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Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
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Ueli Steiger to Milt Tarver
Meryl Streep Biography (1949-)
Born Mary Louise Streep, June 22, 1949, in Madison (some sources cite Summit), NJ; daughter of Harry, Jr. (a pharmaceutical company executive) and Mary W.(a commercial artist) Streep; sister of Harry Streep III (a choreographer and dancer); married Donald J. Gummer (a sculptor), September 15, 1978; children: Henry "Harry"/"Hank", Mary Willa "Mamie", Grace Jane, Louisa Jackson. Addresses: Agent: Kevin Huvane, Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.; Publicist: PMK/HBH Public Relations, 8500 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.
- Nationality
- American
- Gender
- Female
- Occupation
- Actress, producer
- Birth Details
- 1949
- New Jersey, United States
Famous Works
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CREDITS
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Film Appearances
- Voice from Stage 6, Everybody Rides the Carousel, 1975
- Anne Marie, Julia, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1977
- Linda, The Deer Hunter, Universal, 1978
- Jill, Manhattan, United Artists, 1979
- Karen Traynor, The Seduction of Joe Tynan, Universal, 1979
- Joanna Kramer, Kramer vs. Kramer, Columbia, 1979
- Sarah Woodruff and Anna, The French Lieutenant's Woman, United Artists, 1981
- Brooke Reynolds, Still of the Night, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1982
- Sophie Zawistowska, Sophie's Choice, Universal, 1982
- Karen Silkwood, Silkwood, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983
- Narrator, In Our Hands (documentary), Libra Cinema 5, 1983
- Molly Gilmore, Falling in Love, Paramount, 1984
- Susan Traherne, Plenty, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1985
- Karen Blixen-Finecke, Out of Africa, Universal, 1985
- Rachel Louise Samstat/Forman, Heartburn, Paramount, 1986
- Helen Archer, Ironweed, TriStar, 1988
- Lindy Chamberlain, A Cry in the Dark (also known as Evil Angels), Warner Bros., 1988
- Mary Fisher, She-Devil, Orion, 1989
- Suzanne Vale, Postcards from the Edge, Columbia, 1990
- Julia, Defending Your Life, Warner Bros., 1991
- Madeline Ashton, Death Becomes Her, Universal, 1992
- Clara Del Valle Trueba, The House of the Spirits (also known as Aandernes hus,
A casa dos espiritos, and Das geisterhaus),Miramax, 1994
- Gail Hartman, The River Wild, Universal, 1994
- Francesca Johnson, The Bridges of Madison County, Warner Bros., 1995
- Narrator, The Living Sea (documentary), MacGillivray Freeman Films, 1995
- Carolyn Ryan, Before and After, Buena Vista, 1996
- Lee, Marvin's Room, Miramax, 1996
- Narrator, Assignment: Rescue (documentary; also known as The Story of Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee), 1997
- Kate "Kit" Mundy, Dancing at Lughnasa, Sony Pictures Classics, 1998
- Kate Gulden, One True Thing, Universal, 1998
- Narrator, Eternal Memory: Voices from the Great Terror (documentary), Cinema Guild, 1998
- Narrator, Chrysanthemum (short film), 1999
- Roberta Guaspari-Tzavaras, Music of the Heart (also known as Fifty Violins), Miramax, 1999
- Voice of Blue Mecha, Artificial Intelligence: AI (also known as A.I.: Artificial Intelligence), Warner Bros., 2001
- Herself, The Papp Project (documentary), American Masters, 2001
- Susan Orlean, Adaptation, Columbia, 2002
- Clarissa Vaughan, The Hours, Paramount, 2002
- (Uncredited) Herself, Stuck on You, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2003
- Narrator, Monet's Palate: A Gastronomic View from the Gardens of Giverny (documentary), AFB Productions/Renaissance Films, 2003
- Eleanor Prentiss Shaw, The Manchurian Candidate, Paramount, 2004
- Aunt Josephine, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Paramount, 2004
- Lisa Metzger, Prime, Universal/Focus Features, 2005
- Narrator, Stolen Childhoods (documentary), Balcony Releasing, 2005
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Television Appearances
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Miniseries
- Inga Helms Weiss, Holocaust (also known as Holocaust--The Storyof the Family Weiss), NBC, 1978
- Voice of Margaret Sanger, A Century of Women (also known as A Family of Women), TBS, 1994
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A Century of Women, Cable News Network, 1998
- Narrator, School (also known as School: The Story of American Public Education), PBS, 2001
- Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz, Hannah Porter Pitt, Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg,and the Angel Australia, Angels in America, HBO, 2003
- Voices of Abigail Adams, Mother Jones, and Margaret Chase Smith, Freedom: A History of the U.S., PBS.
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Specials
- Edith Varney, Secret Service, PBS, 1977
- Leilah, "Uncommon Women ... and Others," Great Performances, PBS,1978
- Katherine, Kiss Me, Petruchio, PBS, 1981
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The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1981
- (In archive footage) Sixty Years of Seduction, ABC, 1981
- Narrator, "Little Ears: The Velveteen Rabbit," Children's Storybook Classics, PBS, 1985
- Host and narrator, Power Struggle (distributed to schools in two parts: Energy Supply and Energy Efficiency), PBS, 1985
- Narrator, "Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre," American Masters, PBS, 1989
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Premiere Presents: Christmas Movies '89, Fox, 1989
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The 3rd Annual Hollywood Insider Academy Awards Special, USA Network, 1989
- Host and narrator, "Arctic Refuge: A Vanishing Wilderness?," World ofAudubon Specials (also known as National Audubon Society Specials), PBS and TBS, 1990
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An Evening with Bette, Cher, Goldie, Meryl, Olivia, Lily and Robin, ABC, 1990
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Time Warner Presents the Earth Day Special, ABC, 1990
- Member of choir, Voices that Care, Fox, 1991
- Host and narrator, Age Seven in America (documentary; also known as 7-Up in America), CBS, 1992
- Host, Great Performances 20th Anniversary Special, PBS, 1992
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Oprah: Behind the Scenes, ABC, 1992
- Narrator, "The Night before Christmas," We All Have Tales (animated), Showtime, 1992
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Hollywood Stars: A Century of Cinema, The Disney Channel, 1995
- Interviewee, The Siskel and Ebert Interviews, CBS, 1996
- Interviewee, "Roseanne: Tabloids, Trash & Truth," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 1996
- Interviewee, "William Styron: The Way of the Writer," American Masters, PBS, 1997
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Christopher Reeve: A Celebration of Hope, ABC, 1998
- Host, Defending Our Daughters: The Rights of Women in the World, Lifetime, 1998
- Narrator, Intimate Portrait: Vanessa Redgrave, Lifetime, 1998
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Rings of Passion: Five Emotions in World Art, PBS and Ovation, 1998
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From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic, Fox, 1999
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Netaid: A Concert Special, TNT, 1999
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Netaid, VH1, 1999
- Interviewee, Kurt Russell: Hollywood's Heavy Hitter, Arts and Entertainment, 1999
- Host, The Concert of the Century for VH1 Save the Music, VH1, 1999
- Interviewee, "Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows," American Masters, PBS, 2000
- Narrator, Isaac Stern: Life's Virtuoso, PBS, 2000
- Narrator, Ginevra's Story: Solving the Mysteries of Leonardo da Vinci's First Known Portrait, PBS, 2000
- Interviewee, Intimate Portrait: Diane Keaton, Lifetime, 2001
- Host, Nobel Peace Prize Concert (also known as The Nobel PeacePrize 100th Anniversary Concert), USA Network and Trio, 2001
- Narrator, New York at the Movies, Arts and Entertainment, 2002
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There's Only One Paul McCartney, BBC (England), 2002
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Hollywood Salutes Nicolas Cage: An American Cinematheque Tribute,TNT, 2002
- Narrator, Vermeer: Master of Light, PBS, 2002
- Interviewee, Kevin Bacon: Am I Me?, Arts and Entertainment, 2002
- Interviewee, What Not to Wear on the Red Carpet, BBC, 2003
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Nicole Kidman: An American Cinematheque Tribute (also known as The 18th Annual American Cinematheque Award), AMC, 2003
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The 26th Annual Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the PerformingArts, CBS, 2003
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AFI Lifetime Achievement Award: A Tribute to Meryl Streep, USA Network, 2004
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Jonathan Demme and the Making of "The Manchurian Candidate," 2004
- (In archive footage) Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust (documentary), Anker Productions, 2004
- Interviewee, "Bruce Willis," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 2005
- Also narrator of a documentary special on Lyme disease, PBS, 1999.
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Movies
- Sharon Miller, The Deadliest Season, CBS, 1977
- Alice, Alice at the Palace, 1981
- Lori Reimuller, ... First Do No Harm, ABC, 1997
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Episodic
- Guest, Omnibus, BBC (England), 1980
- Voice of Jessica Lovejoy, "Bart's Girlfriend," The Simpsons (animated), Fox, 1994
- Guest, Today, NBC, 1994, 2004
- Guest, CBS This Morning, CBS, 1996
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Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo, 1998
- Guest, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1999
- Voice of Aunt Esme Dauterive, "A Beer Can Named Desire," King of the Hill (animated), Fox, 1999
- Guest, Late Show with David Letterman, 1999
- "The Films of Wes Craven," The Directors, Encore!, 1999
- "The Films of Sydney Pollack," The Directors, Encore!, 2000
- "The Films of Clint Eastwood," The Directors, Encore!, 2000
- Guest, The Oprah Winfrey Show, syndicated, 2002
- Guest, Tinseltown TV, International Channel, 2003
- "Stuck on You," HBO First Look, HBO, 2003
- "Dustin Hoffman," The Hollywood Greats, BBC1 (England), 2004
- Guest, Film '72, BBC, 2004
- Guest, The View, ABC, 2004
- Guest, Coming Attractions, 2004
- Herself, Unscripted, HBO, 2005
- "The Films of Carl Franklin," The Directors, Encore!, 2005
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Awards Presentations
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The 52nd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1980
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The 55th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1983
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The 56th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1984
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The 58th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1986
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The 60th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1988
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The 61st Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1989
- Presenter, The 32nd Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1990
- Presenter, The 63rd Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1991
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The 68th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1996
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The 71st Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1999
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The 9th Annual Gotham Awards, Metroguide Network, 1999
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The 72nd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2000
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The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2003
- Presenter, The 75th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2003
- Presenter, The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2004
- Presenter, The 10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, TNT, 2004
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The 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, ABC, 2004
- Presenter, The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2005
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Others
- Herself, The Best of Everything, 1983
- Host, Race to Save the Planet (series; also known as State of the World), PBS, 1990
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Television Work
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Movies
- Executive producer, ... First Do No Harm, ABC, 1997
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Stage Appearances
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The Playboy of Seville, Cubiculo Theatre, New York City, 1971
- Lieutenant Lillian Holliday, Happy End (musical), Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1974
- (Broadway debut) Imogen Parrot, Trelawny of the "Wells," New YorkShakespeare Festival, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York City,1975
- Flora Meighan, 27 Wagons Full of Cotton and Patricia, A Memoryof Two Mondays (double-bill), Phoenix Repertory Theatre, Playhouse Theatre, New York City, 1976
- Edith Varney, Secret Service, Phoenix Repertory Theatre, PlayhouseTheatre, 1976
- Katherine, Henry V, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, New York City, 1976
- Juliet and Isabella, Measure for Measure, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, 1976
- Dunyasha, The Cherry Orchard, New York Shakespeare Festival, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, 1977
- Lieutenant Lillian Holliday, Happy End (musical), Chelsea TheatreCenter, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY, then Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, both 1977
- Katharina, The Taming of the Shrew, New York Shakespeare Festival,Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, 1978
- Alice, Wonderland in Concert, New York Shakespeare Festival, Public Theatre, 1978
- Andrea, Taken in Marriage, New York Shakespeare Festival, EstelleR. Newman Public Theatre, New York City, 1979
- Alice, Alice in Concert, New York Shakespeare Festival, Estelle R.Newman Public Theatre, 1980
- Cynthia Peterson, Isn't It Romantic?, Playwrights Horizons Theatre, New York City, 1983, then Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York City, 1984
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Necessary Targets (staged reading), Helen Hayes Theatre, New YorkCity, 1996
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An American Daughter (workshop reading), Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, WA, 1996
- Arkadina, The Seagull, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, 2001
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Poetry and the Creative Mind (benefit reading), Alice Tully Hall,Lincoln Center, New York City, 2004
- "Sawbones" and "Hope Leaves the Theatre," Theatre of the New Ear (reading), St. Ann's Warehouse Theatre, New York City, and Royal Festival Hall, London, both 2005
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Stage Work
- Coproducer, Sarah Jones: Bridge and Tunnel, Culture Project, Forty-Five Bleecker Street Theatre, New York City, 2004
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RECORDINGS
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Videos
- Voice of storyteller, Rabbit Ears: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, 1987
- Voice of storyteller, Rabbit Ears: The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher,1987
- Narrator, The Tailor of Gloucester, 1988
- Voice of storyteller, Rabbit Ears: The Fisherman and His Wife, 1989
- (In archive footage) Oscar's Greatest Moments, Columbia TriStar Home Video, 1992
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A Song of Africa, Universal Studios Home Video, 1999
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Finding the Truth: The Making of "Kramer vs. Kramer," Columbia TriStar Home Video, 2001
- Reader for the videos For Yourself: A Guide to Breast Self-Examination and What Should I Tell My Child about Drinking? Appeared in choirfor the music video "Voices that Care," Warner Bros., 1991.
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Albums
- Reader, I Will Sing Life: Voices from the Hole in the Wall Gang, 1995
- Narrator, Babar the Elephant: Mother Goose Suite, 1996
- Reader, Dance on a Moonbeam (music and poetry for children), Telarc, 2000
- Recorded the albums For Our Children and The Velveteen Rabbit; also singer of the song "Nobody Understands Me" on the children's album Philadelphia Chickens.
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Audio Books
- Narrator, "The Enormous Radio" and "The Sorrows of Gin," The John Cheever Audio Collection, 2003
- Also reader for Fifty Poems of Emily Dickinson, two volumes.
Further Reference
OTHER SOURCES
Books
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Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Volume 23, Gale, 2005
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International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, St. James Press, 2000
- Maychick, Diana, Meryl Streep: The Reluctant Superstar, 1984
- Pfaff, Eugene E., Jr., and Mark Emerson, Meryl Streep: A Critical Biography, McFarland and Co., 1987
- Smurthwaite, Nick, The Meryl Streep Story, 1984
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St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, St. James Press, 2000
Periodicals
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American Film, fall, 2004, pp. 10-11, 28-29
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Back Stage West, February 18, 1999, p. 6
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Daily Telegraph, September 3, 2004, p. 11
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Empire, October, 1997, p. 192
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Entertainment Weekly, February 11, 1994, pp. 17, 19, 21, 22, 24; February 23, 1996, pp. 42-43; August 15, 1997, p. 45; October 2, 1998, p. 44;November 27, 1998, p. 54; March 1, 1999, p. 41; March 24, 2000, pp. 50-55; February 21, 2003, p. 48
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Good Housekeeping, September, 1998, pp. 94-97
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Harper's Bazaar, January, 1999, p. 124
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Hollywood Reporter, June 6, 2004
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Interview, December, 1998, p. 66; December, 2002, p. 124
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Miami Herald, July 26, 2004
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Movieline, October, 1995, p. 77
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New York Times, July 25, 2004
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New York Times Magazine, September 18, 1994, pp. 42, 44, 45
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People Weekly, June 26, 1995, pp. 70-74, 76; February 3, 2003, p.75
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Premiere (England), Volume 5, number 5, 1997, pp. 62-67
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Premiere (United States), November, 2002, pp. 66-69
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Times (London), February 27, 2003; September 3, 2004, pp. 12-13
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USA Weekend, December 1, 2002
Electronic
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Meryl Streep Online, http://www.merylstreeponline.net, July 21, 2005
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