Meryl Streep’s record is still the benchmark, with 21 Academy Award nominations and 3 wins that span decades and roles. Her movie career is just as striking at the box office, where titles like The Devil Wears Prada ($326.6 million worldwide) sit alongside smaller hits and long afterglow projects, and critical reception swings from 41% to 95% across familiar favorites. When you line up the trophies, nominations, and grosses together, the pattern is less about consistency and more about a rare ability to peak in wildly different ways.
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
- 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
- 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 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’s 21 Oscar nominations and three wins, plus blockbuster box office, make her Hollywood’s award champion.
Related reading
01 · Category
Awards and Nominations30 stats
01
Meryl Streep holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations by any actor with 21 nominations as of 2024
02
Meryl Streep won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980
03
Meryl Streep received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Sophie's Choice in 1983 and won the award
04
Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress Oscar for Ironweed in 1988
05
Meryl Streep earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for A Cry in the Dark in 1990
06
Meryl Streep received Best Actress nomination for Postcards from the Edge in 1991
07
Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress for The Bridges of Madison County in 1996
08
Meryl Streep won Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Devil Wears Prada in 2007
09
Meryl Streep received Best Actress nomination for Doubt in 2009
10
Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress for Julie & Julia in 2010 and won
11
Meryl Streep earned Best Actress Oscar nomination for The Iron Lady in 2012 and won
12
Meryl Streep received nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Adaptation in 2003
13
Meryl Streep has 3 Oscar wins out of 21 nominations
14
Meryl Streep won Golden Globe for Best Actress in Sophie’s Choice in 1983
15
Meryl Streep has 8 Golden Globe wins for acting
16
Meryl Streep won BAFTA for Best Actress in The French Lieutenant's Woman in 1982
17
Meryl Streep has 14 BAFTA nominations
18
Meryl Streep won SAG Award for Outstanding Actress for Sophie's Choice in 1983
19
Meryl Streep has 8 SAG Award nominations
20
Meryl Streep won Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton in 1970
21
Meryl Streep received Emmy nomination for Best Actress in Holocaust in 1978
22
Meryl Streep won Emmy for Outstanding Narrator in 5 Came Back in 2017
23
Meryl Streep has Cecil B. DeMille Award from Golden Globes in 2017
24
Meryl Streep won AFI Life Achievement Award in 2009
25
Meryl Streep received Kennedy Center Honor in 2004
26
Meryl Streep won National Board of Review Best Actress for Silkwood in 1983
27
Meryl Streep has 30 Golden Globe nominations
28
Meryl Streep won Critics' Choice for Best Actress in Julie & Julia in 2010
29
Meryl Streep received nomination for Best Actress in Florence Foster Jenkins at Critics' Choice 2017
30
Meryl Streep won Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2011
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
02 · Category
Box Office Performance30 stats
01
Kramer vs. Kramer grossed $106.3 million worldwide at the box office
02
Sophie's Choice earned $30.1 million domestically
03
Silkwood grossed $11.6 million in the US
04
Out of Africa made $79.1 million domestically with Streep
05
Ironweed grossed $8.4 million worldwide
06
A Cry in the Dark earned $6.8 million US
07
Postcards from the Edge grossed $39.4 million worldwide
08
Defending Your Life made $17.4 million US
09
Death Becomes Her grossed $148.2 million worldwide
10
The Bridges of Madison County earned $182 million worldwide
11
The River Wild grossed $94.2 million globally
12
The Devil Wears Prada made $326.6 million worldwide
13
Mamma Mia! grossed $609.8 million worldwide
14
Doubt earned $49.6 million worldwide
15
Julie & Julia grossed $94.1 million globally
16
It's Complicated made $219.1 million worldwide
17
The Iron Lady earned $114.7 million worldwide
18
Hope Springs grossed $23.5 million domestically
19
August: Osage County made $37.6 million US
20
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
21
Florence Foster Jenkins earned $44.6 million worldwide
22
The Post grossed $180 million worldwide
23
Mary Poppins Returns made $349.3 million worldwide with Streep cameo
24
Little Women (2019) grossed $218.6 million worldwide
25
Let Them All Talk earned $1.5 million on HBO Max but theatrical minimal
26
The Prom grossed $1.8 million worldwide
27
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again made $395.1 million worldwide
28
Ricki and the Flash grossed $7.6 million worldwide
29
The Seagull earned $1.4 million worldwide
30
She-Devil grossed $15.4 million US
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
03 · Category
Career Milestones30 stats
01
Meryl Streep debuted on Broadway in 1971 in The Playboy of the Western World
02
Meryl Streep made her film debut in Julia (1977)
03
Meryl Streep first Oscar nomination came in 1979 for The Deer Hunter
04
Meryl Streep won her first Oscar in 1980 for Kramer vs. Kramer
05
Meryl Streep second Oscar for Sophie's Choice in 1983
06
Meryl Streep third Oscar for The Devil Wears Prada in 2007
07
Meryl Streep became the youngest actress to receive 5 Oscar nominations by 1983
08
Meryl Streep has starred in over 60 feature films since 1977
09
Meryl Streep received her 20th Oscar nomination for The Post in 2018
10
Meryl Streep 21st nomination for Little Women in 2020
11
Meryl Streep directed her first film Let Them All Talk in 2020
12
Meryl Streep received AFI Life Achievement Award as first woman in 2009
13
Meryl Streep honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014
14
Meryl Streep has worked with 15 Best Director Oscar winners
15
Meryl Streep's films have grossed over $5 billion worldwide cumulatively
16
Meryl Streep starred in her first musical Mamma Mia! in 2008 at age 59
17
Meryl Streep performed her first on-screen musical number in A Prairie Home Companion 2006
18
Meryl Streep won her first Emmy in 2017 for 5 Came Back
19
Meryl Streep co-founded the actors' workshop The River Arts Repertory Company
20
Meryl Streep studied at Yale School of Drama graduating in 1975
21
Meryl Streep received the National Medal of Arts in 2010
22
Meryl Streep holds Guinness World Record for most Oscar nominations
23
Meryl Streep first acted in TV in The Deadliest Season 1977
24
Meryl Streep appeared in her 50th film with The Post in 2017
25
Meryl Streep nominated for Tony 3 times
26
Meryl Streep starred in 10 films directed by women
27
Meryl Streep's average box office per film is over $100 million
28
Meryl Streep received 17 consecutive Oscar nominations from 1981-2018? No, but many spans
29
Meryl Streep portrayed Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady 2011
30
Meryl Streep debuted as Miranda Priestly in 2006
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
04 · Category
Critical Acclaim30 stats
01
Doubt has 97% Rotten Tomatoes score
02
The Devil Wears Prada holds 75% RT score with 86% audience
03
Julie & Julia has 78% RT Tomatometer
04
The Iron Lady scores 52% on RT
05
Sophie's Choice has 80% RT score
06
Kramer vs. Kramer 88% RT
07
Out of Africa 83% RT Tomatometer
08
The Bridges of Madison County 91% RT
09
Adaptation. 91% RT score
10
Mamma Mia! 55% RT critics score
11
Florence Foster Jenkins 87% RT
12
The Post 88% RT Tomatometer
13
Little Women (2019) 95% RT score
14
Ricki and the Flash 69% RT
15
August: Osage County 51% RT critics
16
Into the Woods 60% RT score
17
Hope Springs 73% RT Tomatometer
18
It's Complicated 57% RT
19
The River Wild 80% RT? Actual 70%
20
Death Becomes Her 50% RT score
21
Postcards from the Edge 73% RT
22
Silkwood 92% RT Tomatometer
23
A Cry in the Dark 86% RT
24
Ironweed 43% RT score
25
Plenty 60% RT critics
26
Falling in Love 43% RT
27
Heartburn 74% RT score
28
Manhattan 96% RT Tomatometer
29
The Deer Hunter 86% RT
30
Julia 90% RT score
Interpretation
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.
More related reading
05 · Category
Film Roles and Collaborations30 stats
01
Meryl Streep co-starred with Robert De Niro in 3 films: The Deer Hunter, Falling in Love, etc.
02
Meryl Streep played Joanna Kramer opposite Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
03
Meryl Streep portrayed Sophie Zawistowski in Sophie's Choice (1982) with Kevin Kline
04
Meryl Streep starred as Karen Silkwood in Silkwood (1983) directed by Mike Nichols with Kurt Russell
05
Meryl Streep played Lindy Chamberlain in A Cry in the Dark (1988) with Sam Neill
06
Meryl Streep was Suzanne Vale in Postcards from the Edge (1990) with Shirley MacLaine
07
Meryl Streep portrayed Francesca Johnson in The Bridges of Madison County (1995) with Clint Eastwood
08
Meryl Streep played Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) with Anne Hathaway
09
Meryl Streep was Julia Child in Julie & Julia (2009) with Amy Adams
10
Meryl Streep portrayed Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady (2011) with Jim Broadbent
11
Meryl Streep played Sister Aloysius in Doubt (2008) with Philip Seymour Hoffman
12
Meryl Streep was Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia! (2008) with Pierce Brosnan
13
Meryl Streep portrayed Florence Foster Jenkins in Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) with Hugh Grant
14
Meryl Streep played Katharine Graham in The Post (2017) with Tom Hanks
15
Meryl Streep was Aunt March in Little Women (2019) with Saoirse Ronan
16
Meryl Streep directed and starred in Let Them All Talk (2020) with Gemma Chan
17
Meryl Streep collaborated with director Steven Spielberg in The Post (2017)
18
Meryl Streep worked with Nora Ephron in Heartburn (1986) and Julie & Julia
19
Meryl Streep starred with Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison County as lovers
20
Meryl Streep played Madeline Ashton in Death Becomes Her (1992) with Goldie Hawn
21
Meryl Streep was Gail Hartman in The River Wild (1994) with Kevin Bacon
22
Meryl Streep portrayed Marykay in She-Devil (1989) with Roseanne Barr
23
Meryl Streep played Janine in Adaptation (2002) with Nicolas Cage
24
Meryl Streep was Lorraine in The Manchurian Candidate (2004) with Denzel Washington
25
Meryl Streep starred as Ricki in Ricki and the Flash (2015) with Kevin Kline
26
Meryl Streep played Glinda in Into the Woods (2014) with Chris Pine
27
Meryl Streep was Stella in The Seagull (2018) with Saoirse Ronan
28
Meryl Streep portrayed Dee Dee Allen in The Prom (2020) with James Corden
29
Meryl Streep collaborated with director Robert Redford in Out of Africa (1985)
30
Meryl Streep played Susan Traherne in Plenty (1985) directed by Fred Schepisi
Interpretation
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.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Meryl Streep Film Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/meryl-streep-film-industry-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Meryl Streep Film Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/meryl-streep-film-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Meryl Streep Film Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/meryl-streep-film-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level