Meryl Streep

Early Life

Mary Louise Streep was born on 22 June 1949 in Summit, New Jersey, the daughter of Mary Wilkinson Streep, a commercial artist, and Harry William Streep Jr., a pharmaceutical executive. She grew up in New Jersey and first became interested in acting while at Vassar College, where she appeared in the play Miss Julie in 1969. She graduated from Vassar with a bachelor's degree in drama cum laude in 1971 and then studied at the Yale School of Drama, earning a Master of Fine Arts in 1975.

Education

Streep earned a Bachelor of Arts in drama, cum laude, from Vassar College in 1971, and a Master of Fine Arts in drama from the Yale School of Drama in 1975. She also spent a term as a visiting student at Dartmouth College in 1970.

Career

Streep began her professional stage career in 1975 in Trelawny of the Wells and earned a Tony Award nomination the following year for 27 Wagons Full of Cotton. She made her film debut in Julia (1977) and won an Emmy for the television miniseries Holocaust (1978). Her first Academy Award nomination came for The Deer Hunter (1978), and she won her first Oscar, for Best Supporting Actress, for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). She won Best Actress Oscars for Sophie's Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011), in which she played Margaret Thatcher. Her long filmography includes Out of Africa (1985), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Doubt (2008), Mamma Mia! (2008), Julie & Julia (2009) and Little Women (2019). On television she starred in Angels in America (2003), Big Little Lies (2019) and Only Murders in the Building (from 2023). She has received a record 21 Academy Award nominations, more than any other actor, and has won three.

Achievements

Streep has won three Academy Awards from a record 21 nominations: Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Best Actress for Sophie's Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011). She has won eight Golden Globe Awards and three Primetime Emmy Awards, for Holocaust (1978), Angels in America (2004) and Five Came Back (2017, Outstanding Narrator), as well as two BAFTA Awards. She received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2004, the Kennedy Center Honor in 2011, the National Medal of Arts in 2010 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honour, in 2014.

• Won three Academy Awards from a record 21 nominations, more than any other actor: Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Best Actress for Sophie's Choice (1982) and Best Actress for The Iron Lady (2011)
• Won eight Golden Globe Awards
• Won three Primetime Emmy Awards, for Holocaust (1978), Angels in America (2004) and Five Came Back (2017)
• Won two BAFTA Awards
• Received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2004
• Received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2011
• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014, the United States' highest civilian honour
• Awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2010

Legacy

Streep is widely regarded as one of the finest actors of her generation, noted for her versatility, her command of accents and dialects, and the range of characters she has played across five decades. Her record 21 Academy Award nominations stand as a measure of sustained recognition no other actor has matched. Her career has also been noted for its longevity: she has remained a leading film actor from the late 1970s into the 2020s, working across stage, film and television.

Contributions

Streep's contribution to acting is a standard of versatility and technical command: she has played characters of many nationalities, classes and eras, often mastering new accents for each role, and has sustained a leading career across stage, film and television for five decades. Her 21 Academy Award nominations are the most received by any actor.

Notable Works

• Julia (1977)
• The Deer Hunter (1978)
• Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
• Sophie's Choice (1982)
• Out of Africa (1985)
• The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
• Doubt (2008)
• Mamma Mia! (2008)
• The Iron Lady (2011)
• Angels in America (2003, television)
• Big Little Lies (2019, television)

Milestones

• 1971 — Graduated from Vassar College with a bachelor's degree in drama, cum laude Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 1975 — Earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama and made her professional stage debut in Trelawny of the Wells Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 1977 — Made her film debut in Julia Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 1978 — Won a Primetime Emmy Award for the miniseries Holocaust and received her first Academy Award nomination, for The Deer Hunter Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; CNN
• 1980 — Won her first Academy Award, Best Supporting Actress, for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979 film) Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; CNN
• 1983 — Won her second Academy Award, Best Actress, for Sophie's Choice (1982 film) Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; CNN
• 1985 — Starred in Out of Africa, one of her best-known films Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2004 — Received the AFI Life Achievement Award Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 2006 — Starred as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, earning another Academy Award nomination Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2011 — Received the Kennedy Center Honor Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 2012 — Won her third Academy Award, Best Actress, for The Iron Lady (2011 film), playing Margaret Thatcher Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; CNN
• 2014 — Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 2019 — Joined the television series Big Little Lies Source: Wikipedia
• 2023 — Joined the television series Only Murders in the Building Source: Wikipedia

Timeline

1. 22 June 1949

   Born Mary Louise Streep in Summit, New Jersey, United States

   Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
2. 1971

   Graduated from Vassar College with a bachelor's degree in drama, cum laude

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
3. 1975

   Earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama; made her professional stage debut in Trelawny of the Wells

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
4. 1977

   Made her film debut in Julia

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
5. 1978

   Won a Primetime Emmy Award for Holocaust; received her first Academy Award nomination for The Deer Hunter

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; CNN
6. 1980

   Won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; CNN
7. 1983

   Won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Sophie's Choice

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; CNN
8. 2004

   Received the AFI Life Achievement Award

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
9. 2011

   Received the Kennedy Center Honor

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
10. 2012

    Won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Iron Lady

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; CNN
11. 2014

    Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
12. 2019

    Joined the television series Big Little Lies

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia

Related Personalities

• Leonardo DiCaprio Actor · b. 1974
• Shah Rukh Khan Actor · b. 1965

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

1. Meryl Streep — Encyclopaedia Britannica — Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed 12 November 2026)
2. Meryl Streep — Wikipedia (cross-check) — Wikipedia (accessed 12 November 2026)
3. Meryl Streep Fast Facts — CNN — CNN (accessed 12 November 2026)
4. File:Meryl Streep December 2018.jpg — Wikimedia Commons (portrait file page) — Wikimedia Commons (accessed 12 November 2026)

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