Meryl Streep Turns 74 — She Looks ‘Gorgeous’ & Cooks for Her Big Family With Sculptor Husband She Feels ‘Lucky’ To Have

• Meryl Streep is a well-loved and well-celebrated veteran actress, starring in crowd favorites like "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Mamma Mia!"
• Whenever she isn't filming, she's at home, cooking for her big family with her sculptor husband.
• Now, she turns 74, looking as "gorgeous" and youthful as ever.

Meryl Streep is 74! The veteran actress known for her roles in "The Devil Wears Prada," "Mamma Mia!," and "The Iron Lady" is also a proud matriarch of a family of 12 with her spouse of 44 years.

Born on June 22, 1949, Streep is of Swiss, Irish, German, and English descent. Through the years, she's had 22 Academy Award nominations, winning three.

Streep has made quite a fortune from acting in Hollywood for several decades. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, her net worth was a reported $45 million, but it has significantly increased in the past three years.

In 2020 alone, she raked up $24 million for her three projects, "The Prom," "Little Women," and "Let Them All Talk," the last of which gave her at least $5 million in earnings.

Streep has been married to her husband, Don Gummer, for 44 years. They keep their family life as private as possible and have been fiercely protective of their children, especially during their younger years.

Streep and Gummer share four children: they have one son named Henry and three daughters named Mamie, Grace, and Louisa. Of all the roles the Academy Award winner has played, it's being a mother that's the most important to her.

Of her four children, two are married. She and her husband are proud grandparents to two lovely grandchildren.

Now that Streep is celebrating her 74th birthday, fans couldn't help but gush about how "gorgeous" she continues to look. On Twitter, several of her loyal fans shared photos of her looking as youthful as ever despite her graying hair.

Meryl Streep Is a Proud Homemaker

With many of Streep's fans wondering how she's kept her youthful glow through the years, they'd be surprised to hear that her skincare and beauty routine isn't one filled with many complicated steps.

When asked about how she keeps her porcelain skin soft and smooth, she admitted that the only thing she does is avoid touching it altogether. No expensive lotions or serums, but just free-for-all advice of not touching her face.

When Streep isn't busy filming, she's at home cooking. Those closest to the actress can attest to her cooking skills.

Actress Margo Martindale had nothing but kind words to say about her co-star's delicious cooking, saying:

"She can cook anything. She's Meryl Streep! Think about it. She has an enormously large family, and she cooks breakfast for all of them."

Surprisingly, Streep didn't think she'd ever make it as an actress. She just didn't think she was actress material.

Dozens of awards and films later, Streep is now one of the most well-loved actresses of her generation. Fans old and young admire her for her work, some of which have become global pop culture favorites.

Her Enduring Love with Don Gummer

While Streep and her award-winning sculptor husband have been together for over four decades, their love story began during a difficult time in the actress' life. Weeks before they met in 1978, Streep was with her boyfriend of two years, John Cazale, when he passed away.

The actor was diagnosed with lung cancer, which had already spread through his body. Throughout his remaining days, Streep tried her best to stay by his side.

On March 12, 1978, Cazale died in New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. Streep didn't leave his side one moment and even pounded on his chest during his last few moments, sobbing. And for a moment, Cazale opened his eyes again and said, "It's all right, Meryl. It's all right."

After Cazale's death, Streep moved to Canada and returned to New York only to learn that she was being evicted from the apartment. Her brother Harry helped her pack her things, and he brought along a friend: Don Gummer. Gummer was about to leave the country, and he offered Streep to stay in his loft while he was away.

During that time, they continued to keep in touch by writing each other letters. Streep wasn't keen on starting a new relationship just yet, but a friend encouraged her to keep getting to know the sculptor if she felt something for him. Six months later, they married.

While they rarely speak about their relationship in public, Streep's 2012 Academy Award win proved just how much she valued her husband.

While many, including Streep's mom, were doubtful of the relationship because of how quickly they got married, they ultimately proved them wrong by staying married all these years. In the same way that they've nurtured their relationship, Streep, Gummer, and their four children remain extremely close.

For much of their married life, the Gummers lived in Connecticut. However, when all of their children grew up and left home, the couple moved back to New York.

While they rarely speak about their relationship in public, Streep's 2012 Academy Award win proved just how much she valued her husband. During her acceptance speech, she said:

"First, I'm going to thank Don because when you thank your husband at the end of the speech, they play him out with the music. And I want him to know that everything I value most in our lives, you've given me."

Streep credits Gummer's support as one of her main reasons for being able to balance her busy career with motherhood. She feels fortunate to have found a great husband who allowed her to pursue her career and helped her raise their children. "I feel lucky that way," she said.