Meryl Streep (born Mary Louise Streep; June 22, 1949) is an American actress who has worked in theater, television, and film. She is widely regarded as one of the most talented actors of all time.

 

Streep made her professional stage debut in The Playboy of Seville (1971), before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season (1977). In that same year, she made her film debut with Julia (1977). Both critical and commercial success came quickly with roles in The Deer Hunter (1978) and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), the former giving Streep her first Academy Award nomination and the latter her first win. She later won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in Sophie's Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011).

 

Streep has received 17 Academy Award nominations, winning three, and 26 Golden Globe nominations, winning eight, more nominations than any other actor in the history of either award. Her work has also earned her two Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Cannes Film Festival award, five New York Film Critics Circle Awards, two BAFTA awards, an Australian Film Institute Award, five Grammy Award nominations, and a Tony Award nomination, amongst others. She was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2004 and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2011 for her contribution to American culture through performing arts, the youngest actor in each award's history. President Barack Obama awarded her 2010 National Medal of Arts.

 

Early life and education

Streep was born in Summit, New Jersey. Her mother, Mary Wolf (née Wilkinson; 1915–2001), was a commercial artist and former art editor, and her father, Harry William Streep, Jr. (1910–2003), was a pharmaceutical executive.She has two brothers, Dana David and Harry William III.Her patrilineal ancestry originates in Loffenau, Germany, from where her second great-grandfather, Gottfried Streep, emigrated to the United States, and where one of her ancestors served as mayor. Another line of her father's family was from Giswil in the canton of Obwalden, a small town in Switzerland. Her maternal ancestors lived in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, and were descended from 17th century immigrants from England.Her eighth great-grandfather, Lawrence Wilkinson, was one of the first Europeans to settle Rhode Island. Streep is also a distant relative of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, and records show that her family is among the first purchasers of land in the state.

 

She was raised a Presbyterian, and grew up in Bernardsville, New Jersey, where she attended Bernards High School.She had many school friends who were Catholic, and regularly attended Mass because she loved its rituals.She received her B.A., in Drama, at Vassar College in 1971 (where she briefly received instruction from actress Jean Arthur), but also enrolled as an exchange student at Dartmouth College for a quarter before it became coeducational. She subsequently earned an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama. While at Yale, she played a variety of roles onstage,from the glamorous Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream to an eighty-year-old woman in a wheelchair in a comedy written by then-unknown playwrights Christopher Durang and Albert Innaurato.

 

Personal life

Streep lived with actor John Cazale for three years until his death in March 1978.Streep married sculptor Don Gummer on September 30, 1978.They have four children: Henry Wolfe Gummer (born November 13, 1979), Mary Willa "Mamie" Gummer (born August 3, 1983), Grace Jane Gummer (born May 9, 1986), and Louisa Jacobson Gummer (born June 12, 1991). Both Mamie and Grace are actresses.Henry is a musician who performs under the name Henry Wolfe.

 

When asked if religion plays a part in her life, in an interview in 2009, Streep replied, "I follow no doctrine. I don't belong to a church or a temple or a synagogue or an ashram."She also said "I've always been really, deeply interested in faith, because I think I can understand the solace that's available in the whole construct of religion." Streep does not rule out the possibility that God exists; “I do have a sense of trying to make things better. Where does that come from?

 

Accents and dialects

Streep is well known for her ability to imitate foreign and domestic accents,from Danish in Out of Africa (1985); to British RP in Plenty (also 1985), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) and The Iron Lady (2011); and from Italian in The Bridges of Madison County (1995); to a Minnesota accent in A Prairie Home Companion (2006). In A Cry in the Dark (1988), critics were impressed with Streep's ability to master an Australian accent with shades of New Zealand English.For her role in the film Sophie's Choice (1982), she spoke in a Polish accent, and took language courses as the role required her to speak both German and Polish fluently in key scenes. In The Iron Lady, she reproduced the vocal style of Margaret Thatcher, from the time before she became Britain's Prime Minister, and after she had taken elocution lessons to change her pitch, pronunciation and delivery. Despite the accolades accorded to her, Streep has emphasised that adopting accents is an element she simply considers an obvious part of creating a character. When asked whether accents helped her get into character, she responded, "I'm always baffled by this question... How could I play that part and talk like me?" When questioned as to how she reproduces different accents, Streep replied, "I listen."

 

Music

After Streep appeared in Mamma Mia!, her rendition of the song "Mamma Mia" rose to popularity in the Portuguese music charts, where it peaked at #8 in October 2008.

 

At the 35th People's Choice Awards, her version of Mamma Mia won an award for "Favorite Song From A Soundtrack". In 2008, Streep was nominated for a Grammy Award (her fifth nomination) for her work on the Mamma Mia! soundtrack.

 

Philanthropy

Streep is the spokesperson for the National Women's History Museum, to which she has donated a significant amount of money (including her fee for The Iron Lady) and hosted numerous events.

 

On October 4, 2012, Streep donated $1 million dollars to The Public Theater in honor of both its late founder, Joseph Papp, and her friend, the author Nora Ephron.

 

Awards and nominations

Streep has been recognized with multiple awards and nominations for her work in film, television, and music. She holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations of any actor, having been nominated 17 times since her first nomination in 1979 for her performance in The Deer Hunter (fourteen for Best Actress and three for Best Supporting Actress) – five more than both Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson, who are tied in second place. With her third Oscar win for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady (2011) in 2012, Streep became the fifth performer to receive three Academy Awards: Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan all earned three, while Hepburn won four.

 

In 2009, Streep became the most-nominated performer in Golden Globe Awards history when her double lead actress nods for Doubt (2008) and Mamma Mia! (2008) gave her 23 in total, breaking the tie with Jack Lemmon, who had received 22 lead nominations before his death in 2001.The following year, Streep surpassed Jack Nicholson and Angela Lansbury, with six Golden Globe awards wins each, after receiving her seventh Globe for her performance as Julia Child in Julie & Julia (2009).In 2012, she broke her own record when she garnered her 26th nomination and overall eighth win for The Iron Lady at the 69th Golden Globe Awards.

 

Streep holds the BAFTA record for most nominations at 14 in total. She received her second Best Actress award for The Iron Lady at the 65th ceremony in February 2012, following her first win in 1981 for her performance in Sophie's Choice (1981).

 

In 1983, Yale University, from which Streep graduated in 1975, awarded her an honorary degree, a Doctorate of Fine Arts.The first university to award her an honorary degree was Dartmouth College, where she spent time as a transfer student in 1970, in 1981. In 1998, Women in Film awarded Streep with the Crystal Award, an honor for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. The same year, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1999, she was awarded a George Eastman Award, given by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.

 

In 2003, Streep was awarded an honorary César Award by the French Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma. In 2004, at the Moscow International Film Festival, she was honored with the Stanislavsky Award for the outstanding achievement in the career of acting and devotion to the principles of Stanislavsky's school. Also in 2004, she received the AFI Life Achievement Award. In 2008, Streep was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.In 2009, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts by Princeton University.In 2010, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree by Harvard University.On December 4, 2011, Streep, along with Neil Diamond, Yo-Yo Ma, Sonny Rollins, and Barbara Cook, received the 2011 Kennedy Center Honor. On February 14, 2012, she received the Honorary Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.

 

Selected filmography

year	film	role	Notes
1978	The Deer Hunter	Linda	American Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
1979	Manhattan	Jill	Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1979	Kramer vs. Kramer	Joanna Kramer	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress (and also The Seduction of Joe Tynan) Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1981	The French Lieutenant's Woman	Sarah/Anna	BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress
1982	Sophie's Choice	Sophie Zawistowski	Academy Award for Best Actress Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
1983	Silkwood	Karen Silkwood	Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1984	Falling in Love	Molly Gilmore	David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress (Migliore Attrice Straniero)
1985	Out of Africa	Karen Blixen	David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress (Migliore Attrice Straniero) Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1986	Heartburn	Rachel Samstat	Valladolid International Film Festival for Best Actress
1987	Ironweed	Helen Archer	Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress
1988	A Cry in the Dark	Lindy Chamberlain	Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Best Actress Award (Cannes Film Festival) Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1989	She-Devil	Mary Fisher	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1990	Postcards from the Edge	Suzanne Vale	American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1992	Death Becomes Her	Madeline Ashton	Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1994	The River Wild	Gail	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
1995	The Bridges of Madison County	Francesca Johnson	Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
1996	Marvin's Room	Lee	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated - Chlotrudis Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1997	...First Do No Harm	Lori Reimuller	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1998	One True Thing	Kate Gulden	Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
1998	Dancing at Lughnasa	Kate Mundy	Nominated - Irish Film and Television Awardsfor Best Actor in a Female Role
1999	Music of the Heart	Roberta Guaspari	Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2002	Adaptation.	Susan Orlean	Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Silver Bear for Best Actress Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Nominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2002	The Hours	Clarissa Vaughan	Silver Bear for Best Actress in Berlin International Film Festival (with Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman) Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated - Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated - Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2003	Angels in America	Ethel Rosenberg The Rabbi Hannah Pitt Angel Australia	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Lead in a Drama Special Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2004	The Manchurian Candidate	Eleanor Shaw	Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
2006	The Devil Wears Prada	Miranda Priestly	Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Chemistry Nominated - Teen Choice Awards for Choice Sleazebag Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Villain Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2008	Mamma Mia!	Donna	Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year
2008	Doubt	Sister Aloysius Beauvier	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2009	Julie & Julia	Julia Child	Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2009	It's Complicated	Jane Adler	Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2011	The Iron Lady	Margaret Thatcher	Academy Award for Best Actress AACTA International Award for Best Actress BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress New York Film Critics Online Award for Best Actress London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated - Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actres Nominated - Iowa Film Critics Awards for Best Actress Nominated - Irish Film & Television Award for Best International Actress Nominated - National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress Nominated - Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Nominated - Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Nominated - St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Nominated - Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2012	Hope Springs	Kay Soames