Meryl Streep has been referred to more than once as "the greatest living actress."Â She usually deflects bombastic comments with good-natured humility. However, there is no doubt that her accomplishments as a film actress are praiseworthy; she is, after all, the person with the most Academy Award nominations for acting. So, when did her awards journey begin?
Meryl Streep won her first Oscar for her supporting role in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). It was not her first nomination, though – that had happened one year earlier for the 1978 film The Deer Hunter. Both of those nominations were for Actress in a Supporting Role, and both films also won the Best Picture Oscar.
Meryl Streep's first Oscar-winning role was Joanna Kramer, one half of the divorcing Kramer couple. Her husband, the opposing Kramer, was played by Dustin Hoffman, who won the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role. Kramer vs. Kramer tells the story of the divorce and its effects, largely focusing on the point of view of the husband, but also exploring the struggle of the wife to find happiness, identity, love, and fulfillment.
Justin Henry, the young actor who played their son, was nominated for his supporting role. Kramer vs. Kramer received a total of nine nominations, and in addition to the two acting wins, it received Oscars for Directing, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), and Best Picture.
The film is seen as reflective of the changing cultural ideas of the 1970s. For example, one theme is that a woman is not "just a wife and mother" any more than a man is "just a husband and father." Another idea the film explores is whether it is fair to have legal presumptions that automatically favor the mother in family law custody battles.
It was not long after Kramer vs. Kramer that Meryl Streep won her next Oscar. This time, she received the Academy Award for Actress in a Leading Role for 1982's Sophie's Choice, the harrowing story of a Holocaust survivor, based on the novel by William Styron. She was nominated throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, and she began to be known (if not quite infamous) for being nominated but not winning, in both leading and supporting roles. However, she did win many other awards, not to mention critical acclaim and widespread adoration. Golden Globe Awards, film critics' awards, and other honors often came her way.
Then, in 2012, her Oscar dry spell was broken when she won the Actress in a Leading Role Oscar for her 2011 performance in The Iron Lady, in which she played Margaret Thatcher. That was her 17th nomination, and it came 22 years after she won her first Oscar for Kramer vs. Kramer.
Meryl Streep won her first Oscar for her supporting role in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). It was not her first nomination, though – that had happened one year earlier for the 1978 film The Deer Hunter. Both of those nominations were for Actress in a Supporting Role, and both films also won the Best Picture Oscar.
Meryl Streep's first Oscar-winning role was Joanna Kramer, one half of the divorcing Kramer couple. Her husband, the opposing Kramer, was played by Dustin Hoffman, who won the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role. Kramer vs. Kramer tells the story of the divorce and its effects, largely focusing on the point of view of the husband, but also exploring the struggle of the wife to find happiness, identity, love, and fulfillment.
Justin Henry, the young actor who played their son, was nominated for his supporting role. Kramer vs. Kramer received a total of nine nominations, and in addition to the two acting wins, it received Oscars for Directing, Writing (Adapted Screenplay), and Best Picture.
The film is seen as reflective of the changing cultural ideas of the 1970s. For example, one theme is that a woman is not "just a wife and mother" any more than a man is "just a husband and father." Another idea the film explores is whether it is fair to have legal presumptions that automatically favor the mother in family law custody battles.
It was not long after Kramer vs. Kramer that Meryl Streep won her next Oscar. This time, she received the Academy Award for Actress in a Leading Role for 1982's Sophie's Choice, the harrowing story of a Holocaust survivor, based on the novel by William Styron. She was nominated throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, and she began to be known (if not quite infamous) for being nominated but not winning, in both leading and supporting roles. However, she did win many other awards, not to mention critical acclaim and widespread adoration. Golden Globe Awards, film critics' awards, and other honors often came her way.
Then, in 2012, her Oscar dry spell was broken when she won the Actress in a Leading Role Oscar for her 2011 performance in The Iron Lady, in which she played Margaret Thatcher. That was her 17th nomination, and it came 22 years after she won her first Oscar for Kramer vs. Kramer.