Meryl Streep’s Love Life Puts Her in a Rare Club of Hollywood Stars That Also Includes Christopher Nolan

Regarded as the best actress of her generation, Meryl Streep is one of the most respected and loved celebrities worldwide. A lot of young and aspiring artists look up to her, admiring her over the years in which she has performed exceptionally well. Streep claimed her stardom by starring in movies including The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt, Mamma Mia!, Julie & Julia, and more.

The Oscar-winning actress currently stars in the comedy-mystery series Only Murders in the Building as a romantic interest of Martin Short’s character. Since her appearance on the show, fans are more excited about the pairing of the two. The co-stars have maintained a stance that they are just good friends, but fans believe there’s more to the story. Streep, however, is a part of a rare club in Hollywood, which is very fascinating.

Meryl Streep’s short yet interesting love life

The Devil Wears Prada actress Meryl Streep is one of the few iconic actresses who, with the amount of fame and success, has managed to maintain a relatively normal life just like a regular person. The actress, who has romanced a lot of actors on-screen, does not have a long list of lovers. After rumors of her dating co-star Martin Short started to swirl around, fans decided to dig deep into her personal life.

Streep, according to reports, has only had two significant relationships, including her boyfriend John Cazale, and ex-husband Don Gummer.

1. John Cazale

John Cazale and Meryl Streep met in 1976 when they were cast opposite in the Measure for Measure play. The actor was not a star, but he was regarded as a rare talent in the industry, and directors wanted to work with him. He portrayed Fredo in The Godfather and The Godfather II.

According to the NY Post, it was almost like love at first sight for Streep and Cazale. The actress later shared about him by stating that he wasn’t like anybody she had ever met, adding that it was his humanity, curiosity about people, and compassion that impressed her.

The pair started to live together in the actor’s Tribeca loft, and it was reported that the New York theater world envied them. Streep and Cazale were naturally gifted artists, with their patron, Joe Papp, being a legendary director. But Cazale was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 1977, and it had spread through his body.

The reports suggested that the pair tried to keep the severity of the actor’s condition to themselves as they navigated through it. Al Pacino helped Cazale and, at times, took him to his appointments. The actor fought to go back to work, and just to be with him, Streep took up a part in a movie she loathed. Talking about her part in the movie, she said,

She’s essentially a man’s view of a woman. She’s extremely passive; she’s very quiet; she’s someone who’s constantly vulnerable.

Streep later shared that Robert De Niro covered John Cazale’s insurance costs, which De Niro never confirmed or denied. The two actors were supposed to star in a movie together, but no one wanted to cast a terminally ill actor, and studios wanted him out. To pay the medical bills, Streep said yes to starring in the Holocaust—a nine-hour TV miniseries, and she spent two and a half months in Austria away from her dying boyfriend, for whom she was doing it.

The actor passed away on March 12, 1978. Joe Papp shared that Meryl Streep took care of John Cazale as no one else existed on Earth. He added that she never betrayed him, and Al Pacino agreed.

2. Don Gummer

After John Cazale passed away, Streep decided to move out of the house she shared with him and asked her brother to help her. Don Gummer came along with her brother, and they instantly hit it off as friends, Streep ended up subletting his apartment. The two of them got married after six months of meeting.

The former couple welcomed four children together: Henry Wolfe Gummer, Mary Hummer, Grace Gummer, and Louisa Gummer. Gummer has always shown his support for the actress and attended premieres, award shows, and events together.

In 1985, the couple relocated to Connecticut, and according to the actress, via Sydney Morning Herald, it was one of the happiest times of her life. After their children moved out, the couple relocated to New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. In a Vogue interview, she made a rare comment about her marriage to Don Gummer and said,

There is no road map on how to raise a family; it’s always an enormous negotiation. But I have a holistic need to work and to have huge ties of love in my life. I can’t imagine eschewing one for another.

Media outlet People reported last year that Streep and Gummer have separated after 45 years of marriage. It was later confirmedthat they quietly ended their relationship six years ago.

3. Martin Short

Now, after starring in Only Murders in the Building, she was linked to Martin Short, especially after they posed on the red carpet for the Season 4 premiere while holding hands. Martin Short’s representative shared via People that they are just good friends. Upon asking, Short said,

It’s always interesting. Show business relationships and specs. She’s fabulous. There’s no one who doesn’t adore her.

Their friendship dates back to 2015 when Streep supported the actor on his Broadway show. The couple were also seated together at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards and fans loved to see them together. Fans have been waiting for the veteran actors to speak about their relationship status, but there have been no comments yet.

Meryl Streep and Christopher Nolan have a unique connection despite never working together

One of the greatest actresses, Meryl Streep, may not have had the chance to work with the legendary filmmaker Christopher Nolan yet, but they do have something in common. They have the shortest dating list.

Christopher Nolan met his wife Emma Thomas in 1989 when they were at University College London. They got married in 1997, and Thomas is regarded as one of the most significant producers in the industry. Nolan never shies away from praising his wife.

Another member of this unique club is FRIENDS actress Lisa Kudrow. She is married to Michel Stern. The pair met in the ‘80s in France when Stern was dating her roommate. After Stern and the roommate ended their relationship, Kudrow and Stern reconnected, and love blossomed.

They eventually got married in 1995, and they have a son, Julian Murray, who graduated from the University of Southern California in 2021. The actress previously dated Victor Wilson and later host Conan O’Brien.

Irish actress Saoirse Ronan is also indeed a part of this unique shortest dating history club. She was rumored to be in a relationship with singer Hozier in 2017 after she starred in his music video Cherry Wine. However, it was never confirmed. Ronan started dating her Mary Queen of Scots co-star Jack Lowden in 2018, and in July 2024, the Irish Independent confirmed that they are married.
 
According to the Irish Independent, the actress also dated George MacKay while filming How I Live Now. MacKay was Ronan’s first boyfriend.