The Iconic Meryl Streep Has Four Kids Who Are Adults & Her Eldest Daughter Is Her Twin

Oct 02, 2023

Meryl Streep’s prowess in the movie industry precedes her, having amassed versatility in countless major movies. She has starred in almost 70 films and has won three Oscars. Streep has also been nominated 21 times. Some of her notable award-winning appearances include "The Iron Lady," "Angels in America," "Big Little Lies" and others.

Aside from being an impressive actress who has been blessing the screen for decades, Streep is also the proud mother of four children. The iconic actress's children are all grown and channeling their passions in the art industry. The actress's first daughter, Mamie Gummer, bears an uncanny resemblance to her, and she is making a name for herself in the industry just like Streep.

Streep and her sculptor husband, Don Gummer, tied the knot in 1978 and have four children together: a son, Henry Gummer, and three daughters, Mamie Gummer, Grace Gummer and Louisa Gummer. When the couple's children were kids, the duo kept their family life private. Streep shared with Good Housekeeping in 2008 that she learned it from Robert Redford. She explained, "I really admired the way he protected his family."

While speaking to The Washington Post, Streep was asked between acting and motherhood, which was harder. The "Mamma Mia!" actress answered without hesitation: "Mothering. Definitely. Acting — that's praise, money, fulfillment. Real life, there's no comparison to acting. I can't really call acting work, since it's secretly so fun.” 

Streep and Don had their first child, Henry Wolfe Gummer, on Nov. 13, 1979. Henry graduated from Dartmouth College in 2002. He founded an indie pop band, Bravo Silva. In 2004, they dropped an EP, and in 2005, they released an album before they split.

After the band broke up, Henry started making solo performances and is now a successful musician. Henry informed The New York Daily News:

"For me, music was more stimulating from day to day." He also shared: "The fact that my mom is who she is can be overshadowing. Sometimes I worry that my story isn't good enough."

Henry is married to Tamryn Gummer, with whom he tied the knot in 2019, and the pair has two children: a daughter, Ida June Gummer, and a son, Quinn William Gummer.

Streep and Don's second child, Mary Willa "Mamie" Gummer, was born on Aug. 3, 1983. Mamie graduated from Northwestern University in 2005, where she studied theater and communications. She is an accomplished actress who has starred in various series like "Emily Owens" and "The Good Wife." In 2007, she even played the younger version of her mother's character in "Evening." Besides bearing a striking resemblance, Mamie is following in her mother’s impressive footsteps, having earned herself some recognition and an award. In 2006, she won a Theatre World Award for "Mr. Marmalade." Mamie has a daughter with her husband, Mehar Sethi. 

Grace Gummer was born on May 9, 1986, and also followed in her mother's footsteps. She played the younger version of Streep's character in "The House of the Spirits." Grace has also starred in various films like "The Long Dumb Road," "Larry Crowne" and many more. Grace got married to Mark Ronson in 2021.

Streep and Don's third daughter, Louisa Jacobson Gummer, was born on June 12, 1991. She is an actress and a model. Her screen debut was in "Gone Hollywood" in 2019. Louisa served as an assistant director for the play, "Invasive Species,” in 2023. She is also thriving as a model and has modeled for high-fashion brands like Dior. 

In 2007, Mamie was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for "The Water's Edge" and in 2009 for "Uncle Vanya." In 2016, Mamie also earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for her fantastic performance in "Ugly Lies The Bone."

Mamie has acted in some movies alongside Streep; even her first movie was with her mother in "Heartbeat." She was 20 months old at the time. Little Mamie played under the pseudonym Natalie Stern for privacy. The mother and daughter duo also starred in the same movies like "Evening"  and "Ricki and the Flash."

People reported how Streep boasted of her daughter's acting skills. Streep is proud of her first daughter and has been vocal about it. Per People, she once gushed: 

"She's brave and fearless and funny and free. She's a free talent. It doesn't have any cover-up — she's the real deal."

The "Blood of Zeus'' actress admitted that initially, she had concerns about working with her mother in "Ricki and the Flash." She did not want their character's stiff relationship to hurt her mother. She recalled:

"There's this one scene where I really was quite eviscerating and I was worried about if my words actually wounded (Streep), but after the first take, I looked over and she just had this big grin on her face, so that was a pleasant surprise." 

Mamie was also the first of Streep's children to make her a grandmother. In March 2019, Mamie made it to the news headlines when she welcomed her first child, a boy. Prior to becoming a nana, Streep opened up about taking on her new role in an Interview Magazine discussion. She shared, "I'm getting ready for my first grandchild." The screen goddess became a grandmother to four adorable grandchildren in the following years. 

Isn't it empowering to see the legendary Meryl Streep raise all four children to become excellent in their chosen paths? What do you think of Meryl Streep's relationship with her children? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to other Streep fans.