Here's one great picture of Meryl Streep every year since 1976.
There is a moment from the ABC sitcom Modern Family when Eric Stonestreet's Cameron Tucker praises Meryl Streep by claiming she "could play Batman and be the right choice." While we do not see that casting happening anytime soon, we certainly see where he is coming from.
The star of classics like Sophie's Choice, Kramer vs. Kramer, and much more has been nominated for more Oscars in an acting category than anyone else (with a current total of 21) - three of which she would take home (for the titles mentioned above and 2011's The Iron Lady, most recently). She has also received recognition for playing a "vicious" fashion magazine editor in The Devil Wears Prada in 2006, singing and dancing to ABBA in 2009's Mamma Mia!, and joining the Big Little Lies cast to bring an extra layer of chilling suspense to Season 2.
That barely even begins to covers all of the incomparably brilliant performances that Meryl Streep has contributed to cinema's legacy. To celebrate her life and achievements, we present the following slideshow consisting of photos of the actress from each year of her stunning career, starting in 1976.
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(Image credit: Future)
Meryl Streep in 1976(Image credit: Jack Mitchell / Contributor)
Meryl Streep in a scene from The Deadliest Season in 1977(Image credit: CBS Photo Archive / Contributor)
Meryl streep as Inga Helms Weiss in Holocaust in 1978(Image credit: NBC)
Meryl Streep at the Kramer Vs Kramer New York City Premiere After Party 1979(Image credit: Ron Galella / Contributor)
Meryl Streep after winning Best Supporting Actress during the 52nd Annual Academy Awards in 1980(Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer)
Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant's Woman in 1981(Image credit: Hulton Archive / Stringer)
Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice in 1982(Image credit: Universal Pictures)
Meryl Streep in Silkwood in 1983(Image credit: ABC Photo Archives / Contributor)
Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro filming Falling in Love in 1984(Image credit: Images Press / Contributor)
Meryl Streep on the set of Out of Africa in 1985(Image credit: Sunset Boulevard / Contributor)
Meryl Streep at the 12th Annual People's Choice Awards in 1986(Image credit: Ron Galella / Contributor)
Meryl Streep playing piano in Ironweed in 1987(Image credit: Columbia TriStar / Handout)
Meryl Streep in a scene from A Cry in the Dark in 1988(Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer)
Meryl Streep at the 46th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 1989(Image credit: Ron Galella / Contributor)
Meryl Streep at the Los Angeles premiere of Postcards From the Edge in 1990 (Image credit: Ron Galella / Contributor)
Meryl Streep during 1991 Vital Spirits Honor(Image credit: Ron Galella / Contributor)
Meryl Streep in a scene from Death Becomes her in 1992(Image credit: Archive Photos / Stringer)
Meryl Streep in The House of Spirits in 1993(Image credit: Rolf Konow / Contributor)
Meryl Streep at the Hollywood Premiere for The River Wild in 1994(Image credit: Ron Galella / Contributor)
Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County in1995(Image credit: Warner Bros)
Meryl Streep attends the Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet's Fifth Annual Family Funfest in 1996(Image credit: Ron Galella / Contributor)
Meryl Streep and Seth Adkins in ...First Do No Harm in 1997(Image credit: ABC)
Meryl Streep at the 22nd Annual Women in Film Crystal Awards in 1998(Image credit: Ron Galella / Contributor)
Meryl Streep in Music of the Heart in 1999(Image credit: miramax)
Meryl Streep receives the French Arts & Literature Award in 2000(Image credit: Steve Azzara/ Contributor )
Meryl Streep during Press Conference Announcing the Creation of the Tribecca Film Festival in 2001(Image credit: Tom Kingston / Contributor)
Meryl Streep on set for the documentary film New York and the Movies in 2002(Image credit: Arnaldo Magnani / Contributor)
Meryl Streep during the 2003 New York Magazine Awards(Image credit: Robin Platzer / Contributor)
Meryl Streep receiving an Emmy in 2004 for Angels in America(Image credit: Frank Trapper / Contributor)
Meryl Streep during the Universal premiere for Prime in 2005(Image credit: Sylvain Gaboury / Staff)
Meryl Streep representing The Devil Wears Prada during The 63rd International Venice Film Festival in 2006(Image credit: Niki Nikolova / Contributor)
Meryl Streep at the 79th Annual Academy Awards in 2007 nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Devil Wears Prada(Image credit: Jeff Vespa / Contributor)
Meryl Streep attends the Australian Premiere for Mama Mia! the Movie in 2008(Image credit: Kristian Dowling / Staff)
Meryl Streep at a press conference for It's Complicated in 2009(Image credit: Vera Anderson / Contributor)
Meryl Streep at the 2010 Mayor's Award for Arts & Culture(Image credit: Ben Hider / Contributor)
Meryl Streep at a photo call for The Iron Lady in 2011(Image credit: Mike Marsland / Contributor)
Meryl Streep attends the 2012 Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation's A Magical Evening Benefit (Image credit: Jude Domski / Contributor)
Meryl Streep attends the 2013 premiere for The Weinstein Company's August: Osage County(Image credit: Kevin Winter / Staff)
Meryl Streep attends the world premiere of Into the Woods in 2014(Image credit: Michael Loccisano / Staff)
Meryl Streep attends the photo call for Ricki and the Flash in 2015(Image credit: Grant Lamos IV / Contributor)
Meryl Streep attends a photo call for Florence Foster Jenkins in 2016 (Image credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Staff)
Meryl Streep at the 10th Annual Women in Film Pre-Oscar Cocktail Party in 2017(Image credit: Steve Granitz / Contributor)
Meryl Streep arrives at the 90th Annual Academy Awards in 2018(Image credit: Steve Granitz / Contributor)
Meryl Streep on the red carpet of the 76th Venice Film Festival in 2019(Image credit: Mondadori Portfolio / Contributor)
Meryl Streep speaks during Equality Now's virtual Make Equality Reality Gala in 2020(Image credit: Getty Images / Staff)
Meryl Streep attends the world premiere of Netflix's Don't Look Up in 2021(Image credit: Taylor Hill / Contributor)
Sarah is currently a professional child wrangler. When she is not running around on the playgrounds and slapping together PB&J sandwiches, she loves getting a good sweat in at the gym, singing, and going to see live theatre (while simultaneously dreaming about being a part of a stage creation again one day).
