Meryl Streep is an American actress who has had an extensive career in film, television, and stage. [1] [2] She made her stage debut in 1975 with The Public Theater production of Trelawny of the 'Wells' . [3] She went on to perform several roles on stage in the 1970s, gaining a Tony Award nomination for her role in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1976). [4] In 1977, Streep made her film debut with a brief role alongside Jane Fonda in Julia . [5] A supporting role in the war drama The Deer Hunter (1978) proved to be a breakthrough for Streep; she received her first Academy Award nomination for it. [6] She won the award the following year for playing a troubled wife in the top-grossing drama Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). [7] In 1978, Streep played a German, "Aryan" woman married to a Jewish man in Nazi Germany in the television miniseries Holocaust , which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. [8]
Streep established herself as a leading Hollywood actress in the 1980s. [9] [10] She played dual roles in the period drama The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), [10] and starred as a Polish Holocaust survivor in Sophie's Choice (1982). [11] She was awarded the Best Actress Oscar for the latter. [8] Streep portrayed the real-life character of Karen Silkwood in Mike Nichols' drama Silkwood (1983), [12] before starring in her most financially successful release of the decade, the romantic drama Out of Africa (1985), in which she played the Danish writer Karen Blixen. [13] [14] With intermittent successes, Streep's career went through a period of relative decline post-1985, with several commentators criticizing her inclination towards melodramatic roles, [15] despite her attempt at playing against-type in the comedies She-Devil (1989) and Death Becomes Her (1992). [16]
In 1995, Streep starred opposite Clint Eastwood as an unhappily married woman in The Bridges of Madison County , her biggest critical and commercial success of the decade. [14] [17] Although her dramas of the late 1990s received a mixed reception overall, [18] [19] she was praised for her role as a cancer patient in One True Thing (1998). [20] She had acclaimed roles in the 2002 films Adaptation. and The Hours , and won a second Emmy Award for the television miniseries Angels in America a year later. [21] [22] Greater success returned to Streep in 2006, with an Academy Award-nominated role as a ruthless fashion magazine editor in the comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada . [23] This led to starring roles in several high-profile films, including the US$609 million-grossing romantic comedy Mamma Mia! (2008), her highest-grossing release, and the comedy-drama Julie & Julia (2009), in which she played Julia Child. [24] [25] These roles re-established Streep's stardom. [26] Her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the biopic The Iron Lady (2011) earned her another Academy Award for Best Actress. [27] Further Oscar nominations came for her starring roles in August: Osage County (2013), Into the Woods (2014), Florence Foster Jenkins (2016), and The Post (2017), setting a record for more nominations than any actor or actress in history. [28]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1977 | Julia | Anne Marie | [29] | |
1978 | The Deer Hunter | Linda | [30] | |
1979 | Manhattan | Jill Davis | [31] | |
The Seduction of Joe Tynan | Karen Traynor | [32] | ||
Kramer vs. Kramer | Joanna Kramer | [33] | ||
1981 | The French Lieutenant's Woman | Sarah / Anna [lower-alpha 1] | [34] | |
1982 | Still of the Night | Brooke Reynolds | [35] | |
Sophie's Choice | Sophie Zawistowski | [36] | ||
1983 | Silkwood | Karen Silkwood | [37] | |
1984 | Falling in Love | Molly Gilmore | [38] | |
1985 | Plenty | Susan Traherne | [39] | |
Out of Africa | Karen Blixen | [40] | ||
1986 | Heartburn | Rachel Samstat | [41] | |
1987 | Ironweed | Helen Archer | [42] | |
1988 | Evil Angels | Lindy Chamberlain | aka A Cry in the Dark | [43] |
1989 | She-Devil | Mary Fisher | [44] | |
1990 | Postcards from the Edge | Suzanne Vale | [45] | |
1991 | Defending Your Life | Julia | [46] | |
Age 7 in America | Narrator | Documentary | [47] | |
1992 | Death Becomes Her | Madeline Ashton | [48] | |
1993 | The House of the Spirits | Clara del Valle Trueba | [49] | |
1994 | The River Wild | Gail Hartman | [50] | |
1995 | The Living Sea | Narrator | Documentary | [51] |
The Bridges of Madison County | Francesca Johnson | [17] | ||
1996 | Before and After | Dr. Carolyn Ryan | [49] | |
Marvin's Room | Lee | [52] | ||
1998 | One True Thing | Kate Gulden | [53] | |
Dancing at Lughnasa | Kate Mundy | [54] | ||
1999 | Music of the Heart | Roberta Guaspari | [55] | |
Ginevra's Story | Narrator | Documentary | [56] | |
2001 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Blue Mecha | Voice | [57] |
2002 | Adaptation. | Susan Orlean | [58] | |
The Hours | Clarissa Vaughan | [59] | ||
2003 | Stuck on You | Herself | Uncredited cameo | [60] |
2004 | The Manchurian Candidate | Sen. Eleanor Prentiss Shaw | [61] | |
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Aunt Josephine | [62] | ||
2005 | Prime | Lisa Metzger | [63] | |
Stolen Childhoods | Narrator | Documentary | [64] | |
2006 | A Prairie Home Companion | Yolanda Johnson | [65] | |
The Music of Regret | The Woman | Short film | [66] | |
Hurricane on the Bayou | Narrator | Documentary short film | ||
The Devil Wears Prada | Miranda Priestly | [67] | ||
The Ant Bully | Queen Ant | Voice; animated film | [68] | |
2007 | Dark Matter | Joanna Silver | [69] | |
Evening | Lila Ross | [70] | ||
Rendition | Corrine Whitman | [71] | ||
Lions for Lambs | Janine Roth | [72] | ||
2008 | Mamma Mia! | Donna Sheridan | [73] | |
Doubt | Sister Aloysius Beauvier | [74] | ||
2009 | Julie & Julia | Julia Child | [75] | |
Fantastic Mr. Fox | Felicity Fox | Voice; animated film | [76] | |
It's Complicated | Jane Adler | [77] | ||
2010 | Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life | Jennie | Voice; short film | [78] |
2011 | The Iron Lady | Margaret Thatcher | [79] | |
2012 | To the Arctic 3D | Narrator | Documentary | [80] |
Hope Springs | Kay Soames | [81] | ||
2013 | Wings of Life | Narrator | Documentary | [82] |
Girl Rising | Narrator | Documentary | [83] | |
A Fierce Green Fire | Narrator | Documentary | [84] | |
Out of Print | Narrator | Documentary | [85] | |
August: Osage County | Violet Weston | [86] | ||
2014 | The Giver | Chief Elder | [87] | |
The Homesman | Altha Carter | [88] | ||
Into the Woods | The Witch | [89] | ||
2015 | Ricki and the Flash | Ricki Rendazzo | [90] | |
Suffragette | Emmeline Pankhurst | [91] | ||
Shout Gladi Gladi | Narrator | Documentary | [92] | |
2016 | Florence Foster Jenkins | Florence Foster Jenkins | [93] | |
2017 | We Rise | Narrator | Documentary | [94] |
Little Door Gods | Narrator | Voice (English dub); animated film; aka The Guardian Brothers | [95] | |
The Post | Kay Graham | [96] | ||
2018 | Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again | Donna Sheridan | [97] | |
This Changes Everything | Herself | Documentary | [98] | |
Mary Poppins Returns | Cousin Topsy | [99] | ||
2019 | The Laundromat | Ellen Martin / Elena / Herself | [100] | |
Little Women | Aunt March | [101] | ||
2020 | Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth | Narrator | Voice; animated short film | [102] |
Let Them All Talk | Alice Hughes | [103] | ||
The Prom | Dee Dee Allen | [104] | ||
2021 | Don't Look Up | President Janie Orlean | [105] | |
2022 | Sell/Buy/Date | — | Executive producer | [106] [107] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1976 | Everybody Rides the Carousel | Lover | Voice; animated film | [108] |
1977 | The Deadliest Season | Sharon Miller | TV film | [109] |
1977–1979 | Great Performances | Edith Varney | Episode: "Secret Service" | [109] |
Leilah | Episode: "Uncommon Women and Others" | [109] | ||
1978 | Holocaust | Inga Helms Weiss | Miniseries; 4 episodes | [109] |
1981 | Kiss Me, Petruchio | Katherine | TV documentary | [109] |
1982 | Alice at the Palace | Alice | TV film | [110] |
1990 | The Earth Day Special | Concerned Citizen | TV special | [111] |
1994 | The Simpsons | Jessica Lovejoy | Voice; Episode: "Bart's Girlfriend" | [112] |
1997 | ...First Do No Harm | Lori Reimuller | TV film; also producer | [49] |
1999 | King of the Hill | Aunt Esme Dauterive | Voice; Episode: "A Beer Can Named Desire" | [113] |
2003 | Angels in America | Hannah Pitt / Ethel Rosenberg / The Rabbi / The Angel Australia [lower-alpha 2] | Miniseries; 6 episodes | [114] |
Freedom: A History of US | Abigail Adams / Mary Eastey / Mother Jones / Margaret Chase Smith [lower-alpha 3] | Documentary; 4 episodes | [114] [115] | |
2007 | Ocean Voyagers | Narrator | Documentary | [116] |
2010–2012 | Web Therapy | Camilla Bowner | 5 episodes | [77] |
2013 | Makers: Women Who Make America | Narrator | Documentary; 3 episodes | [117] |
2014 | The Roosevelts | Eleanor Roosevelt | Voice; documentary; 7 episodes | [118] |
2017 | Five Came Back | Narrator | Documentary; 3 episodes | [119] |
2019 | Big Little Lies | Mary Louise Wright | Main role (season 2) | [120] |
2023 | Extrapolations | Eve Shearer | Episode: "2046: Whale Fall" | [121] |
2023–present | Only Murders in the Building | Loretta Durkin | Recurring role (seasons 3–4) | [122] [123] |
† | Denotes series that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1975 | Trelawny of the 'Wells' | Miss Imogen Parrott | Vivian Beaumont Theater | [124] |
1976 | A Memory of Two Mondays 27 Wagons Full of Cotton [lower-alpha 4] | Patricia Flora Meighan | Playhouse Theatre | [126] |
1976 | Secret Service | Edith Varney | [127] | |
Henry V | Catherine | Delacorte Theater | [128] [129] | |
Measure for Measure | Isabella | [128] [130] [131] | ||
1977 | The Cherry Orchard | Dunyasha | Vivian Beaumont Theater | [132] [133] |
Happy End | Lt. Lillian Holiday | Martin Beck Theatre | [134] | |
1978 | The Taming of the Shrew | Katharina | Delacorte Theater | [128] [135] |
1979 | Taken in Marriage | Andrea | Joseph Papp Public Theater & Newman Theater | [128] [136] |
1980–1981 | Alice in Concert | Alice | Joseph Papp Public Theater & Anspacher Theater | [128] [137] |
2001 | The Seagull | Arkadina | Delacorte Theater | [138] |
2004 | Bridge and Tunnel | — | Producer; Theatres at 45 Bleecker & Bleecker Street Theatre | [128] [139] |
2006 | Mother Courage and Her Children | Mother Courage | Delacorte Theater | [140] |
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over four decades, including a record 21 Academy Award nominations, winning three, and a record 33 Golden Globe Award nominations, winning eight.
Kramer vs. Kramer is a 1979 American legal drama written and directed by Robert Benton, based on Avery Corman's 1977 novel. The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry and Jane Alexander. It tells the story of a couple's divorce, its impact on their young son, and the subsequent evolution of their relationship and views on parenting. Kramer vs. Kramer explores the psychology and fallout of divorce, and touches on prevailing or emerging social issues, such as gender roles, fathers' rights, work-life balance, and single parents.
Death Becomes Her is a 1992 American satirical surrealistic dark comedy fantasy film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and written by David Koepp and Martin Donovan. The film stars Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, and Isabella Rossellini. Its plot follows two women who fight for the affections of the same man and drink a magic potion that promises eternal youth. Filming began in December 1991 and concluded in April 1992; it was shot entirely in Los Angeles.
Silkwood is a 1983 American biographical drama film directed by Mike Nichols, and starring Meryl Streep, Kurt Russell, and Cher. The screenplay by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen was adapted from the book Who Killed Karen Silkwood? by Rolling Stone writer and activist Howard Kohn, which detailed the life of Karen Silkwood, a nuclear whistle-blower and a labor union activist who investigated alleged wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she worked. In real life, her inconclusive death in a car crash gave rise to a 1979 lawsuit, Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee, led by attorney Gerry Spence. The jury rendered its verdict of $10 million in damages to be paid to the Silkwood estate, the largest amount in damages ever awarded for that kind of case at the time. The Silkwood estate eventually settled for $1.3 million.
Evil Angels is a 1988 Australian drama film directed by Fred Schepisi. The screenplay by Schepisi and Robert Caswell is based on John Bryson's 1985 book of the same name. It chronicles the case of Azaria Chamberlain, a nine-week-old baby girl who disappeared from a campground near Uluru / Ayers Rock in August 1980, and the struggle of her parents, Michael Chamberlain and Lindy Chamberlain, to prove their innocence to a public convinced that they were complicit in her death. Meryl Streep and Sam Neill star as the Chamberlains.
Music of the Heart is a 1999 American biographical musical drama film directed by Wes Craven and written by Pamela Gray, based on the 1995 documentary Small Wonders. A dramatization of the true story of Roberta Guaspari, portrayed by Meryl Streep, who co-founded the Opus 118 Harlem School of Music and fought for music education funding in New York City public schools, the film also stars Aidan Quinn, Angela Bassett, Gloria Estefan in her film debut, Jane Leeves, Kieran Culkin and Jay O. Sanders. It was Craven's sole mainstream cinematic film not in the horror or thriller genre, and also his only film to receive Oscar nominations.
Plenty is a 1985 American drama film directed by Fred Schepisi and starring Meryl Streep. It was adapted from David Hare's play of the same name.
The French Lieutenant's Woman is a 1981 British romantic drama film directed by Karel Reisz, produced by Leon Clore, and adapted by the playwright Harold Pinter. It is based on The French Lieutenant's Woman, a 1969 novel by John Fowles. The music score is by Carl Davis and the cinematography by Freddie Francis.
Sophie's Choice is a 1982 psychological drama directed and written by Alan J. Pakula, adapted from William Styron's 1979 novel of the same name. The film stars Meryl Streep as Zofia "Sophie" Zawistowska, a Polish immigrant to America with a dark secret from her past who shares a boarding house in Brooklyn with her tempestuous lover Nathan, and young writer Stingo. It also features Rita Karin, Stephen D. Newman and Josh Mostel in supporting roles.
Ironweed is a 1987 American drama film directed by Héctor Babenco. Adapted to the screen by William Kennedy from his similarly named Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, Ironweed stars Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep, with Carroll Baker, Michael O'Keefe, Diane Venora, Fred Gwynne, Nathan Lane, and Tom Waits in supporting roles. The story concerns the relationship of a homeless couple—Francis, an alcoholic, and Helen, a terminally ill woman—during the years following the Great Depression. Major portions of the film were shot on location in Albany, New York. The film received mixed reviews and was a box-office bomb, but Nicholson and Streep received Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, for their performances.
Mary Willa "Mamie" Gummer is an American actress. She starred in the title role of The CW series Emily Owens, M.D. (2012–2013), and played the recurring role of Nancy Crozier on The Good Wife (2010–2015) and its spin-off, The Good Fight (2018). She has also appeared in the films Evening (2007), Side Effects (2013), Cake (2014), and Ricki and the Flash (2015). Gummer was nominated for the 2016 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for the original production of Ugly Lies the Bone. She is the daughter of Don Gummer and Meryl Streep.
Postcards from the Edge is a 1990 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Carrie Fisher is based on her 1987 semi-autobiographical novel of the same title. The film stars Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, and Dennis Quaid.
The Iron Lady is a 2011 biographical drama film based on the life and career of Margaret Thatcher, a British politician who was the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the office. The film was directed by Phyllida Lloyd and written by Abi Morgan. Thatcher is portrayed primarily by Meryl Streep, and, in her formative and early political years, by Alexandra Roach. Thatcher's husband, Denis Thatcher, is portrayed by Jim Broadbent and by Harry Lloyd as the younger Denis. Thatcher's longest-serving cabinet member and eventual deputy, Geoffrey Howe, is portrayed by Anthony Head.
Hope Springs is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by David Frankel, written by Vanessa Taylor, and starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carell.
American actor and producer Morgan Freeman has had a prolific career on film, television and on the stage. His film debut was as an uncredited character in the Sidney Lumet–directed drama The Pawnbroker in 1964. Freeman also made his stage debut in the same year by appearing in the musical Hello, Dolly! He followed this with further stage appearances in The Niggerlovers (1967), The Dozens (1969), Exhibition (1969), and the musical Purlie (1970–1971). He played various characters on the children's television series The Electric Company (1971–1977). Freeman subsequently appeared in the films Teachers in 1984, and Marie in 1985 before making his breakthrough with 1987's Street Smart. His role earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Two years later he appeared in war film Glory (1989), and starred as Hoke Coleburn in the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Freeman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in the latter and also earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
American actor James Earl Jones has had an extensive career in various film, television, and theater. He started out in film by appearing in the 1964 political satire film Dr. Strangelove as Lt. Lothar Zogg. He then went on to star in the 1970 film The Great White Hope as Jack Jefferson, a role he first played in the Broadway production of the same name. The film role earned him two Golden Globe nominations, one for Best Actor and winning one for New Star of the Year. He also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His other work in the 1970s included playing the title character in Malcolm X (1972), Johnny Williams in The River Niger (1976), Nick Debrett in Swashbuckler (1976), Malcolm X again in The Greatest (1977), and The Bushido Blade with Richard Boone (1979).
Ricki and the Flash is a 2015 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Diablo Cody, about a woman who leaves her family to become a rock star and later gets a chance to make amends. The film stars Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer, Kevin Kline, Sebastian Stan, Rick Springfield, and Audra McDonald. The film marks Streep and Kline's third collaboration after Sophie's Choice (1982) and A Prairie Home Companion (2006). It was Demme's final narrative film before his death in April 2017.
Florence Foster Jenkins is a 2016 biographical film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Nicholas Martin and Julia Kogan. It stars Meryl Streep as Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress known for her generosity and poor singing. Hugh Grant plays her manager and long-time companion, St. Clair Bayfield. Other cast members include Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Nina Arianda.
Five Came Back is an American documentary based on the 2014 book Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by journalist Mark Harris. It was released as a stand-alone documentary in New York and Los Angeles, and as a three-part series on Netflix, on March 31, 2017.