Trivia
- Meryl attended the Mamma Mia stage production with her daughter for her 10th birthday, and afterwards, Meryl wrote a letter to the upcoming film's casting crew, proclaiming her love for the show. She eventually landed the lead role of Donna.
- Seven men were required to help Meryl into her white spandex jumpsuit she wore in Mamma Mia as the suit was so tight.
- Meryl forgot her Oscar trophy and left it on a toilet seat during her celebrations in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion bathroom after her win for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980.
- Meryl won the Hasty Pudding Theatricals award for Woman of the Year in 1980.
- Meryl learned to play the violin in preparation for her role in the 1999 film Music of the Heart.
- Meryl has presented both Peter O'Toole, in 2003, and Robert Altman, in 2005, their Honorary Academy Awards.
- Meryl appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair's April 2001 issue.
- Meryl presented Paul McCartney his Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1990 Grammys.
- Helen named her favourite actresses working today as; Cate Blanchett, Emily Blunt, Dame Helen Mirren and Nicole Kidman.
- At the 1986 Oscar's ceremony Meryl was considered the lock-favourite to win the Best Actress gong for Out of Africa. However it was Geraldine Page, an eight-time nominee, who eventually won and it was Meryl who led the standing ovation Geraldine received.
- In January 2007, Meryl was voted the world's third sexiest older woman. The poll was to find the sexiest female stars who have passed 50-years-old.
- Meryl was not present at the 1990 Academy Awards ceremony where she was nominated for an award for Best Actress.
- Meryl was placed in the No.10 position on ex-fashion designer, Mr Blackwell’s, 47th annual report of the worst-dressed women of 2006.
- Meryl was considered for the role of Evita Peron in the film Evita, a role which eventually went to the singer Madonna Ciccone.
- Meryl voiced the Blue Mecha character in the Steven Spielberg film, A.I...
- Meryl has a star on the Hollwood Walk of Fame, in honour of her contribution to motion pictures, at 7018 Hollywood Blvd.
- In preperation for her role as Sophie in the movie, Sophie's Choice, Meryl learned how to speak German fluently, as well as learning a Polish accent.
- Meryl's character, "Karen Silkwood" from her 1983 film Silkwood, was ranked No.47 on the American Film Institute's list of "Heroes of the 100 years of The Greatest Screen Heroes and Villains".
- The children's TV series Sesame Street has featured a character named "Meryl Sheep", in her honor.
- With a total of twenty one Golden Globe nominations, Meryl is the second most nominated Golden Globe performer, behind Jack Lemmon.
- Meryl is a supporter of the US Democratic Party.
- Meryl co-hosted the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert with Liam Neeson in Oslo, Norway in 2001. The winner of the prize was United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
- In 2006, Meryl's performance as "Sophie Zawistowska" in the movie Sophie's Choice was ranked No.3 on Premiere Magazine's "100 Greatest Performances of All Time".
- With a total of fourteen nominations, Meryl is the most nominated actor or actress ever for an Academy Award.
- Meryl was ranked No.24 in Empire magazine's list of "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" in October 1997.
- She made her big screen debut in the movie Julia (1977).
- She's got a Masters degree in Drama from Yale University, in 1975.
- She's appeared in over 30 productions with the Yale Repertory Theatre.
- She studied drama and English at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New Hampshire.
- In high school she was both a cheerleader and a Homecoming Queen.
- When she was young Meryl dreamed of becoming an opera star.
Quotes
- Meryl: (about the 2008 film "Mamma Mia") It was such an opportunity to just sing and dance and be happy, and I was happy every single day of this shoot, and it was just completely joyful. I mean, we were in Greece, for goodness sake! The movie has a lot of great female stuff, and I think that's good. It's a wonderful movie that makes you feel better.
- Meryl: (on filming Mamma Mia) Wearing those overalls for four months was a bit of trial and the platform shoes and the spandex jumpsuit that took seven men to get me into – that was painful! But it was fun to dress up in those silly clothes!
- Meryl: (On the Abba songs in the film "Mamma Mia") I think I have sung all of these songs about 70,000 times - starting in my closet, which was the only place my family would allow me to practise, all the way to Pinewood and Holland Park where we were living. But I never got sick of singing these songs.
- Meryl: Sometimes under-preparation is very good, because it instills fear and fear is galvanizing. It makes you break out of yourself. If you're prepared, then you think you're ready, and if you think you're ready, then you're not ready.
- Meryl: But ... in my own experience of male and female directors, people have a much, much harder time taking a direct command from a woman. It's somehow very difficult for people.
- Meryl: Let's face it, we were all once 3-year-olds who stood in the middle of the living room and everybody thought we were so adorable. Only some of us grow up and get paid for it.
- Meryl (On whether Madonna should play Eva Peron in the film version of "Evita" instead of her): I can sing better than she can. If Madonna gets it, I'll rip her throat out!.
- Meryl: I have seriously thought about giving up unless there are roles available that do not depict women of my age as either dotty or horrible. For many female actors who turn 40 it means the end of their career, its time to retire. There aren't that many good roles for women over 40. A lot of them don't have much substance, other than being someone's mother or wife. If we are told we are not valuable once we hit 30 it is a problem.
- Meryl: I think I was wired for family. You know how they say people are wired for religion, or wired for this or that? I always knew I would like to, if I could find the right person, have a family. I can't imagine living single.
- Meryl: I know how inadequate they made me feel, so I've always tried to tell them that it's what they do, not how they look that counts.
- Meryl slams the fashion industry as a menace for the pressure it puts on girls to look good.
- Meryl: You can't get spoiled if you do your own ironing.
- Meryl: Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials.
- Meryl: It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician.
- Meryl: Integrate what you believe in every single area of your life. Take your heart to work and ask the most and best of everybody else, too.
- Meryl (A comment made by a young Meryl in 1978): I'm looking forward to bigger parts in the future, but I'm not doing soft-core scripts where the character emerges in half-light, half-dressed.
