Meryl and Don Gummer, the iconic actresses who have been together for over 40 years, still share the red carpet every year at large events. Streep is an amazing actress with a career that spans even longer than her marriage. Gummer was by her side throughout. Most people don’t necessarily have a lot of info about the artist and father of Streep’s four children, despite how long they have been together.
Here’s everything to know about Meryl Streep’s husband Don Gummer.
Who is Don Gummer?
Gummer is an accomplished artist with a bachelor’s degree from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and an MFA from Yale University. He was born in Louisville Kentucky. His primary work is as a sculptor.
How did Streep meet Gummer?
In March 1978, Streep’s then-boyfriend John Cazale passed away from lung cancer. The two had been dating for over two years and appeared together in The Deer Hunter together. Gummer met Streep while she was still mourning her loss, according to Michael Schulman’s biography Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep.
She’d decided to move out of the apartment she once shared with Cazale. Don Gummer, her brother’s friend, came with him to help. Streep, Gummer became fast friends and Streep sublet his apartment when he went on vacation. While he was on vacation, they corresponded through letters. They began dating upon his return.
How long has the couple been together?
Not long after the couple’s romance began, they were married in Sept 1978.
Does Meryl Strreep have kids?
The couple have four children. Their youngest child was born in the year 1991. Henry, Mamie Grace and Louisa are all artists, despite being raised in Connecticut.
“They got their legs from their dad, thank God,” Streep joked 2006. “[They got] my sense of humor and a love of a bargain.”
They’re also grandparents. Mamie and Mehar Sethi welcomed their son in 2019. Henry and Tamryn welcomed their daughter Ida June and son Quinn William, respectively, in 2020. Grace Ronson, with husband Mark Ronson, welcomed their first baby girl in 2023.
How did they maintain such a long-lasting marriage?
When talking to Vogue in 2002, Streep said her and Gummer’s secret to a healthy relationship is “goodwill and willingness to bend—and to shut up every once in a while.”
“There’s no road map on how to raise a family: It’s always an enormous negotiation,” she added. “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 the other.”
She spoke to the audience about raising kids. Sydney Morning Herald, “Teamwork is everything. My husband Don was … very involved. He was more relaxed about raising children. I was more of a tiger mom.”
And she said Gummer was “always happy to look after the children” while she traveled for her work.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her work has appeared in Jezebel Glamour Marie Claire, and many other publications. Her first book is entitled, The Lonely Hunter Dial Press will release the book in February 2022.