# What is the best Meryl Streep performance of all time?

> From Oscar-winning dramatic masterworks to beloved crowd-pleasers, her filmography spans every genre and era of American cinema. The legends are here alongside the unexpected gems — cast your vote!

*By YPB Team · Published April 10, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-meryl-streep-performance-of-all-time*

---

## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Sophie's Choice**
   A 1982 drama in which Streep plays a Holocaust survivor haunted by an unbearable wartime choice, winning her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
2. **The Devil Wears Prada**
   A 2006 comedy-drama in which Streep plays an icy, imperious fashion magazine editor who became one of cinema's most iconic figures.
3. **Kramer vs. Kramer**
   A 1979 drama where Streep plays a mother who leaves her family and fights for custody, winning her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
4. **The Iron Lady**
   A 2011 biopic in which Streep's transformative portrayal of Margaret Thatcher earned her third Academy Award for Best Actress.
5. **Doubt**
   A 2008 drama where Streep plays a formidable nun confronting a priest over suspected misconduct, earning an Oscar nomination.
6. **Out of Africa**
   A 1985 epic romance in which Streep portrays Danish author Karen Blixen managing a coffee plantation in Kenya, earning an Oscar nomination.
7. **Silkwood**
   A 1983 drama where Streep gives a grounded performance as real-life nuclear plant whistleblower Karen Silkwood, earning an Oscar nomination.
8. **The Bridges of Madison County**
   A 1995 romance in which Streep plays an Italian war bride who has a brief but transformative love affair opposite Clint Eastwood.
9. **Angels in America**
   A 2003 HBO miniseries in which Streep plays multiple characters, winning the Golden Globe and SAG Award for her astonishing breadth.
10. **Julie & Julia**
   A 2009 film featuring Streep's exuberant, physically transformative portrayal of beloved American chef Julia Child.
11. **Adaptation**
   A 2002 meta-film in which Streep plays a New Yorker journalist with unexpected vulnerability and dark comic edge.
12. **The Hours**
   A 2002 drama where Streep plays a modern-day Manhattan woman organizing a party for her dying friend in one of three interwoven storylines.
13. **A Cry in the Dark**
   A 1988 drama in which Streep plays real-life Australian mother Lindy Chamberlain, wrongly convicted of murder, winning Best Actress at Cannes.
14. **Mamma Mia!**
   A 2008 musical in which Streep delivers a joyful performance as a free-spirited single mother on a Greek island, singing ABBA songs.
15. **Florence Foster Jenkins**
   A 2016 film in which Streep plays the famously off-key soprano who believed wholeheartedly in her talent, earning another Oscar nomination.
16. **The French Lieutenant's Woman**
   A 1981 film where Streep plays dual roles — a mysterious Victorian woman and the modern actress playing her — showcasing extraordinary range.
17. **August: Osage County**
   A 2013 drama where Streep plays the fierce matriarch of a dysfunctional Oklahoma family, earning an Oscar nomination opposite Julia Roberts.
18. **Heartburn**
   A 1986 drama based on Nora Ephron's semi-autobiographical novel where Streep plays a food writer navigating a crumbling marriage.

Tags: movies, celebrities, actors, meryl streep