Mary Louise (Meryl) Streep is an American stage, film, television, and voice actress, as well as a film producer.
Place of Birth, Education
She was born on June 22, 1949, in Summit, New Jersey, United States (U.S.). Her father worked as a manager at a pharmaceutical company, and her mother, Mary Wolfe, was an artist.
In addition to Meryl, her family also included her two brothers, Dan and Harry. She spent her childhood in Bernardsville, New Jersey. There, she attended Bernards High School.
In 1971, the future actress earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from Vassar College. She also spent one semester studying at Dartmouth College as part of an exchange program. She later earned a Master of Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.
While studying at Yale, she acted in many local theater productions and took on a variety of roles — from Helena in Shakespeare’s *A Midsummer Night’s Dream* to an 80-year-old grandmother in a production of *The Idiot*, a play by Christopher Durang and Albert Innaurato.
In 2010, she became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. That same year, Harvard University awarded her an honorary doctorate in art history.
Career
1971 – 1980
Strip began her acting career in the theater. In 1971, she appeared in a production of Tirso de Molina’s play *The Seducer of Seville*.
She made her film debut in 1977, when Fred Zinnemann’s romantic drama *Julia* was released.
In 1978, Streep agreed to play Linda in Michael Cimino’s war drama *The Deer Hunter*. The film was a huge success: it was nominated for nine Oscars, winning five, including Best Picture. The actress herself was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, but lost to Maggie Smith that year.
In 1979, Streep starred in three films at once:
- Woody Allen’s romantic comedy “Manhattan”;
- Jerry Schatzberg’s political thriller *The Temptation of Joe Tynan*;
- Robert Benton’s social drama “Kramer vs. Kramer.”
All of the films were well received by audiences and critics. “Kramer vs. Kramer” received nine Oscar nominations and won in five categories, including “Best Picture.”
Streep won her first Oscar for her role as Joanna Kramer—a designer who went to court with her husband over custody of their 5-year-old child. She also won a Golden Globe for the same role.
1980 – 1990
After her success at the Oscars, the actress became highly sought-after in Hollywood and began receiving many new offers. One of her first roles in the 1980s was as Sarah Woodruff in Karel Reisz’s romantic drama *The French Lieutenant’s Woman*, based on the novel by John Fowles. Streep’s co-star in the film was Jeremy Irons, who was still a novice actor at the time.
This role earned Meryl Streep her first BAFTA Award, her second Golden Globe, and her third Oscar nomination.
In 1982, Alan Pakula’s drama *Sophie’s Choice*—a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by William Styron—was released. In the film, Streep played Sophie Zawistowski, a Polish woman who survived the Nazi occupation and subsequently emigrated to the United States.For this role, the actress won her second Oscar and her third Golden Globe.
In 1985, she played the Danish baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke in Sidney Pollack’s drama *Out of Africa*. The film was a box-office success and won numerous awards, including seven Oscars and three Golden Globes.
In 1988, Fred Schepisi’s drama *A Cry in the Dark* earned the actress new Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. For this role, Streep also received the only Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actress of her career.
1990 – 2000
The first half of the 1990s was not the most successful period of Streep’s career. Although she was nominated for a Golden Globe for the comedy *The Devil Wears Prada*, which flopped, she went on to star in a string of unsuccessful projects.
During this period, Streep starred in the 1991 film *Defending Your Life*, *Death Becomes Her* (1992), *The House of the Spirits* (1993), and *Wild at Heart* (1994). Critics gave the films a lukewarm reception. The only successful project among them was Clint Eastwood’s drama *The Bridges of Madison County*, in which Streep played the Italian woman Francesca Johnson.
2000 – 2010
In 2001, the actress began working on the role of journalist Susan Orleans in Spike Jonze’s tragicomedy *Adaptation*. This role earned her her fourth Golden Globe, as well as Oscar and BAFTA nominations.
In 2002, she starred in Stephen Daldry’s drama *The Clock*. Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore also starred in the film alongside her.
In 2006, the actress played the role of Miranda Priestly—the domineering editor-in-chief of *Runway* magazine—in David Frankel’s comedy *The Devil Wears Prada*. The film grossed more than $300 million at the box office. It was also well received by film critics, who singled out Streep’s performance.
In 2008, director Phyllida Lloyd began preparations for the film adaptation of the musical “Mamma Mia!” and cast Streep in the lead role. The film grossed $609 million at the global box office, although critical reception was mixed.
In the film, the actress sang several times. After the film’s release, she even put out a music album that was nominated for a Grammy.
2010 – 2020
In 2011, the actress worked with Lloyd again—this time in the biographical drama *The Iron Lady*. In the film, she played British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Despite criticism from Thatcher’s former colleagues and supporters, critics highly praised the actress’s performance.
On December 15, 2011, Streep was named among the nominees for the 69th Golden Globe Awards. She also won her second BAFTA Award for this role. In addition, the actress was nominated for an Oscar—her 17th nomination.
On February 26, 2012, Streep won her third Oscar. Prior to that, on February 14, she received the Berlin International Film Festival’s honorary award, the Golden Bear.
In February 2016, the actress served as jury president at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. Her only film role that year was in the biographical tragicomedy *Florence Foster Jenkins*. In the film, she played an opera singer who had neither a musical ear nor a strong voice, but dreamed of performing at Carnegie Hall. For this role, the actress was nominated for a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and an Oscar—marking her 20th award nomination.
In 2018, Streep reprised her role in the musical sequel *Mamma Mia! 2*. That same year, she appeared in a supporting role in Rob Marshall’s film *Mary Poppins Returns*, in which Emily Blunt played the lead role.
In 2019, she landed her first leading role in a television series. She appeared in the second season of the HBO drama “Big Little Lies,” where she played Mary Louise Wright—the mother-in-law of Nicole Kidman’s character. For this role, the actress was nominated for an Emmy.
That same year, Streep appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s biographical comedy *The Laundromat*, which was based on the Panama Papers. She starred in the film alongside Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas.
Also in 2019, the actress played the role of Aunt March in Greta Gerwig’s film *Little Women*.
2020 – present
In 2021, Streep starred in Adam McKay’s film *Don’t Look Up*, which was released on Netflix. Her co-stars in the film were Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence.
In 2023, the actress joined the third season of the Hulu comedy series *Murder in One Building*. She played Loretta Durkin, an actress going through a difficult period. For this role, Streep was nominated for a Golden Globe and also won a Critics’ Choice Award.
In 2025, it was announced that Meryl Streep would once again play Miranda Priestly in the sequel, *The Devil Wears Prada 2*.
Awards
Meryl Streep has won 3 Oscars and received 21 nominations for her acting performances—more than any other actor or actress in film history. She is also the recipient of Emmy and Satellite Awards, two BAFTA Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and nine Golden Globes. In total, she has been nominated for a Golden Globe 30 times, which is a record in the award’s history.
In addition, Streep has received an honorary César Award and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is also a winner at two of the world’s leading film festivals—Cannes in 1989 and Berlin in 2003.
Marital Status
Strip had been engaged to actor John Casale since 1976. Their relationship lasted until March 1978, when Casale died of lung cancer.
That same year, Streep married sculptor Don Hammer. They had four children together: Henry “Hank” Wolfe Hammer on November 13, 1979, Memi Hammer on August 3, 1983, Grace Jane Hammer on May 9, 1986, and Louise Jacobson Hammer on June 12, 1991.
In October 2023, Streep and Don Hammer announced that they had separated after 45 years of marriage. By that point, they had not been living together for more than six years.
