orig. Mary Louise Streep
born June 22, 1949, Summit, N.J., U.S.
U.S. film actress.
She studied at Vassar College and the Yale School of Drama before appearing on Broadway and in the television films The Deadliest Season (1977) and The Holocaust (1978, Emmy Award). An unusually versatile and expressive actress, she won stardom in The Deer Hunter (1978), Manhattan (1979), and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979, Academy Award). Her later films include Sophie's Choice (1982, Academy Award), Silkwood (1983), Out of Africa (1985), A Cry in the Dark (1988), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), and The Hours (2002).