Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep learned her craft on stage. She finished her MFA at the Yale School of Drama in 1975, moved to New York that year and was cast by Joseph Papp in Trelawny of the Wells. By 1976 she had a Tony nomination. Film came next, with Julia in 1977.

The turning point was Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), in which she plays a woman who leaves her husband and son. She pushed to rewrite her character’s courtroom testimony, so that the mother speaks up for her own autonomy instead of serving as the villain. The part won her a first Oscar. Three years later, in Sophie’s Choice, she played a Polish survivor of Auschwitz, and critics praised her Polish accent.

She has never stayed in one register. She played Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, which brought a third Oscar, the fashion editor Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, and the singing lead of Mamma Mia!, built on ABBA songs. With 21 Oscar nominations, she holds the record for any performer.

Start with the courtroom scene in Kramer vs. Kramer, then watch The Devil Wears Prada straight after. It is hard to believe it is the same actress.