout the '90s, appearing in movies like "Flesh and Bone," "When a Man Loves a Woman," which earned Ryan her first SAG Award nomination, "French Kiss," and the animated film, "Anastasia."   

Ryan then appeared in "Addicted to Love," with Matthew Broderick, "City of Angels," with Nicolas Cage, and "You've Got Mail," alongside her "Sleepless in Seattle" co-star Tom Hanks, which earned her a third Golden Globe nomination. She was previously nominated for "When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle." The end of the '90s also saw her starring in "Hurlyburly" with Sean Penn.

The actress then appeared alongside Diane Keaton and Lisa Kudrow in the comedy "Hanging Up," "Proof of Life," alongside Russell Crowe, and the thriller "In the Cut," with Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

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Following "In the Cut," Ryan took a three-year break from acting, returning in the 2007 movie "In the Land of Women," following that up with "The Deal," "My Mom's New Boyfriend," alongside Colin Hanks and Antonio Banderas. She went on to appear in "The Women," also starring Annette Bening, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith, and "Serious Moonlight," starring Kristen Bell and Justin Long.

After a series of projects failed to materialize for Ryan, she took a four-year hiatus from acting, returning for a two episode-arc on Lisa Kudrow's comedy "Web Therapy." She then starred in the Freeform original movie, "Fan Girl." Ryan's next and most recent acting credit is "Ithaca," which she also directed. 

Ryan married actor Dennis Quaid in 1991, after they first met and began dating while on set of "Innerspace," in 1988. The two were married for 10 years and had one son together, Jack Quaid, before finalizing their divorce in 2001.

In January 2006, Ryan adopted a 14-month-old girl from China whom she named Daisy True. Ryan then dated singer John Mellencamp from 2010 to 2014, later getting back together in 2017. The couple announced their engagement in November 2018, however it was revealed a year later, in October 2019, that they had called it off and gone their separate ways.

Ross Malinger

Prior to starring as Tom Hanks' son Jonah Baldwin in "Sleepless in Seattle," Ross Malinger had mostly appeared as a guest on various TV shows, including "Who's the Boss," "Down the Shore" and "Roseanne."

Following his starring role in "Sleepless in Seattle," Malinger starred in the show "Good Advice," as well as "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" and "Nick Fresno: Licensed Teacher." He also appeared in the movies, "Bye Bye Love," "Sudden Death," "Homeward Bound II: Lost In San Francisco" and "Little Bigfoot."

Throughout the remainder of the '90s, he primarily appeared on various TV shows, including "Seinfeld," "Suddenly Susan," "Party of Five" and "Recess." He also appeared in "Frog and Wombat," "Family Law," "Personally Yours" and "Lloyd In Space."

His final acting roles were in "Touched by an Angel" and an episode of "Without a Trace" in 2006, after which he permanently retired from acting, according to his IMDb credits.

Bill Pullman

Bill Pullman got his start in the entertainment industry as a stage actor, making his film debut in the 1986 movie "Ruthless People," before appearing on "A League of Their Own," and ultimately landing the role of Walter in "Sleepless in Seattle" in 1993.

He appeared in a number of movies throughout the '90s, including "While You Were Sleeping," "Casper" and "Independence Day," in which he starred in alongside Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch. He then appeared in "Lost Highway," "The End of Violence," "Zero Effect" and "History is Made at Night."

While he continued to act on screen, Pullman also appeared in the Tony Award-winning Broadway play "The Goat or Who is Sylvia?" from February 2002 to September 2002. He then appeared in the movie "The Grudge," the miniseries "Revelations" and "Scary Movie 4." 

Pullman appeared in a few films throughout 2008, before returning to Broadway in a production of David Mamet's "Oleanna." He then appeared in "The Killer Inside Me," "Bringing Up Bobby," "Torchwood," "May in the Summer" and "1600 Penn."

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The actor went on to star in "Red Sky" and "The Equalizer," before returning to his role of President Whitmore in "Independence Day: Resurgence." Since then he starred in "LBJ," "The Ballad of Lefty Brown," "Battle of the Sexes" and "The Equalizer 2."

Most recently, Pullman has starred in "The Coldest Game," "Dark Waters," "Halston" and "The Sinner."

Pullman married his wife, Tamara Hurwitz, in 1987. They share three children together: actor Lewis Pullman, singer-songwriter Maesa Pullman and Jack Pullman.

Rosie O'Donnell

After getting discovered on "Star Search" as a stand-up comedian, Rosie O'Donnell landed a few small roles before getting a supporting role in 1992's "A League of Their Own." She eventually reunited with some of her "A League of Their Own" castmates in "Sleepless in Seattle," in which she played Annie's friend Becky.

The actress followed the success of "Sleepless in Seattle" with starring roles in "The Flintstones," playing Betty Rubble, "Exit to Eden," "Beautiful Girls," and "Now and Then," as the older version of Christina Ricci's character.

From 1996 to 2002, O'Donnell hosted her own daytime talk program, "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," for which she won 11 Daytime Emmy awards out of a total 14 nominations. 

During this time, O'Donnell appeared as a guest on a number of shows, including "All My Children," "The Nanny," "Suddenly Susan," "Murphy Brown" "Ally McBeal" and "Will & Grace." She also starred in "Wide Awake" and voiced Terk in the Disney animated movie "Tarzan."

When her show came to an end, O'Donnell continued appearing as a guest in episodes of various shows, and in September 2006, took over for Meredith Vieira as a co-host on "The View." It was announced in April 2007, she would not be returning to the show in its following season.

Following her time on "The View," O'Donnell appeared on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Web Therapy," "Empire" and "Mom." She then had a 15-episode arc on the Freeform series "The Fosters," playing the house mom at a halfway house one of the characters is sent to.

While continuing to act, O'Donnell teamed up with Oprah Winfrey to host a second talk show on OWN, called "The Rosie Show." The show started in October 2011 and lasted one season, ending in March 2012.

She then appeared in a number of shows, including "SMILF," "I Know This Much Is True" and "Russian Doll." Most recently she was seen in "American Gigolo" and "The L Word: Generation Q."  

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The actress has written four books, including the children's books "Kids are Punny: Jokes Sent by Kids to the Rosie O'Donnell Show" and "Kids are Punny 2: More Jokes Sent by Kids to the Rosie O'Donnell Show." She's also written two memoirs, "Find Me" and "Celebrity Detox."

O'Donnell came out as gay in 2002 as part of her act during the Ovarian Cancer Research benefit. In 1995, she adopted her first child, Parker, who was later also adopted by Kelli Carpenter, when she married O'Donnell in 2004. Together, Carpenter and O'Donnell also adopted Blake, Vivienne and Chelsea O'Donnell, before separating in 2007.

In 2011, O'Donnell announced she was engaged to executive-search consultant Michelle Rounds and the two married in June 2012. The following year, the two adopted a baby girl named Dakota, but ultimately the marriage ended in a divorce with the couple splitting up in 2015. 

Rita Wilson

Rita Wilson got her start in the industry guest starring on a number of popular television shows, before landing the role of Suzy, the main character's sister, in "Sleepless in Seattle."

She then starred in the films "Now and Then," with Rosie O'Donnell, "Jingle All the Way," "Psycho" and "Runaway Bride," alongside Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. 

In 2002, Wilson partnered with actress and writer Nia Vardalos to produce "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," highlighting her Greek heritage. The movie went on to be the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time. She also produced a show based on the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Life," however it only lasted one season.

Wilson continued to act, appearing in "Raise Your Voice," with Hilary Duff, "Old Dogs," with John Travolta and Robin Williams, "It's Complicated," with Steve Martin, Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, and "The Art of Getting By." She acted minimally throughout 2011 to 2014, appearing in a few short films.

Wilson went on to appear in episodes of "The Good Fight," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Full Circle," before executive producing and starring in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2." She then played Alison Williams' mom on "Girls," as well as appearing in "Gloria Bell," "A Simple Wedding," "Boy Genius" and "1883."

Wilson also had an illustrious career as a stage actor, appearing as Roxie Hart on Broadway in "Chicago," as well as playing Brenda in Larry David's "Fish in the Dark." She then starred in the Nora Ephron play "Love, Loss and What I Wore." Most recently, Wilson starred in "Kimi" and "Asteroid City," alongside Tilda Swinton, Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson.

As a producer, Wilson often supports projects that pay homage to her Greek heritage. She not only produced "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and its sequel, but also "Mamma Mia," "My Life in Ruins" and "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again."

Along with being an actress, Wilson is also a successful musician, having released four albums, starting with "AM/FM" in 2012, "Rita Wilson" in 2016, "Bigger Picture" in 2018 and "Halfway to Home" in 2019. Many of her songs have been included as part of the soundtracks for a few films, including "Heart Unknown," which was used in the indie movie "Simple Wedding."

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In April 2015, Wilson announced she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. The song "Throw Me a Party" on her fourth album "Halfway to Home" was inspired by her battle with breast cancer. In 2016, Wilson confirmed she is "cancer free."

Gaby Hoffman

As a child actress, Gaby Hoffman had only had a few acting jobs, including a part in "This Is My Life," before landing the role of Jonah's friend Jessica in "Sleepless in Seattle." 

Just a few years later, Hoffman starred as the younger version of Demi Moore's character Samantha in "Now and Then," following that up with a string of movies, including "Everyone Says I Love You," "Volcano," "Snapped," "200 Cigarettes," "Coming Soon" and "You Can Count on Me."

Between 2003 and 2007, Hoffman took a break from acting on screen, focusing her energy on theater work. She appeared in the plays, "24 Hour Plays," "The Sugar Syndrome" and "Third," before stepping on the Broadway stage for the play "Suburbia," also starring Kieran Culkin and Jessica Capshaw.

Following her break from screen acting, Hoffman starred in "13," and made appearances on "Private Practice," "The Good Wife" and "Homeland." She then starred in a series of films, including "Wolfe with an E," "The Surrogate Mary," "Louie," "All That I Am," "Veronica Mars" and "Wild."

From 2014 to 2017, Hoffman was a recurring character on the HBO show "Girls," appearing in eight episodes across three seasons. During that time, she was also starring as Ali Pfefferman in the Amazon Prime show "Transparent." The creator of "Transparent," Jill Soloway, explained she wrote the part of Ali for Hoffman after seeing her act in "Louis."

After "Transparent" came to an end in 2019, Hoffman appeared in "C'mon C'mon" and "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," and is currently in pre-production on the mini-series "Eric."

Hoffman began dating her longtime boyfriend Chris Dapkins in 2012, and two years later the couple welcomed their daughter Rosemary Dapkins in November 2014.

Victor Garber

Victor Garber was already known for his work both on screen and the stage, having already been nominated for three Tony awards and two Drama Desk awards, before taking on the role of Greg in the 1993 movie "Sleepless in Seattle."

A year after starring in the films, Garber was nominated for his fourth Tony award for best actor in a play for his work in "Damn Yankees." He continued to pursue a career on stage throughout the years, appearing in "Art," "A Little Night Music," "Follies," "Present Laughter" and the 2018 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of "Hello Dolly!" He was also awarded the Theater World Lifetime Achievement award in 2018.

Following the success of "Sleepless in Seattle," the actor appeared in a number of critically acclaimed movies, such as "The First Wives Club" and "Titanic," in which he played real-life Irish shipbuilder Thomas Andrews, who designed the R.M.S Titanic. He also had roles in "Legally Blonde," "Tuck Everlasting" and the TV movie "Cinderella."

From 2001 to 2006, Garber starred alongside Jennifer Garner in "Alias," playing the actress' father. For his role on the show, Garber was nominated for three Emmy Awards. He had been nominated twice before for his 2001 guest appearance on "Frasier," and his supporting role in the miniseries "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows." 

He earned his sixth Emmy Award nomination for his guest starring role in a 2004 episode of "Will & Grace," later starring in "Justice," "Ugly Betty," "ReGenesis," "Eli Stone," "Nurse Jackie" and "Glee." In 2008, Garber starred as the former mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone, in "Milk." The film tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office. Garber was nominated for a SAG Award as part of the cast.

The actor then appeared in films such as "The Town," "You Again," "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Argo," for which he won a SAG Award as part of the cast. In that time, he also appeared on "30 Rock," "The Big C" and "Deception."

Garber continued to appear as a guest in a number of shows, including "The Big Game," "Web Therapy," "Sicario," "Dark Waters," "Power," "Funny Face" and "DC's Legends of Tomorrow." Most recently he has starred in "The Last Thing He Told Me," "The Flash" and "Family Law."

Garber first spoke about his relationship with Rainer Andreesen in a 2012 interview with the Canadian outlet, Forever Young. In 2013, he confirmed his sexuality during the TV Critics Association Press Tour, explaining he doesn't speak about it publicly, "but everybody knows." In October 2015, he and Andreesen announced they had gotten married after 16 years together.

Rob Reiner

Rob Reiner had already made a name for himself in Hollywood as an actor, writer and director, having directed movies in the ‘80s and ’90s, including "Stand By Me," "When Harry Met Sally" and the Academy Award-winning movie "A Few Good Men," before landing the role of Jay Mathews in "Sleepless in Seattle."

Following his time in the movie, Reiner continued to act and direct, appearing in "The First Wives Club," "Mad Dog Time," "Primary Colors," "The Muse" and "The Story of Us." He later appeared in "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Alex & Emma" and "Everyday Life."

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For the next few years, Reiner appeared as both a guest star in popular TV shows, and in feature films, including "The Simpsons," "Hannah Montana," "30 Rock," "About A Boy," "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "And So It Goes."

Starting in 2012, Reiner began appearing on "New Girl" in a recurring role, playing the main character Jessica Day's dad. During that time, he also appeared in a number of shows, as well as the movies "Sandy Wexler" and "Shock and Awe."

Most recently, he appeared in the Netflix miniseries "Hollywood," "The Good Fight" and "Home Movie: The Princess Bride," which was created by editing together different clips sent in from celebrities, who filmed their parts at home while quarantining during the COVID-19 lockdown.

While continuing to act, Reiner was also directing films such as "The American President," starring Michael Douglas and Annette Bening, "The Story of Us," starring Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer, "Rumor Has It," starring Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner and Shirley MacLaine, and "The Bucket List," starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

The actor and director married his first wife, fellow actor and director Penny Marshall, in 1971. When they got married, he adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner, whom she shared with her first husband, Michael Henry. The two were together for 10 years, before getting a divorce in 1981.

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While working on "When Harry Met Sally," Reiner met his second wife, Michele Singer, whom he married in 1989. Since getting married, the couple have had three children, Jake, Nick and Romy Reiner.

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