Meryl Streep: surprising facts that only her biggest fans will know

Meryl has been called the best actress of her generation, which is not a surprise, with all she has done! Join us as we take a look at some surprising facts about her life!

First of all, Meryl Streep isn't her real name! The actress was born on June 22, 1949, as Mary Louise Streep.

Meryl is a nickname given to the actress by her father. On 'The Graham Norton Show,' Streep explained that she was named Mary in honor of her mother and grandmother and Louise after her mother's best friend.

Meryl Streep treated high school as a film role. In the biography about Streep titled 'Her Again,' the author Michael Schulman wrote that Meryl approached high school popularity like it was a role.

In an interview on NPR, Schulman elaborated, "She joined the cheerleading squad, she was the lead in every musical, she would do the French club and student council... And eventually, in her senior year, she was elected homecoming queen, which was kind of the pinnacle. It was kind of like winning best actress of her high school."

Although Meryl enjoyed acting growing up, she didn't really take it seriously until she landed a role in the play 'Miss Julie' while studying at Vassar College. Following her graduation in 1971, she went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama.

When Meryl was 23 years old, she slept through a law exam! At the time, she was considering becoming an environmental lawyer. Michael Schulman wrote about it in 'The New Yorker' in 2016. Apparently, she decided that sleeping through the exam was a sign that she wasn't meant for law and decided to stick with acting instead.

According to the BBC and other news sources, in 2018, Meryl Streep applied to trademark her name. By doing so, Streep has exclusive rights to her name in the entertainment industry and has joined the ranks of other trademarked entertainers such as Sean Connery, David, and Victoria Beckham, for example.

Meryl was acting in the stage production of 'The Cheery Orchard,' which De Niro happened to see. Robert was so impressed with Meryl's talent that he suggested that she play his girlfriend in the film he was doing, 'The Deer Hunter' (1978). The film was very successful and earned Streep more exposure along with an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Meryl has a reputation for being a perfectionist and giving her all for her roles. Before filming for 'Sophie's Choice' even began, Meryl spent weeks studying Polish for several hours each day. Producers were shocked that not only was she fluent in Polish during filming, but she could speak Polish with a German accent as well!

In 1978, Meryl married Don Gummer, who is a sculptor. The couple has four children together: Henry, a musician, Mamie and Grace, both actresses, and Louisa, a model. So the arts definitely run in the family!!

Streep has received an impressive 21 Academy Award nominations with three wins and 32 Golden Globe Awards nominations with a total of nine wins. She has had more Academy Award nominations than any other woman in history!

All of her years of acting and all of her success have not been in vain. Meryl Streep is estimated to be worth $90 million dollars according to 'Celebrity Net Worth.'

On the 'Ellen DeGeneres Show,' Streep spoke about donating her salary from 'The Iron Lady' to the National Women's History Museum. Meryl said: "We think that women's history needs to be told."

President Barack Obama awarded Meryl Streep with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November of 2014.

According to IMBd, the only item Streep wanted to keep after playing Miranda Priestly in 'The Devil Wears Prada' were the iconic sunglasses her character wore in the film.

Image: Movie still from 'The Devil's Wears Prada'

Meryl Sheep first appeared on 'Sesame Street' in 1987 and appeared on and off on the show until season 21. While on the series Meryl Sheep taught many students at the 'Meryl Sheep School of Acting,' including Susan Sarandon.

Image: Still from 'Sesame Street'

Meryl Streep certainly is a uniquely talented actress, not many can perform so well in drama, comedy, and musicals. Without a doubt, she is certainly one of the greatest actresses of our time!