Streep was born Mary Louise Streep in Summit, New Jersey, the daughter of Mary W. Streep, a commercial artist, and Harry William Streep, Jr., a pharmaceutical executive. Streep's mother had Swiss, Irish, and English ancestry, and her father's family was of Dutch descent, with distant Sephardic Jewish ancestors from Spain (although Streep was raised Presbyterian). She has two younger brothers, Dana Read more...

Streep's first feature film was Julia, in which she played a small but pivotal role during a flashback scene. The Deer Hunter (1978) was her second feature film, and it earned Streep her first Academy Award nomination (for Best Supporting Actress). The following year, she won an Academy Award for her role opposite Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer (Best Supporting Actress, 1979). In 1982 she won Read more...

In the 1980s, Streep appeared in the acclaimed films The French Lieutenant's Woman; Silkwood, with Kurt Russell and Cher; Out of Africa, with Robert Redford; and Ironweed, with Jack Nicholson. She received strong reviews and an Oscar nomination for Silkwood, portraying activist Karen Silkwood. In A Cry in the Dark (titled Evil Angels in Australia), Streep portrayed Lindy Chamberlain, the Australian Read more...