Why Meryl Streep and Don Gummer Decided to Separate After 45 Years of Marriage

Iconic actress Meryl Streep is the most Oscar-nominated actress in history, with 21 nominations between 1979 and 2018. During that time, she was married to sculptor Don Gummer for over four decades. Streep has had a stellar career spanning even longer than her marriage, and her loyal husband has always been by her side. Until, that is, they announced that they had split up and been living separately for six years.

Meryl Streep was born Mary Louise Streep on June 22nd, 1949, in Summit, New Jersey. Her parents were artist Mary Wilkinson Streep and pharmaceutical executive Harry William Streep Jr. She has two younger brothers, Harry William Streep III and Dana David Streep, who both also became actors.

Two and a half years earlier, 700 miles east, Donald James Gummer was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 12th, 1946. His parents were Dorothy Ann (née Jacobson) and William Adolph Gummer, and he and his gaggle of five brothers - William, Jack, Richard, Steven, and Mark - grew up in Indiana.

Back in 1963, the Streep family moved to Bernardsville, New Jersey, where Meryl attended Bernards High School. One classmate described her as a "gawky kid with glasses and frizzy hair." The outgoing youngster loved showing off, and her first brush with performance art came at age 12 when she sang at a school recital, leading to opera singing lessons.

In 1969, Meryl attended the prestigious liberal arts school Vassar College. There, she appeared in her first serious role in the stage play Miss Julie. Streep quickly developed the ability to mimic accents and memorize her lines.