If you do not find the answer you're looking for here, please get in touch by contacting the webmaster at the email address below.
PLEASE NOTE: Meryl Streep does not use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or any other social networking site, and anyone who claims to be Meryl Streep on these sites is an imposter. In the event that Meryl Streep does decide to use a social networking service, confirmation will be posted here at MSO.
About MSO
About Meryl Streep
Q: Where and when was Meryl born?
Q: Why don't you have more personal information and up-to-the-minute news here?
BG: Despite the fact that you've been famous for many years now, there are obviously a lot of things people don't know about you, such as the fact that you have four kids. MS: Well, they're not photographed and celebrated as my appendages, no. BG: Has protecting your own privacy been important to your work? MS: I don't think it helps the suspension of disbelief if everybody knows where you work out. What I will tell you is that Meryl and the artist Don Gummer celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this year (and yes, they have four children). Meryl is well known for being an extremely dedicated Mom. . . and is often asked who her greatest influence has been, she has said that person is her 'greatest producer', her Mother:
With the exception of the Quotes which Meryl has given from time to time about what her family means to her, please understand that out of the utmost respect for Meryl and her family's privacy, these paragraphs are all the 'family information' you will find here at MSO.
Q: I'm an aspiring actor/actress. Can Meryl send me some advice on acting?
If I had any advice for young actors or actresses -- especially actresses, because men have a lot more freedom in this area -- it's to establish early on that you're going to send vanity away. Send it packing. People so want to set you in a box. You know, early on I had this long blond hair, and I could see it coming down like a train, it was going to mow me over. I was going to be this sort of mournful, long-blond-hair woman, and it's reductive. It's reductive of my humanity and my engine. I have much more to give than that.
The goal of a real education is to bring out what you already have in you, but I didn't really know what I had in me as an actor until I was out there on the road, doing it. And I soon learned that A) I wanted to do this acting thing better than I was doing it, but B) I could actually feed and support myself and make my car payments with the teeny salary I earned as an actor in a company. With government grants, Streep took the serious plunge by attending Yale Drama School, where she quickly gained a reputation for rep. This was possible because the school's training emphasized the actor's entire instrument from feet to voice, and the presence of the Yale Repertory Theater, where she became something of a star in such productions as Brecht/Weill's Happy End. "There's no substitute for rep, where I could play the lead one night, and a robot the next, where you had to turn on a dime," Streep notes. "It's a shame that there's much too little of it in this country, because that's where an actor can really find herself. It's what I came up in and all that I know."
The "Streep Essentials"
Q: When was Meryl Streep Day?
Q: What is the real story behind the campaign against the use of the chemical Alar?
Contacting Meryl
Ms. Meryl Streep
Q: Is this *really* her address?
Causes Meryl Supports
Q: Do you think Meryl would be interested in representing our group?
Movie-Specific Q/A
{The} Hours
One True Thing
Sophie's Choice
Artificial Intelligence
Set Dressing
Books on Meryl
"Meryl Streep: A Critical Biography"
"Meryl Streep: The Reluctant Superstar"
"The Meryl Streep Story"
Q: Have you read them, and do you recommend them?
Where can I find Meryl's prints at Mann's Chinese Theatre?
Does Meryl have a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
See also, Credits
Q: Does Meryl Know About MSO?
Q: Does she ever visit the website?
Q: Have you ever met Meryl Streep?
Q: Is the address at the bottom of this website the right one?
A: The answer to all of these questions is yes. :-)
Q: Is it true that Meryl's real name is Mary Louise?
A: Yes.
A: Meryl was born in Summit, New Jersey on June 22, 1949.
A: After all of these years, I still get asked these questions quite often. The answer to the first question is simple, respect. To answer the second, I believe Meryl said it best in this interview with Brad Goldfarb in the December 2002 issue of Interview Magazine:
My mother was and is my role model. Not precisely for what she did in her life, but for the way she's always done everything. She always started the day singing, she loves a good joke, she has energy and verve, wit and great natural graciousness. Everybody loves my mom because she is the Will Rogers of Women; she puts people at their ease and can diffuse any awkward social situation with a witty aside or a joke at her own expense. I've always admired this ability to lighten the atmosphere when she enters the room, and I think the best role models for women and girls are people of either gender who are fruitfully and confidently themselves, who bring light into the world.
A: An audience member asked Meryl that same question during a television interview (and she's been asked this during several print interviews as well). Here is what she said:Get a good education,
know as much as you can about everything,
and listen - and look at the world - you know - feelingly.
Meryl's advice to an aspiring actress on The View
From Pacino & Streep: Veteran's Play (EW 2003)
From "The Many Faces of Meryl," Special Issue of Variety, June 2004
Meryl's answers to questions in preparation for her AOL chat:
Education: Vassar College, 1971, BA; Yale School of Drama, 1975, MFA.
Top item on her to-do List: "To remember where I put the list"
Her favorite movie: "Waiting for Guffman"
Likes most about fame: "You can usually get a table."
Likes least about fame: "Fame drives a wedge between me and just about everyone I meet–an artificial little fence we chat over. Everybody's friendly, everybody's nice, but it's an obstruction."
One person in history she'd like to meet: "My daughter had this question for an essay and I thought her answer was the best, so I'm stealing it. I'd like to talk (if we could talk) to Lucy, the earliest known female hominid, evidence of whose existence the Leakeys discovered in East Africa."
Favorite things: "My favorite things change constantly. Today my favorite thing was the pale lavender (I think they're) columbine that grow wild by the side of the road . . . the most delicate, fragile, mighty beauty."
Staple in daily routine: Coffee
One wish: "To have 729 more wishes!"
The Streep Line: One branch of the Streep family, who were Spanish Jews, emigrated to Holland in the 15th century. On their immigration documents, instead of signing their names, they drew a line. Streep means "line" or "stripe" in Dutch.
Affiliations: Co-founded Mothers & Others, an environmental advocacy group for parents.
A: Meryl Streep day was May 27, 2004. It was proclaimed by Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, and events (among others) included a luncheon at the Marriott Marquis in Midtown.
A: Read the story in Meryl's own words, here.
Q: I would like to contact/write Meryl Streep. How do I go about it?
A: You may write to Meryl in care of her agent, Kevin Huvane, at this address, found at the bottom of the website:
Creative Artists Agency
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
A: Yes.
Q: Where can I find out more about the causes Meryl supports?
A: Meryl supports many causes, a list of them with details can be found here at MSO by clicking here.
A: Only Meryl can answer that for you. Please write Meryl at the address listed above.
Postcards From The Edge
Q: Is the soundtrack available?
A: As of this writing, the answer is no.
Q: Do you know the name of the beautiful piece Clarissa is listening to while preparing for the party?
A: On the DVD commentary for the film, you can hear Meryl talk about how this piece came to be included in the film. Entitled "BEIM SCHLAFENGEHEN" (A Time To Sleep), from "Four Last Songs," music by Richard Strauss, lyrics by Herman Hesse. Performed by Jessye Norman, Soprano. Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig, Kurt Masur, Conductor. more details »
Q: What were Kate Gulden's two favorite movies shown in the film?
A: "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "South Pacific".
Q: The music in Sophie's Choice was beautiful. Do you have details?
A: Here you go: Johann Sebastian Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
"Eine Kleine Nachtmusic K 525," Ludwig van Beethoven's "Symphony #6 in F Major, Op. 68 'Pastoral'" and "Symphony #9 in D Minor, Op. 125 'Choral'," Georg Frederic Handel's "The Water Music Suite in F Major," Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's "Lieder Opus 30 #1," Robert Schumann's "About Foreign Lands and People," Johann Strauss's "Voices of Spring Opus 410," and Eric Coates' "Sleepy Lagoon."
Q: Did Meryl provide the voice for the Blue Fairy?
A: Yes, she did.
Q: I was watching {insert movie name} and noticed photographs in the background, are those real photos of Meryl?
A: In some films, yes. One True Thing (in the entryway); Postcards (by Doris' piano. Also look for a photo of Meryl and Robert DeNiro from Falling in Love on Marty Weiner's office wall), Music of the Heart (some in the opening credits are real, some are not), Death Becomes Her (on the piano), to name a few.
Q: Have there been any books published about Meryl?
A: To the best of my knowledge, there have been several, they are all, however, out of print:
Eugene E. Pfaff, Jr., and Mark Emerson
Hardcover (December 1987)
Diana Maychick
Nick Smurthwaite
A: The answer to the first question is yes. The answer to the second is no.
On September 25, 1994, Meryl was honored with a place at the Forecourt of the Stars (pictured above). You'll find them to the left of comedienne/actress Whoopi Goldberg and right above Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr (The King and I). Planning a trip or need directions? Visit the Theatre online for more information.
YES. Meryl received her star (the 2,119th) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 16, 1998, at the time One True Thing was released. Her star is located at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard. 
Meryl Streep Memorabilia
If you are looking for pricing information (either as buyer or seller), the best advice is to do a search for a similar item on ebay and see what it's going for, and price your item (or bid) accordingly. A word regarding autographs -- I have seen many auctions on ebay in the past that definitely do not look authentic, so buyer beware. Be sure to request a Certificate of Authenticity. The autograph on this page is a good example of Meryl's writing style.
MSO FAQ Last modified: 1.19.2010