Considered by many movie reviewers to be the greatest living film actress, Meryl Streep has been nominated for the Academy Award an astonishing 14 times, and has won it twice. Born Mary Louise Streep in 1949 in Summit, New Jersey, Meryl's early performing ambitions leaned toward the opera. She became interested in acting while a student at Vassar and upon graduation she enrolled in the Yale School of Drama. She gave an outstanding performance in her first film role, Julia, and the next year she was nominated for her first Oscar for her role in The Deer Hunter. She went on to win the Academy Award for her performances in Kramer vs. Kramer and Sophie's Choice, in which she gave a heart-wrenching portrayal of an inmate mother in a Nazi death camp.

A perfectionist in her craft and meticulous and painstaking in her preparation for her roles, Meryl turned out a string of highly acclaimed performances over the next 10 years in great films like Silkwood; Out of Africa; Ironweed; and A Cry in the Dark. Her career declined slightly in the early 1990s as a result of her inability to find suitable parts, but she shot back to the top in 1995 with her performance as Clint Eastwood's married lover in The Bridges of Madison County and as the prodigal daughter in Marvin's Room. In 1998 she made her first venture into the area of producing, and was the executive producer for the moving ...First Do No Harm. A realist when she talks about her future years in film, she remarked that "...no matter what happens, my work will stand..."



It's Complicated (2009): $7,000,000 - $8,000,000
Julie & Julia (2009): $5,000,000 + first-dollar gross %
Rendition (2007): $1,000,000
The Devil Wears Prada (2006): $5,000,000
The River Wild (1994): $5,000,000
Death Becomes Her (1992): $3,000,000
Out of Africa (1985): $3,000,000
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979): $85,000
The Deer Hunter (1978): $35,000

Named Best Modern Actress in an Entertainment Weekly on-line poll, substantially beating out runner-up Michelle Pfeiffer. [September 1999] Has a fear of helicopters. Ranked #24 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Graduated from Vassar College in 1971. Graduated from Bernards High School. Was a cheerleader and homecoming queen in high school. Replaced Madonna for the lead in Music of the Heart (1999). Sister-in-law of Maeve Kinkead. Born at 8:05 a.m. EDT. Has a deviated septum, which she refuses to have fixed. Directors work around it by avoiding straight-on close-ups. Measurements: 34B-26-36 (from film SFX torso mold done in 1982) (source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine). Was originally supposed to play the role of Iris Hineman is the film Minority Report (2002), but had to back out. She was replaced by Lois Smith. Presented Paul McCartney with the 1990 Grammy Lifetime Achievement award. Attended The Beatles concert at Shea Stadium in 1965 with an "I love Paul" sign, which she mentioned when presenting the award to McCartney. Spent a year as a transfer student at Dartmouth College where she participated in theater. Sigourney Weaver was a fellow classmate at Yale Drama School. Diane Keaton calls her "my generation's genius." She was voted the 37th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. According to Katharine Hepburn's official biographer A. Scott Berg, Meryl Streep was her least favorite modern actress on screen: "Click, click, click," she said, referring to the wheels turning inside Streep's head. Christine Estabrook was a fellow classmate at Yale Drama School. Mentioned by first name only (with two-time co-star Jack Nicholson) in Michael Crichton's 2004 novel "State of Fear.". Premiere Magazine ranked her as #46 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature (2005). Acting career began on the stage. Received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Middlebury College during her nephew's graduation in 2004. Sold her New York City townhouse for $9.1 million in February 2006. She was forced to slash the asking price for the eight-bedroom Manhattan property from $12 million to secure a sale. Streep bought the house for $2.2 million in 1995, according to the New York Post. Was nominated 16 times for an acting Academy Award, more often than any other performer. Three of these nominations were for supporting part, and 13 times she was nominated for Best Actress (she is tied for most Best Actress nominations with Katharine Hepburn. Her performance as "Karen Silkwood" in Silkwood (1983) is ranked #71 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). Her father was a drug company exec; her mother, an artist-turned-housewife who kept an art studio behind the house. Her father loved to play the piano and her mother to sing. Meryl was given singing lessons at a young age. Her mother died in 2001 and her father in 2004. Friend of Jill Clayburgh. First met in their roles as mothers. The longest she has gone without an Oscar nomination is five years, between Postcards from the Edge (1990) and The Bridges of Madison County (1995). Was nominated for Best Actress in 1987 along with Cher. When Cher was announced, just before the cameras cut away from the other four actresses, Streep could be seen springing to her feet in delight and applauding for Cher. During her acceptance speech, Cher thanked Streep personally, as they had worked together on Cher's first film, Silkwood (1983). As the camera briefly cut away to Streep sitting in the audience, she blew Cher a kiss. Holds the record as the actor (both male and female) with the most Golden Globe wins, with seven wins. Jack Nicholson is the male actor with the most wins, a total of six. Has named her favorite actresses working today as Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Dame Helen Mirren, and Nicole Kidman. Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Nominated for a 2007 Drama Desk Award for her performance in "Mother Courage and Her Children" (Outstanding Actress in a Play). Her accumulation of 15 Oscar nominations (2 wins) was accomplished over a period of only 30 years. Bette Davis scored 10 nominations (2 wins) over 28 years (all leading roles). Katharine Hepburn garnered 12 nominations (4 wins) after a relatively lengthy 48 years (all leading roles). Elected to the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2007 for her services to arts and entertainment (inaugural election). Official induction ceremonies held in May 2008. 2007 - Ranked #6 on EW's The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood. Has said she is a great fan of actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Good friends with actor Jim Carrey. She is the role model of Emily Blunt , Anne Hathaway and Claire Danes. She was one of closest friends of late actress Natasha Richardson. Signs her grocery cheques with her real name - Mary Louise Gummer. She is Pierce Brosnan's very close friend. She gained as much as 15 pounds while filming the Julie & Julia (2009) movie. In the stage show of Fame, though other actors are mentioned in song lyrics, she is the only actress to have her name in a song title. The song is called "Think of Meryl Streep" and takes place after Carmen kisses Nick when he asks her how she relaxes, and Serena (who wants Nick for herself) sees them. Penélope Cruz adores her and Meryl is her role-model. Lives in Taconic, Connecticut. She presented leadership award to ex-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt on March 2010.