Spotlight On: Meryl Streep

Her career spans over 30 years and 17 Oscar nominations, Meryl's work includes The Giver, and lots of previous highlights.

The Giver (2014)

In this adaptation of the YA dystopian novel by Lois Lowry, there is no war or fear of pain. Yet something about Streep's face tells us that this may not be entirely true...

August: Osage County (2013)

Streep was nominated for an Oscar for her vitriolic, pill-popping matriarch in this film adaptation of Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

The Iron Lady (2011)

Completely disappearing into the role of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Streep won an Academy Award for her performance.

Hope Springs (2012)

Streep and Tommy Lee Jones play a couple going through a late-life marriage crisis. Their only hope for healing appears to be a relationship with a unique therapist (Steve Carell). The movie is director David Frankel's second outing with Streep -- his first was 'The Devil Wears Prada.'

It's Complicated (2009)

With two men fighting for her affections in this romantic comedy, Streep proves you can still be sexy at 60!

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Even as a stop-motion animated Mrs. Fox, Streep was a witty delight opposite George Clooney as Mr. Fox in this director Wes Anderson's adaptation of Roald Dahl's book.

Julie & Julia (2009)

"Bon appetit!" The 5'6" Streep took on the role (and 6'2" height) of famed chef Julia Child in this charming 2009 release, showing once more that she can play almost any character - real or fictional - and make it believable.

Doubt (2008)

Donning a habit to play Sister Aloysius Beauvier, Streep transforms herself into a nun who accuses a priest of abuse in this compelling drama set in 1964.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Meryl was the "Dancing Queen" in this movie musical, based on the play, featuring hit songs by the popular '70s band, ABBA. Always the can-do performer, Streep showed she can act, sing, dance and rock out.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Streep's portrayal of the "Runway Magazine" Editor in Chief, Miranda Priestly, gives audiences one of the best movie villains in recent years. With a cold, steely calm, she can destroy individuals with a simple stare.

The Hours (2002)

In this Oscar-winning film about how the Virginia Woolf novel 'Mrs. Dalloway' affects the lives of three women, Streep plays a New York publisher who throws a party for a friend who is dying of AIDS.  

Adaptation (2002)

The whimsical minds of director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman cast Streep as writer Susan Orlean, whose book 'The Orchid Thief' is being adapted into a screenplay by a screenwriter named Charlie Kaufman. Confused yet?

One True Thing (1998)

Playing a woman dying of cancer is no easy task, but the actress pulls off another affecting performance in this 1998 movie about a woman's daughter (Renee Zellweger) coming back home to help take care of her mother in her final days. 

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)

Director and co-star Clint Eastwood thought Streep would be perfect in the role of a 1965 Italian war bride named Francesca. He assured her that she would make everyone believe she really was of Italian descent. It worked, as Streep earned another one of her 17 Oscar nominations.

The River Wild (1994)

"Action star" doesn't typically describe Meryl Streep, but as a tough river guide forced to navigate treacherous waters (while being held at gunpoint by Kevin Bacon), Streep shows off her physicality in this '90s thriller. 

Death Becomes Her (1992)

In this fantasy/comedy, Streep exercises her slapstick comedienne chops by getting into fights with Goldie Hawn, falling down the stairs and even having her head turned completely around! (With some help from special effects, of course.)

Postcards from the Edge (1990)

Based on Carrie Fisher's autobiography, the film casts Streep as struggling actress Suzanne Vale, who has a tumultuous relationship with her alcoholic mother, played by Shirley MacLaine. Streep's work earned her another Best Actress nom.

Ironweed (1987)

Both Streep and co-star Jack Nicholson received Oscar nominations for their roles in this melancholy drama about two drifters who return to their hometown, struggling to make peace with their pasts.  

Out of Africa (1985)

This epic was based on real-life Danish royalty/plantation owner Karen Blixen. The film took home seven Oscars, including Best Picture.

Silkwood (1983)

Her previous four nominations didn't stop the Academy from nominating her again -- for the third year in a row -- for her role as murdered corporate whistleblower Karen Silkwood.

Sophie's Choice (1982)

Winning her second Oscar for playing Sophie, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, Streep had to learn a Polish accent and how to speak both German and Polish.

The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)

This movie within a movie had Streep playing the dual roles of Sarah and Anna, the outcast "other woman" to Jeremy Irons' French lieutenant.

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Portraying a distraught mother fighting for custody of her only son with ex-husband Dustin Hoffman earned Streep her very first Oscar. The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Hoffman.

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Streep's first recognition from the Academy was a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as Linda in the 1978 Best Picture winner, which is about soldiers struggling to return to their small-town lives after fighting in Vietnam. Robert De Niro and Oscar-winner Christopher Walken co-star.