Meryl Streep has achieved a legendary status as a leading actress in Hollywood. Her three Academy Award wins and multi-million-dollar paychecks are a testament to the Little Women actress’s skills. Streep commands a huge salary per project, once earning $3 million for a five-minute appearance. Streep was also kind enough to donate her $1 million salary from her Oscar-winning role in The Iron Lady to the National Women’s History Museum.
According to some sources, The Bridges of Madison County actress currently earns in the range of $20 million per project or $10 million if it includes backend deals. Streep, who has been reportedly living separately from her husband Don Gummer for six years now, barely needs to act anymore, but she’s making even more from her brief appearances.
What Is Meryl Streep’s Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Meryl Streep’s net worth is a staggering $160 million. Streep began her career in stage plays and impressed the great Robert De Niro with one of her stage performances. De Niro recommended her for his movie, The Deer Hunter, which marked her major entry into Hollywood, and she was paid $35,000 for the role. She won her first Academy Award for a supporting role in Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980, a role for which she was paid $85,000.
With a list of successful projects, including her Best Actress Oscar-winning role in Sophie’s Choice, Streep quickly became a top Hollywood star. In the 2000s, she continued her winning streak by starring in films like Mamma Mia! and The Devil Wears Prada. For the latter, she almost walked out after she was offered an almost insulting payment. Streep recalled to Variety:
“The offer was to my mind slightly, if not insulting, not perhaps reflective of my actual value to the project. There was my ‘goodbye moment,’ and then they doubled the offer. I was 55, and I had just learned, at a very late date, how to deal on my own behalf.”
Streep ended up with a handsome $5 million for the role. She also made another $7 million for her role in It’s Complicated. Streep is not a fan of sequels, but her 5-minute appearance in the Mamma Mia! sequel earned her $3 million. In 2020, her Netflix movie, Prom, reportedly earned her an eight-figure salary.
Is Meryl Streep Making More Than Her Estranged Husband Don Gummer?
It’s safe to assume that Streep is making more than her husband of 45 years, Don Gummer. Streep has announced her split from Gummer, revealing that they had been living separately for six years. Although Gummer’s income is unknown to the public, most of his wealth is attributed to Streep’s acting career. The couple owns multiple real estate properties.
The couple sold their New York City townhouse in 2005 for $9.1 million, which they had initially bought for $2.175 million in 1995. They bought another penthouse for $10.13 million in 2006 and sold it for $16 million in 2020. Currently, they own a mid-century-modern home in California, which cost them $3.6 million, and a 90-acre country home in Connecticut.
The Post actress’s television projects also earn her big time, with her second season appearance in Big Little Lies earning her $800,000 per episode. She also earned around the same range for her special guest star role in Only Murders in the Building Season 3.
Apart from her salary, the Don’t Look Up actress is also cutting backend deals with production houses, which earns her more than her salary. Her highest-grossing film is Mamma Mia!, which earned $694.4 million at the box office.
