Meryl Streep and Don Gummer
As we enter 2024, Hollywood power couple Meryl Streep and Don Gummer continue to capture our imagination after over 40 years of marriage. Their enduring union in the fickle world of entertainment is a testament to their commitment and mutual support of each other’s careers and passions.
In the 1970s, a young Meryl Streep was establishing herself as a talented and versatile actress on the stage and screen. Having graduated from prestigious institutions like Vassar College and Yale School of Drama, the sky was the limit for Meryl Streep’s blossoming career. It was during this time that she met Don Gummer, a promising young sculptor who had found success with his avant-garde creations.
When they married in 1978, neither could have predicted that they were beginning a lifetime partnership that would see them both ascend to the pinnacle of their professions. Today, Meryl Streep name is synonymous with cinematic excellence having won three Academy Awards and holding the record for the most Academy Award nominations of any actor. Gummer’s sculptural works are collected by major museums and exhibited around the world.
Part of the fascination with Meryl Streep and Gummer is how they have retained such normalcy and humility despite their massive success. They have raised four children in California and Connecticut, largely shielding them from the glare of the Hollywood spotlight. “I chose a different path from the one I could have chosen,” Streep has said about her family life. “I don’t know if it’s the best thing, but it was the one I chose.”
Meryl Streep Illustrious Acting Career in Her 60s
As Meryl Streep enters her mid-60s, her prowess and versatility as an actress show no signs of diminishing. If anything, she has expanded her repertoire with complex, nuanced roles in critically acclaimed films like “The Post,” “The Iron Lady,” and “August: Osage County.” She continues to seamlessly disappear into her characters, winning praise for her ability to capture not just the external mannerisms but the internal emotional truth.
Beyond the sheer brilliance of her acting, Streep’s recent roles reveal her determination not to be typecast as she grows older. “Getting older is an uphill battle,” she has said. “But the alternative sucks so I’m going uphill.” In the 2020 film “The Prom,” she showed off her comedic skills as a narcissistic Broadway star. And in Steven Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat,” she transformed herself into the white-haired journalistic dynamo Arianna Huffington.
Don Gummer’s Sculptures Grace Major Museums
While less famous than his celebrated wife, Don Gummer has made his indelible mark in the art world. His abstract steel sculptures juxtapose industrial and natural elements, creating chaotic yet oddly harmonious forms. Gummer’s works feature in prominent museum collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Toledo Museum of Art.
Now in his mid-70s, Gummer continues to actively create new pieces from his studio and home in Connecticut. Ever the supportive husband, he often accompanies Streep to Hollywood premieres and award shows. He maintains a low public profile, letting his sculptures speak for themselves while avoiding the cult of celebrity.
In interviews over the years, Meryl Streep has expressed her deep appreciation for Gummer’s unflappable presence anchoring their family. Despite divergent careers, their marriage has thrived by embracing each other’s passions. As rising stars in 2024, their son Henry Wolfe Gummer is establishing himself as an actor while their daughter Grace Gummer is a Broadway regular.
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer
The Streep-Gummer union has given us a model of true partnership nurturing creativity, raising a family, and supporting each other’s growth through life’s ups and downs. As Meryl Streep once quipped, “I’m very lucky that I met, knockout lucky, the first time I gave my heart to somebody it was to the right person.” After over four decades side-by-side, that luck has never run out for her and Gummer.