Open Your Inboxes and Get Ready To Learn All About the 'You’ve Got Mail' Cast

The hit romantic comedy You've Got Mail certainly was a classic; a love story for the digital age — well, the digital age insofar as late 1998 was concerned. With Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan leading the You've Got Mail cast, it captured viewers' hearts around the world and will undoubtedly capture yours, too.

The swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers tale follows local bookstore owner Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), who is just trying to make ends meet. Then, to make matters worse, her arch enemy — and bookstore chain owner — Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) moves in next door. Little does Kathleen know, though, that Joe is the man she has been secretly messaging online late at night. Now the two must figure out if they can cast their differences aside and open their hearts to love.

You've Got Mail was directed by Nora Ephron, earned $251 million at the box office and had an A-List cast that you'll be learning more about below.

Tom Hanks

CHARACTER PLAYED: Joe Fox

BORN: July 9, 1956 in Concord, California.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Bosom Buddies (1980 to 1982), Big (1988), A League of Their Own (1992), Sleepless in Seattle (1993) the Toy Story franchise (1995, 1999, 2010 and 2014), Saving Private Ryan (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 also have two children together.

THOUGHTS ON YOU'VE GOT MAIL: "So much about this is, really, this odd examination of the franchising of America. This concept of big chain stores coming into neighborhoods and changing the complexion of the neighborhoods, for both the good and the bad."

FUN FACT: Much like Greg Kinnear's character Frank, Hanks also collects typewriters.

Meg Ryan: You've Got Mail cast

CHARACTER PLAYED: Kathleen Kelly

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), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Kate & Leopold (2001) My Mom’s New Boyfriend (2008), and What Happens Later (2023).

PERSONAL: Ryan was married to Dennis Quaid from 1991 to 2001. They had one child together.

THOUGHTS ON YOU'VE GOT MAIL: One thing Ryan didn't have at the start of the movie? Email! The actress recalled, "They sent me a computer at the beginning of all this and I had never even turned on one... It's just so fun and I love email, I just love it, and I got turned on to it at the beginning of this movie."

FUN FACT: To prepare for her role, Ryan actually worked in a bookstore for a week.

Greg Kinnear

CHARACTER PLAYED: Frank Navasky

BORN: June 17, 1963, in Logansport, Indiana.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Sabrina (1995), As Good as It Gets (1997), Someone Like You (2001), Robots (2005), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Movie 43 (2013), Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), Shining Vale (2022 to 2023) and The Present (2024). 

PERSONAL: Kinnear has been married to Helen Labdon since 1999. They have three children together.

THOUGHTS ON YOU'VE GOT MAIL:  "The guy I was playing was a little bit of a nerd. And it was great fun to play, because he was definitely the guy that doesn't get the girl. I love Frank. He was a lovely character."

FUN FACT: Both Skinner and Steve Zahn appeared in the show Friends, which referenced You've Got Mail in the season 5 episode "The One With Chandler's Work Laugh," when Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) says, "Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, they get mail and stuff."

Parker Posey: You've Got Mail cast

CHARACTER PLAYED: Patricia Eden

BORN: November 8, 1968 in Baltimore, Maryland.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Dazed and Confused (1993), Scream 3 (2000), Blade: Trinity (2004), Superman Returns (2006), Highland Park (2013), Mascots (2016) and Thelma (2024).

PERSONAL: Posey suffers from Lyme disease.

FUN FACT: Posey was 30 years old during filming.

Jean Stapleton

CHARACTER PLAYED: Birdie Conrad

BORN: January 19, 1923 in New York City

DIED: May 31, 2013. She was 90 years old.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Bells Are Ringing (1960), Something Wild (1961), Up the Down Staircase (1967), Klute (1971), All in the Family (1971 to 1979), The Buddy System (1984), Michael (1996) and Pursuit of Happiness (2001).

PERSONAL: Stapleton was married to William Putch from 1957 until his death in 1983. They had two children together.

FUN FACT: The name Birdie Conrad is a reverse from the lead character in Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Conrad Birdie.

Steve Zahn: You've Got Mail cast

CHARACTER PLAYED: George Pappas

BORN: November 13, 1967 in Marshall, Minnesota.

BEST KNOWN FOR: Stuart Little (1999), Joy (2001), Sahara (2005), Rescue Dawn (2005), Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012), War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), Where'd You Go, Bernadette (2019), The White Lotus (2021) and Wildcat (2023). 

PERSONAL: Zahn has been married to Robyn Peterman since 1994. They have two children together.

THOUGHTS ON YOU'VE GOT MAIL: Want to know what Zahn's favorite scene is? Well, sadly, according to him they were all cut! "I had a love interest, a detective and all we did was have sex. We have this weird connection. So, my coworkers were baffled over how this introvert guy who worked at this bookstore just all of a sudden found love."

FUN FACT: Zahn and Hanks also worked on That Thing You Do! (1996) together. That film was Hank's directorial debut.

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