BWW Profile: Meryl Streep Oscar Nominated Star of Stage and Screen

It's simple: if you don't know Meryl Streep, you've been living under a rock for the past 30 years or so. She's dominated the Academy Awards since the early 1980s, earning a whopping 19 Oscar nominations for roles as varied as the colors of the rainbow. She's only won three of those coveted golden statues thus far (slacker), but fans are hoping that come February 22, she'll take home number four.

This year, she earned her Best Supporting Actress Oscar nod for her crazy-haired portrayal of the Witch in Rob Marshall's adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's beloved musical Into The Woods. Her performance, and more specifically her rendition of Stay With Me (complete with crazy eyes), impressed critics and fans alike - even those who know Bernadette Peters' interpretation of the song backwards and forwards.

Streep's involvement in theater extends far beyond Sondheim's woods. In fact, the New York theater scene is where the young Meryl got her start. In 1975, she performed alongside theater legend Mandy Patinkin and John Lithgow in the Public Theatre's production of Trewlawny of the Wells. The following year, she starred in A Memory of Two Mondays/27 Wagons Full of Cotton and Secret Service, and the flood of nominations began. In 1976, she was nominated for 3 Drama Desk Awards, one for each of those shows. The American Theatre Wing also noticed this rising star's talent, and they awarded her with a Tony Award nomination the same year for her performance in A Memory of Two Mondays/27 Wagons Full of Cotton.

Her success on stage lead her to success on screen, and it wasn't long before she earned her first Oscar nomination for The Deer Hunter in 1979. Her later performances in films such as The Iron Lady, The Devil Wears Prada, and Adaptation have solidified Streep's reputation as a versatile powerhouse actress. Whether by coincidence or by choice, though, many of Streep's more recent roles reach back to her New York theater roots: The Bridges of Madison County, Doubt, and August: Osage County, to name a few.

But where does Meryl get her talent from? Is it something in the water? If so, where is that water and how can I get some? It appears that it is, in fact, genetic (darn it): her daughter, Grace Gummer, is not only basically a clone of her mother in looks, but also in skill. Gummer is most known for her role as Penny (remember, Paul the Illustrated Seal's little girlfriend? The one whose dad shaved half her head and tattooed her face?!) in American Horror Story: Freak Show, and as Jim Harper's reporter-rival-turned-girlfriend Hallie Shea in The Newsroom. If she really is her mothers daughter, it's only a matter of time until she gets the Academy's attention, as well.

Fear not, Meryl fans: the 65-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. She currently has six projects in the works, including a portrayal as famous women's rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst in Suffragette. Is that nomination number 20 I smell?!

Will Streep add another trophy to her collection this year? Tune in to the Oscars on February 22 to find out!

Will you be rooting for Meryl on Oscar night? Let us know your thoughts on her nomination, and the Oscars in general in the comments below.

The 87th Academy Awards telecast will air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, February 22, 2015 (8:30 p.m.ET/5:30 p.m.PT) on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. And be sure to visit BWW TV for live coverage of the 2015 Oscar telecast.