Rise to Fame
She auditioned for King Kong in 1976, and producer Dino De Laurentiis, not knowing she spoke Italian, said to his son: 'This is so ugly. Why did you bring me this?' She replied in Italian that she was sorry for not being beautiful enough. The role went to Jessica Lange. Two years later, Robert De Niro saw her in a Chekhov play and recommended her for The Deer Hunter (1978), which earned her first Oscar nomination. She won Supporting Actress for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), then Best Actress for Sophie's Choice (1982), for which she learned German and Polish well enough that Polish-speaking crew reportedly thought she was a native speaker.
In the Spotlight
She holds the all-time record for Oscar nominations (21) and Golden Globe nominations (30), with 3 Oscar wins and 9 Golden Globe wins. None of that is especially surprising anymore. The more telling detail is that she still has to pitch herself for parts. She lobbied the showrunners of Only Murders in the Building to get cast in Season 3. She's returning as Miranda Priestly in the Devil Wears Prada sequel in 2026 and signed on to play Joni Mitchell in present-day in a Cameron Crowe biopic. She also separated from sculptor husband Don Gummer in 2023 after 45 years of marriage. The record is intact. The rest is in progress.
Side Notes
She was a homecoming queen in New Jersey before a Yale Drama MFA. Katharine Hepburn reportedly dismissed her as too calculated: 'I can hear Click, Click, Click.' The Academy gave her 21 nominations anyway. Her private life reads differently. John Cazale was dying of lung cancer during The Deer Hunter shoot; he died in March 1978, three months after filming wrapped. She married sculptor Don Gummer six months later. They stayed together for 45 years before separating in 2023. The technique is the armor.