After 45 years of marriage, Meryl Streep and her husband, Don Gummer, have called it quits. The three-time Oscar-winner actress, 74, and Don Gummer, 76, quietly ended their romantic relationship six years ago.
Meryl Streep’s representative said that Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than 6 years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart.
As recently as Friday at the 2023 Princesa de Asturias Awards in Spain, Meryl Streep, star of ‘Only Murders in the Building’, was seen wearing her wedding ring, despite the fact that they haven’t been spotted together in public since the 2018 Oscars. The couple also commemorated their 45th wedding anniversary on September 30th.
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer’s relationship
Meryl Streep introduced Don Gummer, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, to her brother in 1978. She was mourning the death of her boyfriend, the actor John Cazale, from lung cancer at the time. It was evident from the start that Streep and Gummer clicked, and six months later, they were married at her parents’ home.
The couple hasn’t shared many photos of themselves together over the years despite maintaining a fairly private love life.
Meryl Streep was becoming a movie star, and Don Gummer was making a name for himself as a successful artist. After completing his studies at Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts, he graduated with an MFA from Yale University. Since the early 1970s, his artwork has been exhibited in exhibitions all over the world.
During an interview with Vogue in 2002, Streep provided a unique perspective on her relationship with Gummer.
The Devil Wears Prada star Meryl Streep has said that “mutual respect and a readiness to make concessions, sometimes even choosing to remain silent” are the reasons behind her relationship’s longevity. She went on to explain, stressing that raising a family never follows a set formula and always requires a great deal of give-and-take.
She couldn’t imagine giving up one for the other, though, and stated that she was determined to pursue her career and keep meaningful relationships in her life.
Gummer met Streep at a difficult time
Meryl Streep was grieving the breakup of her two-year relationship with John Cazale when she first saw Don Gummer. Actor John Cazale, who starred in films such as “The Godfather” and “The Deer Hunter,” died in March 1978 of lung cancer. Notably, Streep appeared in Cazale’s final movie, which was their only on-screen partnership.
Meryl Streep’s biography, “Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep,” by Michael Schulman, details her move from her shared flat with John Cazale. Her brother and friend Don Gummer visited her during this time to help her. Streep sublet his New York City flat to Gummer while he was on his travels. This served as the setting for Streep’s work in the movie “Kramer vs. Kramer,” which led to her winning her first Oscar.
During this period, Streep and Gummer became closer and continued to correspond via letters. Their camaraderie developed into a romantic relationship after Gummer returned to the city.
Streep and Gummer’s family life
Together, Meryl Streep and Don Gummer are parents to four children: Mamie, Grace, and Louisa, three daughters, and Henry, a son. In a 1998 interview with The Washington Post, Streep said that becoming a mother was the hardest role she had ever taken on.
She talked about how being a mother didn’t have the same instant gratification and recognition as acting, but it was still a rewarding experience despite its difficulties. She claimed that since she secretly enjoyed acting—even the difficult parts of the job, which were rewarding when performed well—acting was not a job.
Although Meryl Streep typically keeps her private life private, she did mention Don Gummer specifically when she accepted the Best Actress Oscar in 2012 for her role in “The Iron Lady.” She gave an acceptance speech in which she thanked him and underlined the significance of having him in her life.
She expressed her desire for Don to understand how much she appreciated him for giving her everything she held dear throughout their marriage.
