There is no doubt that Meryl Streep is by far one of the most iconic actresses of all time. She is one of the greats, and it’s no secret that she plays every role with the highest level of commitment, authenticity, and excitement. The 72-year-old actress has helped shape the industry and inspired more young actors than we can possibly imagine. Her legacy is unparalleled as she has the most Oscar nominations in the history of the Academy Awards with twenty-one nominations and three wins.
Perhaps one of the actress' greatest strengths is her versatility and ability to play pretty much any character in any genre imaginable. From Sophie’s Choice, a romance/drama that made her an Academy Award winner, to her most recent film Don’t Look Up, Adam McKay's comedy/disaster Meryl Streep has proven time and time again that she can do it all.
Updated on August 16th, 2023 by Gargi Chatterjee: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
17 Don't Look Up (2021)
Don't Look Up is one of Streep's most recent films. The movie is a comedy/disaster directed by Adam McKay that follows two Michigan State astronomers as they discover a catastrophic-sized comet heading directly toward Earth.
Streep plays the President of the United States who does everything she can to avoid listening to science and brush off everything the astronomers try to warn her about. The most impressive part of the film is the acting as it has one of the biggest casts of the year including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Timothée Chalamet, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, and Mark Rylance.
16 Defending Your Life (1991)
A rom-com fantasy starring Albert Brooks alongside Streep, the movie Defending Your Life is about Daniel Miller, a man who is put on trial in his afterlife after dying in an accident. In the film, Meryl Streep plays the role of Julia, a woman who Daniel meets in the afterlife and falls in love with.
Even though the afterlife court proceedings take up a lot of the movie, the blossoming love between Julia and Daniels is beautiful, and we cannot help but root for them to end up together. The film, and Streep's performance in it, received a lot of praise from audiences and critics alike.
15 Mamma Mia! (2008)
One of Meryl Streep's most fun, uplifting, comforting, and fan-favorite performances is that of Donna Sheridan in the musical/romance Mamma Mia!. Streep stars alongside Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård, and Julie Walters in this beloved film.
Streep sings some of the most catchy songs to ever be sung in a movie from "Mamma Mia" to "Dancing Queen." The movie was so well received that a sequel was released in 2018 titled Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
14 Into the Woods (2014)
Into the Woods is a musical fantasy film in which Meryl Streep plays the role of a Witch. Even though she is portrayed as the main antagonist of the movie, in the end, we get to see that she is just lonely and suffers from an age-old curse.
Meryl Streep was widely acclaimed for her role in the movie even though the film itself was not a huge success. But the movie does have a fantastic cast which includes Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, and obviously, Streep herself.
13 The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
In The Devil Wears Prada, Streep plays the manipulative and terrifying Miranda Priestly, Editor-in-Chief of the most acclaimed fashion magazine in the world, Runway Magazine. While it is never mentioned in the film, Runway Magazine is supposedly based on Vogue
Streep's character was inspired by the harsh stories told about working for Anna Wintour. Streep was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the film and starred alongside Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci.
12 Little Women (2019)
Greta Gerwig's Little Women is nothing short of spectacular, filled with beauty, passion, and truth. Meryl Streep plays Aunt March, the very wealthy aunt to the March girls, Meg (Emma Watson), Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and Amy (Florence Pugh).
With a story this timeless and acting this incredible, the film was destined to be great. In fact, Little Women received six Oscar nominations including one for Best Picture. While it was only the latest in a long line of adaptations, Gerwig's Little Women stands out to fans of the book.
11 Adaptation (2002)
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A comedy-drama movie starring Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep, Adaptation is as bizarre as it is amazing. Nicholas Cage plays the role of two identical twin brothers in the movie while Streep plays Susan Orlean, a very famous author.
The movie's meta-comedy won the hearts of the audience. Both Streep and Cage were nominated for Academy Awards for their roles in the movie. It is one of Streep's negative roles that she plays to perfection.
10 Big Little Lies (2017-2019)
Season one of the HBO series Big Little Lies was such a huge success it seemed nearly impossible that the second season would be able to top it, and then they brought in Meryl Streep. Her character adds a subtle anger to the beginning of the season.
That anger ends up exploding and becoming one of the central storylines by the end of the series. Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoë Kravitz are brilliant together on screen, and the strong and empowered women roles are what make Big Little Lies so good.
9 The Post (2017)
Playing Katherine Graham, the first woman publisher of the acclaimed Washington Post, Meryl Streep and her co-star Tom Hanks give spectacular performances in the 2017 drama/history The Post.
In 2018, the film received two Academy Award nominations in major categories, including Best Actress and Best Picture. With an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and a gross of almost $200 million at the box office, the film was very successful.
8 The Bridges of Madison County
Based on Robert James Waller's novel of the same name, The Bridges of Madison County tells the story of a married woman Francesca and her passionate 4-day affair with a photographer named Robert Kincaid.
Meryl Streep is absolutely amazing as her character Francesca and can make the audience laugh and cry with her through her powerful performance. Her role in the movie won her countless awards as well as a nomination for the Academy Awards.
7 Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
Florence Foster Jenkins earned Meryl Streep another one of her twenty-one Oscar nominations. The actress is incredible in the romance/drama, playing the 1940s New York socialite, the one and only Florence Foster Jenkins.
Directed by Stephen Frears, the film also stars Simon Helberg, Hugh Grant, and Rebecca Ferguson. Streep is incredible in every performance she gives, but her portrayal in this film is beyond brilliant.
6 Doubt (2008)
Doubt is the 2008 drama film directed by John Patrick Shanley, starring the incredible Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis. Exploring the boundaries between race and religion, the film's cast gives incredible performances throughout the movie.
Doubt ultimately received four Academy Award nominations, including two for Best Supporting Actress, one for Best Supporting Actor, and of course, another Best Actress nomination for Meryl Streep.
5 The Deer Hunter (1978)
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With an all-star cast, The Deer Hunter is considered to be one of Meryl Streep's best performances. She stars in the war/drama with legends of cinema like Christopher Walken, Robert De Niro, and John Cazale.
With a 91% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Deer Hunter quickly gained a following and received major critical acclaim with nine Academy Award nominations in 1979 including a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Streep. The film ultimately won five awards including Best Director and Best Picture.
4 Julie and Julia (2009)
A fantastic biographical comedy-drama that illustrates the lives of two women- the incredibly talented chef Julia Child, and the famous author Julie Powell, who wrote the bestselling novel, Julie and Julia.
The movie shifts focus to two timelines, the 1950s and 2022. The past shows the early life of Julia Child, played by Meryl Streep, while the 2002 timeline consists of Julie Powell, played by Amy Adams, who decides to cook every recipe from Julia's cookbook and write a blog about it. All actors in the movie did a phenomenal job but Meryl Streep as Julia Child really shines through.
3 The Iron Lady (2011)
In addition to how incredible her acting performance was in this film, Meryl Streep's physical transformation for The Iron Lady is mesmerizing. Prosthetics and paint were used in the making of the film to alter Streep's face, specifically the bridge of her nose.
While these changes may seem subtle, they give so much to the actress' overall performance and become a huge part of the character. Streep won her third Academy Award for her role in this film, and The Iron Lady also took home the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
2 Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep star in the 1979 Robert Benton film Kramer vs Kramer. The film follows an advertising executive Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) who finds out his wife Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) is leaving him.
He ultimately gives up his big account at work to raise his son and ends up building an even stronger, priceless relationship with his son. The film won five Academy Awards, including Streep's second Oscar for acting, in addition to Best Actor, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director.
1 Sophie's Choice (1982)
Number one on the list of Meryl Streep's best performances is her most iconic role of all time, Sophie in Sophie's Choice. Not only is this Streep's greatest performance but it is considered to be one of the greatest performances of all time by an actor in any film.
It's immeasurable how iconic Streep is in this film, but it's certain that people will be admiring her portrayal of Sophie forever. The actress received her first Oscar in 1983 for her leading role in Sophie's Choice.