Meryl Streep Bio
Mary Louise “Meryl” Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress widely regarded as one of the most accomplished performers of her generation. Known for her range and her gift for accents, she has built a career spanning more than five decades across film, television, and stage. Her accolades include three Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, eight Golden Globe Awards, four Emmy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, along with nominations for seven Grammy Awards and a Tony Award.
Streep first gained attention with her feature film debut in Julia (1977) and her early roles in The Deer Hunter (1978) and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). She went on to headline major films such as Sophie’s Choice (1982), Out of Africa (1985), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Mamma Mia! (2008), and The Iron Lady (2011). A 21-time Academy Award nominee, she has received three Academy Award wins and remains the most nominated performer in Academy history.
Early Life and Background
Mary Louise Streep was born on June 22, 1949, in Summit, New Jersey, to artist Mary Wilkinson Streep and pharmaceutical executive Harry William Streep Jr. She has two younger brothers, Harry William Streep III and Dana David Streep, both of whom became actors. Her mother strongly encouraged her artistic interests and instilled confidence in her from a young age, a support Streep has credited throughout her life. Raised as a Presbyterian in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, she attended Cedar Hill Elementary School, the Oak Street School, and later Bernards High School in Bernardsville, where she was a cheerleader and senior homecoming queen.
As a child, Streep was drawn to performance. At age 12, she was selected to sing at a school recital and began opera lessons with Estelle Liebling, though she quit after four years, later describing the experience as a lesson in only performing material she could genuinely feel. She appeared in numerous school plays but did not take theater seriously until her time at Vassar College, where she earned her AB in drama cum laude in 1971. She then enrolled at the Yale School of Drama, completing her Master of Fine Arts in drama in 1975 while appearing in more than a dozen stage productions each year. At Yale, she studied with choreographer Carmen de Lavallade and Robert Lewis, a co-founder of the Actors Studio.
Path to Acting
Streep made her stage debut in 1975 in Trelawny of the Wells and the following year earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for the double-bill 27 Wagons Full of Cotton and A Memory of Two Mondays. She gained early television recognition for her performance in the miniseries Holocaust (1978), winning an Emmy Award, and made her feature film debut in Julia (1977). Soon after, her supporting turn in The Deer Hunter (1978) and her first leading film role in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) established her as a major screen presence.
Her transition to leading film roles was swift. The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981) earned her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Sophie’s Choice (1982) brought her the Academy Award for Best Actress. These performances, paired with rigorous classical training at Vassar and Yale, helped define her reputation as a deeply prepared and versatile performer.
Meryl Streep Career
Early Career (1975-1980)
After completing her MFA at Yale in 1975, Streep moved into professional stage and screen work with remarkable speed. Her Broadway debut in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton and A Memory of Two Mondays led to a Tony Award nomination in 1976, and her subsequent work on the miniseries Holocaust (1978) earned her first Emmy Award. She soon began working on film, debuting in Julia (1977) before playing a small but memorable role in The Deer Hunter (1978) opposite Robert De Niro.
By 1979, Streep was a leading Hollywood presence. Her supporting performance in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) brought her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe Award. She was featured on the cover of Newsweek with the headline “A Star for the 80s,” signaling her arrival as a defining performer of the decade.
Breakthrough (1981-1989)
Streep’s first leading role came with The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), a story-within-a-story drama in which she starred alongside Jeremy Irons. Her performance earned her the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The following year, she starred in Sophie’s Choice (1982), portraying a Polish survivor of Auschwitz caught in a love triangle. The role required her to speak English, German, and Polish with a Polish accent, and her performance drew widespread acclaim. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role, and her portrayal has been repeatedly cited among the greatest in film history.
She continued to expand her range with Silkwood (1983), Plenty (1985), and Out of Africa (1985), the latter earning her another Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and helping establish her as a global superstar. She also starred alongside Jack Nicholson in Heartburn (1986) and Ironweed (1987), and won the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Evil Angels (1988), also known as A Cry in the Dark.
Notable Works and Milestones
Signature works from this period include Sophie’s Choice, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Silkwood, Plenty, Out of Africa, Ironweed, and Evil Angels. Her award wins during the 1980s include the Academy Award for Best Actress, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival. She also continued to hone her reputation for accent work, mastering Polish, Danish, British, Italian, Australian, and Bronx dialects across her performances.
Meryl Streep Award Nominations
Across her career, Meryl Streep has earned a record 21 Academy Award nominations, including 17 for Best Actress and four for Best Supporting Actress. She has received two BAFTA Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role, nine Golden Globe Awards, four Emmy Awards, and seven Grammy Award nominations. Streep is among the few performers nominated for the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT, with one Tony Award nomination rounding out her major acting-category nods.
Meryl Streep Awards Won
Streep has won three Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), and Best Actress for Sophie’s Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011). She has also received two BAFTA Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role, eight Golden Globe Awards, four Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival for Evil Angels. Her honorary recognitions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Honorary Palme d’Or.
| Award | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Kramer vs. Kramer) | 1 | 1980 |
| Academy Award for Best Actress (Sophie’s Choice) | 1 | 1983 |
| Academy Award for Best Actress (The Iron Lady) | 1 | 2012 |
Meryl Streep Family
Streep married sculptor Don Gummer in 1978, six months after the death of her partner, actor John Cazale. Together they have four children: musician Henry Wolfe Gummer (born 1979), and actresses Mary Willa “Mamie” Gummer (born 1983), Grace Jane Gummer (born 1986), and Louisa Jacobson Gummer (born 1991). The family has lived in Connecticut and Los Angeles at various points in their lives. Streep is also the godmother of actress Billie Lourd, daughter of her late close friend Carrie Fisher.
Personal Life
Despite decades of fame, Streep has maintained a notably private personal life. She was in a relationship with actor John Cazale in the mid-1970s and cared for him during his lung cancer illness until his death in March 1978. Streep and Gummer were publicly last seen together at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018, and in 2023 it was reported they had been separated for more than six years. She is based in Los Angeles, California.
