Meryl Streep Mary Louise Streep was born in 1949 and grew up in Bernardsville, New Jersey. Her father was a pharmaceutical executive who also enjoyed playing the piano. Her mother was an artist turned housewife who kept an art studio in their home. At the age of three she began singing lessons out of the home and by the age of 12 she had begun training as an opera singer. Meryl attended and graduated from Bernards High School where she was a cheerleader and prom queen. After high school, Meryl attended Vassar College earning her A.B. in Drama. She then attended the Yale School of Drama earning her M.F.A. One of her drama classmates was actress Sigourney Weaver. The two performed a play together called The Frogs in which they acted in a swimming pool on stage. Meryl also spent one year as a transfer student at Dartmouth College studying theatre. Meryl’s first two films were Julia(1977) and The Deer Hunter (1978). Meryl became engaged to her co-star in The Deer Hunter, John Cazale, who died of bone cancer in March of 1978. Meryl also won her first Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for her role. In September of 1978, Meryl married the sculptor, Don Gummer. The couple has remained married to this day and has four children together. Their first son Henry Gummer was born in 1979 and has become an actor, filmmaker, and co-founder of a rock band. He attended Dartmouth College. Their first daughter, Mamie Gummer was born in 1983 and has become an off-Broadway actress. They have two other daughters, Grace born in 1986, and Louisa born in 1991.
Streep’s first Academy Award win was in 1979 for her role in Kramer vs. Kramer, co-starring Dustin Hoffman and Jane Alexander. She then won her second Academy Award for Sophie’s Choice (1982) opposite Kevin Kline. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s Meryl’s career continued to climb with the whole hearted support of the critics. Her name was on many “Best Actress” lists and in 1990, after receiving six People’s Choice Awards between 1984 and 1990, she was named the World Favorite Motion Picture Actress. C. Virginia Fields, the Manhattan Burroughs President also named May 27 as “Meryl Streep Day.” In 1998 she earned her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2001, Streep returned to the stage, after a 20 year absence, to perform in The Seagull, playing the part of Arkadina. The all-star cast included Natalie Portman, Kevin Kline, John Goodman, Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Marcia Gay Harden. The play was directed by Mike Nichols, whom Streep has worked with on several films in the past. Some of Streep’s most recent films include The Devil Wears Prada (2006), co-starring Anne Hathaway, Prime (2005), co-starring Uma Thurman, and A Prairie Home Companion (2006), co-starring Lindsay Lohan. She has also lent her voice in guest appearances on The Simpsons and King of the Hill; Streep is well known for her ability to master any type of voice.
Today, Streep holds the record for most Academy Award nominations at 13, beating out her rival, Katharine Hepburn who received 12, and her friend Bette Davis who received 11. Meryl’s thirteenth nomination was for Adaptation (2000) opposite Nicolas Cage. She is also the second most nominated actor for a Golden Globe Award with 20 nominations. She was beat out only by Jack Lemmon, who has 22. Streep is also a supporter of women’s rights and co-hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 2001 with Liam Neeson. She is a supporter of the Democratic Party and was named as an Officer of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2000. |
