KIDS FIRST! Jury Blog

Meryl Streep is the most Oscar-nominated actress with 19 nominations. She is considered one of America’s favorite actresses.

Meryl Streep, born,  Mary Louise Streep, June 22, 1949 to Mary Wolf and Harry William Streep in Summit, New Jersey. She attended Yale School of Drama and received her first Oscar nomination for her role in The Deer Hunter (1978). She won her first Oscars for Best Actress in a Supporting role for her performance in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Sophie’s Choice (1982).

Meryl Streep is a great actress. She makes her audience believes she is actually going through whatever her character is going through. She’s committed to her craft, a perfectionist who will do what’s needed to prepare for her roles. She learned to play the violin by practicing for six hours a day for eight weeks for her role in Music of the Heart (1999). She is also known for ability to master almost any accent.

Although I have not seen most of her films, I loved her excellent performance in Into the Woods (2015). I was truly scared of the Witch. I felt her pain and hated her at times.  As a young actress, I look up to her and am in awe of her performances. In the film, The Devil Wears Prada (2006), her performance is so real, it made me you hate her for the way she treated the intern and everyone else. This to me shows what a great actress she is when you have the audience hating your character because you are so true to it.

A fact about Mrs. Streep is that donated her entire salary from the film, The Iron Lady (2011), for which she won another Oscar for Best Performance by an actress in a leading role,  to the Women’s History Museum and donated her wardrobe from The Devil Wears Prada (2006) (Nominated for an Oscar also) to a charity auction.  This is another reason why she is one on my favorite actresses. I love her charitable contributions.

One of my favorite quotes by Meryl Streep is, “The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy”. Empathy, the understanding and entering into another’s feelings.  This is what makes her a great actress!