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Meryl Streep December 2018,  photo by photo by Montclair Film.

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Merly Streep

Meryl Streep has for decades sung and acted in many iconic films. Meryl and her husband share four children together, all of whom are also in show business. The actor was named Mary Louise Streep after her mother and grandmother.

She is mostly known for her iconic role in the show The Devil Wears Prada and Sophie鈥檚 Choice. Meryl also played British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom, in the 2011 film The Iron Lady

Her eldest, Henry Wolfe, is a musician, her youngest, Louisa, is a model, and her two middle children, Mamie and Grace, are both actresses. She has stared in films like the musical, Into the Woods and the film Kramer vs. Kramer. Here are some interesting facts about Meryl Streep.

1.Her real name is not Meryl

Meryl has always been known to be the actor鈥檚 original name but that is not the case. When the actor was born, she was named Mary Louise Streep after her mother and grandmother. Louise Buckman, her mom鈥檚 best friend gave her the middle name.

The origin of the name Meryl was her father who liked the name. The name is a combination of her first and middle name, Mary and Louise.

2.She applied to trademark her name

Streep in 1977, photo by Jack Mitchell.

Like many artists and celebrities in Hollywood especially, Meryl Streep has filed an application with the United States Trademark Office to trademark her name officially. By applying for the trademark, she would have exclusive rights to the use of her name in the entertainment industry.

Her application referred to live, televised, and movie appearances, speaking engagements, and autograph signings in order to prevent anyone else from making money off of their brand. According to documents obtained by TMZ, Meryl has started the motions of having her name trademarked protecting her name from any unauthorized commercial use.

3.Meryl Streep was a cheerleader and the homecoming queen in high school

Streep as a cheerleader, 1966, photo by Bernards High School, Bernardsville, New Jersey.

The actor was a talented cheerleader and the homecoming queen when she was in high school. Meryl was very active in high school and participated in various activities like joining the cheerleading squad, paying in various musicals as the lead, she was part of the French club and part of the student council.  She was also elected for homecoming queen in her senior year of high school.

4.She has an advanced degree from an Ivy League university

Streep receiving an honorary degree from Harvard University in 2010, photo by chensiyuan.

Meryl Streep joined Vassar College after high school and in 1969, received her Bachelor of Arts. In 1975, she then went on to attend Yale and earn her master鈥檚 degree in fine arts.

Additionally, in 1981, Dartmouth College awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree. The actor has multiple degrees from Ivy League universities including Princeton University and Harvard University. Read more about the top 10 universities in the US.

5.She was once evicted from her apartment

Meryl Streep was in a relationship and eventually engaged to actor John Cazale who played Fredo in The Godfather. The engagement lasted for almost three years. The pair played opposite each other in Measure for Measure at New York鈥檚 Shakespeare in the Park in 1976.

When Cazale was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 1978 Meryl stayed by his side and when he passed away on March 12, 1978, she was left to settle Cazale鈥檚 medical bills which were very costly.

Consequently, Meryl was evicted from the apartment she and Cazale had shared. Her brother and his friend Don Gummer assisted her to move. Gummer agreed to let Meryl sublet his room in his apartment and as the two kept in touch they were eventually married in September 1978.

6.She donated her salary from The Iron Lady to the Women鈥檚 History Museum

Meryl Streep played British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom, in the 2011 film The Iron Lady. The role was big led her to win a third Oscar. The actor was also paid one million dollars for working in the movie.

From her explanation to Ellen DeGeneres, she donated her entire earnings to help build History Museum at the National Mall in Washington. They were trying to raise money to build on the mall in Washington to teach women鈥檚 history.

Read more about the top10 Beautiful places to visit in Washington state here.

7.She has been trained as an opera singer and has been nominated for six Grammy Awards

Streep in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2004, photo by Artem from St-Petersburg, russia.

Meryl is a classically trained singer and before appearing in any musicals, she trained in opera singing. She studied opera under teacher Estelle Liebling when she was a teacher but gave it up to be a cheerleader.

The training she went through made her play her roles in acting easier. She has starred in musicals such as Into the Woods (2012), Mamma Mia (2008), and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! (2018).

As a result she has been nominated for a total of six Grammy Awards, for her work in Mamma Mia and for numerous spoken word albums, such as the reading of Charlotte鈥檚 Web in 2020.

8.She has been nominated for 21 Academy Awards

Streep at the 2014 Screen Actors Guild Awards, photo by Neon Tommy.

Meryl Streep has been nominated for a total of 21 Academy Awards and has won three Oscars for her role in Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie鈥檚 Choice, and The Iron Lady. These were her most famous roles.

Seventeen of these nominations have been for Best Actress, and four have been for Best Supporting Actress. Not many actresses have achieved the same but Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson are close.

Meryl is also one of the only six actors to win an Academy Award at least three times although she shared the honor with Katharine Hepburn, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman, and Walter Brennan.

Read more about top 10 Astonishing Facts about Katherine Hepburn here.

9.She donated her Devil Wears Prada wardrobe to charity

treep (right) at the Venice premiere of The Devil Wears Prada in 2006, photo by spaceodissey.

Her role as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada was one of the most famous roles she did in her career. The movie had a huge costume budget because the movie鈥檚 focus was high-end fashion, with many couture designers donating clothes and accessories to the film.

Despite the loans from various designers, more than one million dollars was spent on costumes.However, rather than keep her designer wardrobe from The Devil Wears Prada, Streep donated it to a charity auction.

Some of the proceeds went to Dress for Success, an organization that helps low-income women prepare for career development.

10.She famously left her first Oscar in the washroom

In 1979, Meryl Streep won her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Kramer vs. Kramer. After reading her acceptance speech, she left her Oscar in the ladies鈥� room. The encounter was hilarious and she only remembered after someone shouted that someone had left their Oscar award.

Read more on the some of the 15 Oscar scandals that shocked the world here.

Meryl is indeed a talented actor known for her gifted vocals and acting talent. She is mostly known for her iconic role in the show The Devil Wears Prada and Sophie鈥檚 Choice. She has an outstanding acting career with an urge to support women and ensure that they are supported