With a career that has inspired the best of those around her, two-time Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep (1949–) was born Mary Louise Streep in Summit, New Jersey.

A former cheerleader and homecoming queen, she once explained, “I think of acting as an act of compassionate understanding of other people.”

In 1978, she made her film debut with Julia, then astounded critics with her supporting role in The Deer Hunter (1978) opposite Robert De Niro.

“She can actually vanish into another person,” praised Sydney Pollack, who directed her in Out of Africa (1985) with Robert Redford. “In every role, she becomes a totally new human being.”

Director Mike Nichols added: “Meryl creates, has created, and will continue to create a series of unique human beings.”

With a master's degree in Fine Arts from Yale, she built a reputation for excellence while keeping her feet firmly on the ground: “Grabbing the cold gold at the Oscars was great, but it didn’t come close to being handed my first-born—or my fourth-born.”

The dedicated wife and mother said she chooses roles with “the responsibility of my own integrity,” and summed up her grounded nature with: “You can’t get spoiled if you do your own laundry.”

Through every role, Meryl Streep demonstrates not only an extraordinary commitment to her craft, but an unwavering devotion to truth, empathy, and excellence. Her performances are grounded in character and shaped by deep integrity. In life and art, she inspires us to lead with heart and humility.