The 7 Greatest Meryl Streep Performances of All-Time
Meryl Streep has ruined us. Her talents are so overwhelming, with 20 Oscar noms so far -- more than any other actor -- that she is one of the best stars Hollywood has ever made. Here are her seven of the star's all-time best performances.
7. 'The Iron Lady' (2011)
Streep won her third Oscar for this biopic about Margaret Thatcher. It's hard to imagine too many other actresses who could have done the late British prime minister justice, giving a performance that spans decades, covers both her "iron" glory years and her crumbling into vulnerability and dementia, and makes sympathetic and even heroic a leader whose politics the off-screen Streep probably finds abhorrent. Indeed, Streep is better than the movie. The film isn't always sure what it wants to say about Thatcher, but Streep never falters.
6. 'The Devil Wears Prada' (2006)
Yes, Streep hits all the right notes as the mentor who trains, molds, terrifies, inspires, rewards, and corrupts poor Anne Hathaway. But c'mon, when you think of Miranda Priestly, the first thing you think of is that intimidating white swirl.
5. 'Angels In America' (2003)
In Mike Nichols' HBO mini-series adaptation of Tony Kushner's extravagant stage saga of the early years of the AIDS plague, Streep won an Emmy for playing no less than four roles: an angel, a rabbi (Streep is surprisingly convincing as a wry, bearded old Jewish man), a Mormon mom (who discovers in gay-friendly Manhattan a capacity for love she didn't realize she carried within her), and Ethel Rosenberg's ghost. As wildly different as the four characters are, Streep connects them with a thread of grace and mercy.
4. 'Postcards From the Edge' (1990)
This was a largely and unfairly overlooked performance from a period when Streep was trying hard to prove she was more than just a serious tragic thespian in this Mike Nichols comedy, based on Carrie Fisher's autobiographical novel. Here, she's a real person, with wit, subtle quirks, and lots of baggage. She spars brilliantly with Shirley MacLaine (as her flamboyant mom) and Dennis Quaid (as a romantic mistake). There's a lot of showbiz satire here, but Streep finds the heart of the story: a woman trying to find her own place in the world. She sings too, in ways that deepen her character -- a tentative torch ballad early in the film and, at the finale, a triumphant, joyous country rave-up.
3. 'Out of Africa' (1985)
It may be the archetypal tricky-accent role for Streep (she's playing Danish author Karen Blixen, a.k.a. Isak Dinesen), one that's earned her some ridicule for how deep she went. But you can't argue with the results. The Best Picture Oscar winner offers Streep her most lushly romantic showcase, what with the picturesque Kenyan settings, the handsome period costumes, and the still-golden Robert Redford as a love interest. It's great to see her play someone completely fearless, whether she's shooting a lion, confronting her faithless husband, or watching her dreams and her fortune literally go up in smoke.
2. 'Silkwood' (1983)
Streep's first collaboration with both writer Nora Ephron and director Mike Nichols is this tough-minded biopic of Karen Silkwood, a nuclear power plant worker whose efforts to expose safety hazards in her industry may have led to her mysterious death. Streep plays Karen as an unlikely heroine -- her family life is a mess, her attitude at work is cheeky, and she hasn't been blessed with money or education. That her desperation gives way to a furious idealism comes as a surprise even to her. It's an utterly fascinating, non-preachy turn, and it also marks one of the first times we got to hear Streep's strong, clear singing voice (in a rendition of "Amazing Grace").
1. 'Sophie's Choice' (1982)
Streep initially won over audiences by playing emotionally frail women in "The Deer Hunter" and "Kramer vs. Kramer" (the film that earned Streep her first Oscar), but "Sophie's Choice" marked the first time she went Full Meryl, revealing her astonishing range, gift for tricky accents (Poilsh this time), and fierce strength. It's a near-impossible part to play -- a mother who endured the unspeakable during the Holocaust, and who tries to rediscover joy and even erotic bliss in the years that follow, even as she reveals in her eyes the wounds that will never heal. The part earned Streep her second Oscar and may still be the single most towering achievement on her résumé.
