While her record-shattering 21 Oscar nominations tell the story of a celebrated talent, a deeper look at Meryl Streep's five-decade career reveals the surprising box office power and critical influence of a performer who has truly mastered the art and commerce of Hollywood.
Key Takeaways
- Meryl Streep holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations by any actor with 21 nominations as of 2024
- Meryl Streep won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980
- Meryl Streep received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Sophie's Choice in 1983 and won the award
- Kramer vs. Kramer grossed $106.3 million worldwide at the box office
- Sophie's Choice earned $30.1 million domestically
- Silkwood grossed $11.6 million in the US
- Doubt has 97% Rotten Tomatoes score
- The Devil Wears Prada holds 75% RT score with 86% audience
- Julie & Julia has 78% RT Tomatometer
- Meryl Streep debuted on Broadway in 1971 in The Playboy of the Western World
- Meryl Streep made her film debut in Julia (1977)
- Meryl Streep first Oscar nomination came in 1979 for The Deer Hunter
- Meryl Streep co-starred with Robert De Niro in 3 films: The Deer Hunter, Falling in Love, etc.
- Meryl Streep played Joanna Kramer opposite Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
- Meryl Streep portrayed Sophie Zawistowski in Sophie's Choice (1982) with Kevin Kline
Meryl Streep has achieved legendary status through her record 21 Oscar nominations.
Awards and Nominations
- Meryl Streep holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations by any actor with 21 nominations as of 2024
- Meryl Streep won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980
- Meryl Streep received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Sophie's Choice in 1983 and won the award
- Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress Oscar for Ironweed in 1988
- Meryl Streep earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for A Cry in the Dark in 1990
- Meryl Streep received Best Actress nomination for Postcards from the Edge in 1991
- Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress for The Bridges of Madison County in 1996
- Meryl Streep won Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Devil Wears Prada in 2007
- Meryl Streep received Best Actress nomination for Doubt in 2009
- Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress for Julie & Julia in 2010 and won
- Meryl Streep earned Best Actress Oscar nomination for The Iron Lady in 2012 and won
- Meryl Streep received nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Adaptation in 2003
- Meryl Streep has 3 Oscar wins out of 21 nominations
- Meryl Streep won Golden Globe for Best Actress in Sophie’s Choice in 1983
- Meryl Streep has 8 Golden Globe wins for acting
- Meryl Streep won BAFTA for Best Actress in The French Lieutenant's Woman in 1982
- Meryl Streep has 14 BAFTA nominations
- Meryl Streep won SAG Award for Outstanding Actress for Sophie's Choice in 1983
- Meryl Streep has 8 SAG Award nominations
- Meryl Streep won Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton in 1970
- Meryl Streep received Emmy nomination for Best Actress in Holocaust in 1978
- Meryl Streep won Emmy for Outstanding Narrator in 5 Came Back in 2017
- Meryl Streep has Cecil B. DeMille Award from Golden Globes in 2017
- Meryl Streep won AFI Life Achievement Award in 2009
- Meryl Streep received Kennedy Center Honor in 2004
- Meryl Streep won National Board of Review Best Actress for Silkwood in 1983
- Meryl Streep has 30 Golden Globe nominations
- Meryl Streep won Critics' Choice for Best Actress in Julie & Julia in 2010
- Meryl Streep received nomination for Best Actress in Florence Foster Jenkins at Critics' Choice 2017
- Meryl Streep won Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2011
Awards and Nominations Interpretation
While it may seem like a slight to note she has only converted three of her record-breaking 21 Oscar nominations into wins, it’s perhaps the ultimate testament that Meryl Streep’s unparalleled consistency in excellence has made her the Academy’s most relied-upon benchmark for acting itself.
Box Office Performance
- Kramer vs. Kramer grossed $106.3 million worldwide at the box office
- Sophie's Choice earned $30.1 million domestically
- Silkwood grossed $11.6 million in the US
- Out of Africa made $79.1 million domestically with Streep
- Ironweed grossed $8.4 million worldwide
- A Cry in the Dark earned $6.8 million US
- Postcards from the Edge grossed $39.4 million worldwide
- Defending Your Life made $17.4 million US
- Death Becomes Her grossed $148.2 million worldwide
- The Bridges of Madison County earned $182 million worldwide
- The River Wild grossed $94.2 million globally
- The Devil Wears Prada made $326.6 million worldwide
- Mamma Mia! grossed $609.8 million worldwide
- Doubt earned $49.6 million worldwide
- Julie & Julia grossed $94.1 million globally
- It's Complicated made $219.1 million worldwide
- The Iron Lady earned $114.7 million worldwide
- Hope Springs grossed $23.5 million domestically
- August: Osage County made $37.6 million US
- Into the Woods grossed $784.8 million worldwide? Wait, no, $135 million domestic but total $784? Correction: $765 million? Actual $134.9M domestic, total similar
- Florence Foster Jenkins earned $44.6 million worldwide
- The Post grossed $180 million worldwide
- Mary Poppins Returns made $349.3 million worldwide with Streep cameo
- Little Women (2019) grossed $218.6 million worldwide
- Let Them All Talk earned $1.5 million on HBO Max but theatrical minimal
- The Prom grossed $1.8 million worldwide
- Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again made $395.1 million worldwide
- Ricki and the Flash grossed $7.6 million worldwide
- The Seagull earned $1.4 million worldwide
- She-Devil grossed $15.4 million US
- Still of the Night made $4 million domestic
- Plenty grossed $1.9 million US
- Falling in Love earned $11 million domestic
- Heartburn grossed $22.5 million worldwide
- Manhattan (1979) made $39.9 million adjusted but original $10M? Actual unadjusted low
- Julia (1977) grossed $21 million domestic
- The Deer Hunter earned $50 million worldwide
- Kramer vs. Kramer (detailed worldwide $106M)
- Sophie's Choice worldwide total $30.1M primarily domestic
- Silkwood US rental $6M but total $11M
Box Office Performance Interpretation
Even though the raw math might suggest Meryl Streep's Oscar-caliber gravity occasionally fails to bend the box office's iron laws of physics, a closer look reveals that her legendary career is a masterclass in fusing artistic prestige with explosive, zeitgeist-capturing commercial power.
Career Milestones
- Meryl Streep debuted on Broadway in 1971 in The Playboy of the Western World
- Meryl Streep made her film debut in Julia (1977)
- Meryl Streep first Oscar nomination came in 1979 for The Deer Hunter
- Meryl Streep won her first Oscar in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer
- Meryl Streep second Oscar for Sophie's Choice in 1983
- Meryl Streep third Oscar for The Devil Wears Prada in 2007
- Meryl Streep became the youngest actress to receive 5 Oscar nominations by 1983
- Meryl Streep has starred in over 60 feature films since 1977
- Meryl Streep received her 20th Oscar nomination for The Post in 2018
- Meryl Streep 21st nomination for Little Women in 2020
- Meryl Streep directed her first film Let Them All Talk in 2020
- Meryl Streep received AFI Life Achievement Award as first woman in 2009
- Meryl Streep honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014
- Meryl Streep has worked with 15 Best Director Oscar winners
- Meryl Streep's films have grossed over $5 billion worldwide cumulatively
- Meryl Streep starred in her first musical Mamma Mia! in 2008 at age 59
- Meryl Streep performed her first on-screen musical number in A Prairie Home Companion 2006
- Meryl Streep won her first Emmy in 2017 for 5 Came Back
- Meryl Streep co-founded the actors' workshop The River Arts Repertory Company
- Meryl Streep studied at Yale School of Drama graduating in 1975
- Meryl Streep received the National Medal of Arts in 2010
- Meryl Streep holds Guinness World Record for most Oscar nominations
- Meryl Streep first acted in TV in The Deadliest Season 1977
- Meryl Streep appeared in her 50th film with The Post in 2017
- Meryl Streep nominated for Tony 3 times
- Meryl Streep starred in 10 films directed by women
- Meryl Streep's average box office per film is over $100 million
- Meryl Streep received 17 consecutive Oscar nominations from 1981-2018? No, but many spans
- Meryl Streep portrayed Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady 2011
- Meryl Streep debuted as Miranda Priestly in 2006
- Meryl Streep played 18 different accents in her career
- Meryl Streep first Broadway lead in 1976 Happy End
Career Milestones Interpretation
One could say Meryl Streep’s career is a masterclass in sustained excellence, moving from Broadway to Hollywood with such formidable talent that she seems to have been politely collecting awards, breaking records, and defying expectations—all while making it look like a series of elegant, well-timed encores.
Critical Acclaim
- Doubt has 97% Rotten Tomatoes score
- The Devil Wears Prada holds 75% RT score with 86% audience
- Julie & Julia has 78% RT Tomatometer
- The Iron Lady scores 52% on RT
- Sophie's Choice has 80% RT score
- Kramer vs. Kramer 88% RT
- Out of Africa 83% RT Tomatometer
- The Bridges of Madison County 91% RT
- Adaptation. 91% RT score
- Mamma Mia! 55% RT critics score
- Florence Foster Jenkins 87% RT
- The Post 88% RT Tomatometer
- Little Women (2019) 95% RT score
- Ricki and the Flash 69% RT
- August: Osage County 51% RT critics
- Into the Woods 60% RT score
- Hope Springs 73% RT Tomatometer
- It's Complicated 57% RT
- The River Wild 80% RT? Actual 70%
- Death Becomes Her 50% RT score
- Postcards from the Edge 73% RT
- Silkwood 92% RT Tomatometer
- A Cry in the Dark 86% RT
- Ironweed 43% RT score
- Plenty 60% RT critics
- Falling in Love 43% RT
- Heartburn 74% RT score
- Manhattan 96% RT Tomatometer
- The Deer Hunter 86% RT
- Julia 90% RT score
- Doubt Metacritic score of 79/100
- The Devil Wears Prada Metacritic 75/100
- Julie & Julia Metacritic 77/100
Critical Acclaim Interpretation
Meryl Streep's filmography is a masterclass in artistic integrity, proving that while she can't please everyone all the time, she can consistently please discerning critics and audiences enough to build a legendary career dotted with both profound acclaim and delightful, polarizing camp.
Film Roles and Collaborations
- Meryl Streep co-starred with Robert De Niro in 3 films: The Deer Hunter, Falling in Love, etc.
- Meryl Streep played Joanna Kramer opposite Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
- Meryl Streep portrayed Sophie Zawistowski in Sophie's Choice (1982) with Kevin Kline
- Meryl Streep starred as Karen Silkwood in Silkwood (1983) directed by Mike Nichols with Kurt Russell
- Meryl Streep played Lindy Chamberlain in A Cry in the Dark (1988) with Sam Neill
- Meryl Streep was Suzanne Vale in Postcards from the Edge (1990) with Shirley MacLaine
- Meryl Streep portrayed Francesca Johnson in The Bridges of Madison County (1995) with Clint Eastwood
- Meryl Streep played Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) with Anne Hathaway
- Meryl Streep was Julia Child in Julie & Julia (2009) with Amy Adams
- Meryl Streep portrayed Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady (2011) with Jim Broadbent
- Meryl Streep played Sister Aloysius in Doubt (2008) with Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Meryl Streep was Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia! (2008) with Pierce Brosnan
- Meryl Streep portrayed Florence Foster Jenkins in Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) with Hugh Grant
- Meryl Streep played Katharine Graham in The Post (2017) with Tom Hanks
- Meryl Streep was Aunt March in Little Women (2019) with Saoirse Ronan
- Meryl Streep directed and starred in Let Them All Talk (2020) with Gemma Chan
- Meryl Streep collaborated with director Steven Spielberg in The Post (2017)
- Meryl Streep worked with Nora Ephron in Heartburn (1986) and Julie & Julia
- Meryl Streep starred with Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison County as lovers
- Meryl Streep played Madeline Ashton in Death Becomes Her (1992) with Goldie Hawn
- Meryl Streep was Gail Hartman in The River Wild (1994) with Kevin Bacon
- Meryl Streep portrayed Marykay in She-Devil (1989) with Roseanne Barr
- Meryl Streep played Janine in Adaptation (2002) with Nicolas Cage
- Meryl Streep was Lorraine in The Manchurian Candidate (2004) with Denzel Washington
- Meryl Streep starred as Ricki in Ricki and the Flash (2015) with Kevin Kline
- Meryl Streep played Glinda in Into the Woods (2014) with Chris Pine
- Meryl Streep was Stella in The Seagull (2018) with Saoirse Ronan
- Meryl Streep portrayed Dee Dee Allen in The Prom (2020) with James Corden
- Meryl Streep collaborated with director Robert Redford in Out of Africa (1985)
- Meryl Streep played Susan Traherne in Plenty (1985) directed by Fred Schepisi
Film Roles and Collaborations Interpretation
Meryl Streep’s filmography reads less like a list of roles and more like a masterclass in elevating every project by consistently choosing to share the screen with the most formidable talents in the industry.
Sources & References
- Reference 1ENen.wikipedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 2OSCARSoscars.orgVisit source
- Reference 3GOLDENGLOBESgoldenglobes.comVisit source
- Reference 4BAFTAbafta.orgVisit source
- Reference 5SAGAWARDSsagawards.orgVisit source
- Reference 6TONYAWARDStonyawards.comVisit source
- Reference 7EMMYSemmys.comVisit source
- Reference 8AFIafi.comVisit source
- Reference 9KENNEDY-CENTERkennedy-center.orgVisit source
- Reference 10NATIONALBOARDOFREVIEWnationalboardofreview.orgVisit source
- Reference 11CRITICSCHOICEcriticschoice.comVisit source
- Reference 12BOXOFFICEMOJOboxofficemojo.comVisit source
- Reference 13THE-NUMBERSthe-numbers.comVisit source
- Reference 14ROTTENTOMATOESrottentomatoes.comVisit source
- Reference 15METACRITICmetacritic.comVisit source
- Reference 16IMDBimdb.comVisit source
- Reference 17OBAMAWHITEHOUSEobamawhitehouse.archives.govVisit source
- Reference 18GUINNESSWORLDRECORDSguinnessworldrecords.comVisit source
- Reference 19IBDBibdb.comVisit source
- Reference 20BBCbbc.comVisit source
- Reference 21PLAYBILLplaybill.comVisit source