The Cast of ‘When Harry Met Sally’: Where Are They Now?

Billy Crystal as Harry Burns

The “mahvelous” man of the hour, Crystal played the lead role of Harry Burns in When Harry Met Sally — a performance that garnered him a Golden Globe nomination.

Of all the movies he’s starred in, Crystal told the Orlando Sentinel that When Harry Met Sally is the one he’s asked about most often. He said that it became the romantic comedy of his generation, passed down like a favorite book.

“We were thrown together by [director Rob Reiner and screenwriter Nora Ephron], chosen to be this couple and you never know — almost 35 years later, we’re still a couple to everybody,” Crystal told PEOPLE in December 2023 while on the red carpet for the 46th Kennedy Center Honors.

“As you get further along and new generations see this movie and feel it and watch it over and over again on Valentine’s Day, on New Year’s Eve, whatever it is,” Crystal continued. “You know, people fall in love every day, and people fall out of love every day. This movie is an evergreen that way. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Since his role as Harry in 1989, the six-time Emmy winner went on to host nine Academy Awards shows, becoming a go-to favorite. He also voiced Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc.

Beyond film and awards shows, Crystal also authored five books, including some for children. In 2017, he returned to live comedy (prior to When Harry Met Sally, he was on Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1985) by going on tour with his show Spend the Night with Billy Crystal. He took the Broadway stage in 2022 in Mr. Saturday Night, a Tony-nominated musical based on his 1992 film of the same name, playing the role of comedian Buddy Young Jr. in both.

Crystal reprised his Mike Wazowski character in Disney Now’s animated series Monsters at Work in 2021; season 2 aired in 2024 on Disney+. He’ll dive into drama next, playing a widowed child psychologist on the Apple TV+ series Before.

Meg Ryan as Sally Albright

Ryan’s performance as Sally also garnered her a Golden Globe nomination and helped propel her career in Hollywood. After Sally, Ryan snagged roles in popular romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You’ve Got Mail (1998).

While she enjoyed her work in those films, Ryan felt her real passion for filmmaking was with directing, Vanity Fair reported in 2016.

In 2015, she starred in and directed the American period drama Ithaca. Her romantic comedy What Happens Later premiered in November 2023. In addition to starring alongside David Duchovny, Ryan directed and co-wrote the film.

“I’m so happy she got to direct again,” Crystal told PEOPLE in support of his former co-star and What Happens Later. “We’re very lucky.” 

Carrie Fisher as Marie

Playing Sally’s best friend, Marie, Carrie Fisher gave a hilarious performance that was key in helping Sally and Harry ultimately fall in love.

Fisher, most known for her prior role in the Star Wars films as Princess Leia, died in 2016 at the age of 60.

“She was a friend. She’s great in [When Harry Met Sally…],” Crystal told the Orlando Sentinel of Fisher’s passing. “She was brilliantly talented, a wonderful actress and an amazing writer. It’s a terrible loss.”

Bruno Kirby as Jess

Bruno Kirby filled the role of Fisher’s love interest and happy ending, Jess. When originally set up with Sally, Kirby’s character soon finds himself mutually in love with Marie mid-double date.

Kirby also starred in The Godfather Part II (1974), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and City Slickers (1991, with Crystal), among many other films. In 2006, he died at the age of 57 from complications related to leukemia.

Steven Ford as Joe

As Joe, Steven Ford played Harry’s neighbor who Sally ends up dating, five years after their initial road trip to New York.

Ford, the son of former President Gerald Ford and former First Lady Betty Ford, also had a notable role as Andy Richards on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. His last on-screen credit was for Transformers (2007).