Meryl Streep Is The Absolute Golden Globes Queen

Are you sitting comfortably? I sure hope so, because you'll definitely want to be sat down when you find out how many Golden Globes Meryl Streep has. And it isn't just the number of wins which she's accumulated over the past 40 years of her career which are truly impressive, but also the amount of Golden Globe nominations that Streep has managed to amass too. With a record 30 Golden Globe nominations to her name, and an impressive eight wins, Streep isn't just an acting trailblazer, but also an absolute boss when it comes to the Winter Awards show.

In fact, those eight wins are looking to increase for Streep at the 74th annual Golden Globes. As well as being nominated for her performance in the comedy-drama Florence Foster Jenkins, Streep is also being awarded the Cecil B. DeMille award for her outstanding contributions to entertainment.

Looking back at the performances that Streep has won Golden Globes for provides an incredible reminder of just how versatile, talented and groundbreaking a performer the actor truly is. Streep's career is full of highlights, showcasing an unfathomably diverse range of roles, but the specific performances for which she won Golden Globes showcases the actors capacity for vulnerability and strength in a way which often challenged gender norms.

Streep's first Golden Globe win came in 1980 for her performance in the 1979 classic, Kramer vs. Kramer. Playing a woman in the midst of a virulent custody battle for her son while also searching for self-hood, Streep's performance was fragile yet ferocious. Dustin Hoffman's notoriously method on-set tactics were provocative and controversial, but Streep's resulting performance was rewarding and jaw-dropping nonetheless, marking her out as a truly unique talent.

Streep then went on to consecutively win her next two Golden Globe nominations for her performances in The French Lieutenant's Woman in 1982 and Sophie's Choice the following year. 13 Golden Globe nominations went by for Streep without a single win before she finally won again in 2003 for her role in the offbeat meta-drama Adaptation.

Featuring a playfully challenging script by the writer Charlie Kaufman, Streep plays a fictionalized version of real-life author Susan Orlean — a complex role which few actors could nail with such finesse. Something which was summed up perfectly in Roger Ebert's review of Adaptation from 2008:

When Streep's character ingests an obscure Indian drug, wriggles her toes and does a phone-tone duet with Laroche, you wonder what other actress could have done it so well.

The following year, Streep went on to win for her invigorating performance in Angels In America, before earning her final three Golden Globes for her truly iconic work in The Devil Wears Prada, Julie & Julia and The Iron Lady, in which she played the supremely divisive British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

In explaining exactly why Streep is being bestowed the accolade of the Cecil. B DeMille award at the 2017 Golden Globes, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Lorenzo Soria perfectly summed up the strength of Streep's continued Hollywood legacy, by stating:

Meryl’s enthralling body of work across a diverse set of genres has made her a role model over the past 40 years, and she will continue to do so for generations to come. She has always taken roles with strong female leads, creating art by showing vulnerability and portraying truth on the big screen. Simply put, she is a trailblazer, having paved the way for women in television, film and stage. For shattering gender and age barriers, all with finesse and grace, the HFPA is humbled to bestow this honor upon her.

30 Golden Globe nominations and eight wins later, and Streep isn't just the Queen of the awards show, but also a phenomenally inspiring Hollywood icon. One that the World will no doubt be all too eager to celebrate when the actor is rewarded the Cecil B. DeMille award at the 74th annual Golden Globes on Sunday, January 8.