Mary Louise Streep, born in 1949, is an American actress who has appeared in theater, television productions, and cinematic masterpieces. Streep has been awarded the Academy Award twice and holds the title of being the most-nominated actor in Oscar history with 13 nominations. She is widely regarded as one of the most talented actresses of all time.

Meryl Streep was born on June 22, 1949, in New Jersey, United States. Her father, Harry Streep, was a pharmaceutical company executive, while her mother, Mary Streep, was an advertising model of Swedish, Irish, and English descent. Streep has stated that her father’s roots also trace back to the Netherlands, and that her family’s original surname, Messerschnitz, was changed to Streep there. She grew up in New Jersey, studied drama at Vassar College, and after graduating, completed a Master of Fine Arts degree in drama at Yale University.

Her first film role was in the 1977 production Julia, where she played a small but significant part. Her second film, The Deer Hunter (1978), earned Streep her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The following year, she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance alongside Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer. In 1982, Sophie’s Choice brought her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Alongside her rapid rise in cinema, Streep also shone in television productions. Her role in the miniseries Holocaust earned her her first Emmy Award in 1978.

During the 1980s, Streep starred in many acclaimed films such as The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), Silkwood (1982), Out of Africa (1985), Ironweed (1987), and A Cry in the Dark. Between 1984 and 1990, she won the People’s Choice Awards for Favorite Motion Picture Actress six times. In 1990, she was selected as the world’s most preferred actress.

After 1990, Streep focused on a wide range of diverse roles. She portrayed varied characters in films such as Postcards from the Edge, Death Becomes Her, The House of the Spirits, The Bridges of Madison County, The River Wild, She-Devil, Marvin's Room, and Music of the Heart. For Music of the Heart, she learned to play the violin.

Beyond acting on screen, Streep lent her voice to animated series such as The Simpsons and King of the Hill, as well as to the film A.I. directed by Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick.

After 2002, she appeared in acclaimed films such as Adaptation and The Hours, and starred alongside Al Pacino in the miniseries Angels in America. Her performance in this production earned her a second Emmy Award. Her role in The Devil Wears won her the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

In addition to film and television, Streep has performed in numerous Broadway productions. She began her Broadway career in 1976 with 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, and continued with productions such as The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov and the musical Happy End. After a long break due to her film career, she returned to theater in 2001 with The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, performing alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and her former co-star Kevin Kline. In September 2006, she starred again with Kevin Kline in Mother Courage and Her Children, a production by Bertolt Brecht. The play was such a success that audiences waited for hours in the rain, and Streep sang during the 3.5-hour performance.

Streep has proven her status as one of the most talented and sought-after performers in history through her awards. Out of more than 100 nominations across cinema, theater, and television, she has won nearly 50 awards. Two of these are Academy Awards, and she still holds the record for the most Oscar nominations with 13—three for Best Supporting Actress and ten for Best Actress. She shares the title of the most Golden Globe Awards won by an actress with Rosalind Russell (five wins) and is the second most-nominated performer in Golden Globe history with 21 nominations.

Streep was engaged to her co-star from The Deer Hunter, John Gazale, but Gazale passed away from cancer in 1978. In the same year, she married actor Don Gummer. They have four children: Henry (born 1979), Mamie (born 1983), Grace (born 1986), and Louisa (born 1991). Mamie Gummer also chose an acting career and made her first acting appearance in a Broadway play in 2005.

Meryl Streep has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is a supporter of the Democratic Party and hosted the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Norway in 2001. Her success inspired the Governor of New York to declare a “Meryl Streep Day.” She had six films scheduled for release in 2007 and four more in 2008, including the film adaptation of the ABBA musical Mamma Mia. She is often cited by critics as the greatest living film actress. She is known for speaking every language flawlessly while acting, stands 1.68 meters tall, is afraid of helicopters, and was honored with a character named after her in the American version of Sesame Street. While completing her master’s degree at Yale, she was classmates with Sigourney Weaver. Robert De Niro has stated that Streep is the actor he most enjoys working with. She drives a Toyota Prius.

Source: Biyografiler.com