Streep, Meryl << MAIR uhl >> (1949-…), is an American actress. She became known for her sensitive portrayals of a wide variety of characters. She also won recognition for her great technical skill, especially in imitating regional and foreign accents. Streep has won many awards for her acting. For example, she won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in the motion picture Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). She also won Academy Awards for best actress for her roles in Sophie’s Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011). In The Iron Lady, she played the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Additionally, Streep has won a number of Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. In 2011, she became a Kennedy Center honoree.
Streep was born in Summit, New Jersey, on June 22, 1949. Her given and family name is Mary Louise Streep. She studied acting at Vassar College and at the Yale School of Drama. Streep won immediate recognition after her stage debut in New York City in 1975. She made her movie debut in Julia (1977). She had her first major success as a film actress in The Deer Hunter (1978).
Streep’s other films include Manhattan and The Seduction of Joe Tynan (both 1979); The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981); Silkwood (1983); Out of Africa (1985); Ironweed (1987); A Cry in the Dark (1988); Postcards from the Edge (1990); Death Becomes Her (1992); The River Wild (1994); The Bridges of Madison County (1995); One True Thing (1998); and Music of the Heart (1999). Her later films include Adaptation and The Hours (both 2002); The Manchurian Candidate and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (both 2004); Prime (2005); A Prairie Home Companion and The Devil Wears Prada (both 2006); Lions for Lambs and Dark Matter (both 2007); Mamma Mia! and Doubt (both 2008); Julie & Julia and It’s Complicated (both 2009); Hope Springs (2012); August: Osage County (2013); The Giver and Into the Woods (both 2014); Ricki and the Flash and Suffragette (both 2015); Florence Foster Jenkins (2016); and Don’t Look Up (2021). Streep also voiced the character Mrs. Fox in the animated feature Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), based on a book by British author Roald Dahl.
Streep’s notable television appearances include roles in the miniseries Holocaust (1978) and Angels in America (2003). She narrated the miniseries Five Came Back (2017). Streep also appeared on the TV series “Big Little Lies” (2017-2019) and “Only Murders in the Building,” which began in 2021.
