It's no great leap to say that Streep is our greatest living actress, but I know I will also be in the majority when I say she is the greatest film actress of all time. Looking over her body of work, there are no less than 20 film performances that are a cut above the best work of most other film actresses. While it would be a chore to come up with 12 outstanding performances for most others, the hard work here was narrowing it down to only 12 for Meryl Streep. One of the most striking things about my list is there are six performances I didn't even include that were Oscar nominated. How many people can claim that their best 12 performances didn't even include half a dozen Oscar-worthy turns? That's pretty outrageous, right?
These are not necessarily her best films (total package), but her 12 best performances:
1. Sophie - Sophie's Choice
2. Joanna Kramer - Kramer vs. Kramer
3. Karen - Out of Africa
4. Lindy Chamberlain - A Cry in the Dark
5. Miranda Priestly - The Devil Wears Prada
6. Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg - Angels in America
7. Julia Child - Julie & Julia
8. Karen Silkwood - Silkwood
9. Susan Orlean - Adaptation
10. Sister Aloysius Beauvier - Doubt
11. Francesca Johnson - The Bridges of Madison County
12. Lee - Marvin's Room
Also: Gail Hartman in The River Wild, Sarah in The French Lieutenant's Woman, and Kate Gulden in One True Thing, among several others. When it comes to screen acting by an actress, we are living in a time of greatness.
