Mary Louise Streep was born on June 22 , 1949 in Summit , New Jersey , the daughter of Mary Wolf Wilkinson ( 1915 -- 2001 ) , a commercial artist and an art editor ; and Harry William Streep Jr. ( 1910 -- 2003 ) , a pharmaceutical executive .
Streep was born in Summit , New Jersey . Her mother , Mary Wolf ( née Wilkinson ; 1915 -- 2001 ) , was a commercial artist and an art editor , and her father , Harry William Streep , Jr. ( 1910 -- 2003 ) , was a pharmaceutical executive .