- - Where Is the Cast of “When Harry Met Sally” Now? Inside the Stars’ Lives Today (and How They Honored Director Rob Reiner After His Death)

Claudia Harmata, Kylie Hemmert, Emily BlackwoodDecember 21, 2025 at 6:30 AM

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Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner and Meg Ryan in 1989. -

When Harry Met Sally... became one of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time after its debut in July 1989

The films' stars, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, went on to have successful careers in Hollywood

Since the film wrapped, two of the movie's cast members and its prolific director, Rob Reiner, have died

The cast of When Harry Met Sally... will forever be considered rom-com royalty.

Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal made history as Sally Albright and Harry Burns, a "will they/won't they pair" who argue contentiously about whether a man and woman can have a platonic friendship, when the film premiered on July 21, 1989.

It’s the source of “I’ll have what she’s having” and one of the greatest New Year’s Eve speeches of all time. For her brilliant script that still resonates today, Nora Ephron received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, in 1990.

The movie also inspired a love story off-screen between director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. They met while filming When Harry Met Sally... and were together for 36 years, until they were killed in an apparent homicide in December 2025. Their son, Nick Reiner, was later charged with their murders.

So where is the cast of When Harry Met Sally... now? Here’s everything to know about the stars’ lives more than three decades after the iconic film premiered.

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Billy Crystal as Harry Burns

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Billy Crystal as Harry Burns in 'When Harry Met Sally'; Billy Crystal attends the Los Angeles premiere of 'Untogether' at Frida Restaurant on Feb. 8, 2019, in Sherman Oaks, Calif

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+. In 2024, he played a widowed child psychologist on the Apple TV+ series Before.

After news of Reiner's death broke, Crystal released a statement with a group of the acclaimed director's other collaborators and friends, including Larry David and Martin Short. The message spoke not only of Reiner's career accomplishments but also of what he meant to those who loved him.

"Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens," the statement read. "They were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever."

It concluded, "There is a line from one of Rob’s favorite films, It’s a Wonderful Life, ‘Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’ You have no idea.”

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Meg Ryan as Sally Albright

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Meg Ryan as Sally Albright in 'When Harry Met Sally'; Meg Ryan at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Nov. 12, 2018, in New York City when the Friar's Club honored Billy Crystal with their Entertainment Icon Award

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 costar and What Happens Later. "We’re very lucky.”

Following Reiner's 2025 death, the actress shared a throwback photo on Instagram of herself dancing with the director.

"Oh how we will miss this man…," Ryan captioned the image. "Thank you, Rob and Michelle, for the way you believe in true love, in fairy tales, and in laughter. Thank you for your faith in the best in people, and for your profound love of our country."

03 of 05

Carrie Fisher as Marie

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Carrie Fisher as Marie in 'When Harry Met Sally'; Carrie Fisher at Barnes & Noble signing copies of her book 'The Princess Diarist' on Nov. 28, 2016

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."

04 of 05

Bruno Kirby as Jess

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Bruno Kirby as Jess in 'When Harry Met Sally'; Bruno Kirby at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, Calif

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.

05 of 05

Steven Ford as Joe

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Steven Ford as Joe in 'When Harry Met Sally'; Steven Ford reads from the Bible during the funeral service of former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford at Grace Episcopal Church on Jan. 3, 2007, in East Grand Rapids, Mich

As Joe, Steven Ford played Harry’s neighbor whom 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).

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