After a great tragedy, Meryl Streep said about her husband: “I have to keep living, and Don showed me how to do that”

Losing the love of your life when you’re just at the beginning of a happy journey is something that leaves its mark forever. It is usually very difficult to recover from such a huge loss, but Meryl Streep’s story gives us hope and proves that each of us has the necessary strength to overcome the obstacles posed by life, no matter how complicated they are.

O awesome.club brings you, the reader, the love story of Meryl Streep, who after losing a great love at the age of 30, fell in love again and has been with her husband for four decades.

Meryl Streep met John Cazale in 1976, aged 27, when they were both acting in an adaptation of a Shakespeare play. He was 14 years her senior, a renowned actor and respected by peers, famous for his role in The Godfather. Loved by each other, the two soon struck up a relationship.

When the shooting of O Franco Atirador began, in 1977, John realized that something was wrong. After a consultation and several tests, the diagnosis was devastating: John would only have a few more months to live.

Meryl accepted a role in the Holocaust series to be able to pay the treatment costs and help her boyfriend, with the help of two great friends: Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. The latter took care of John while Meryl filmed in Europe. About his friend, the actor said: “I learned more from him than from anyone else about the art of acting. All I wanted was to work with John all my life.”

Meryl accompanied her beloved in the hospital until, in March 1978, the doctor informed her of John’s death. In shock, she leaned over her boyfriend’s chest, begging him to wake up. For a second, he opened his eyes and assured Meryl that she would be fine, closing his eyes for the last time right after…

Amidst the mourning, Meryl was evicted from the apartment where she lived. Her brother, worried about the actress going through all that pain in the midst of a move, offered to help. That’s when everything changed for her, as her brother showed up with a friend named Don.

Don Gummer was born in 1946. Both he and Meryl attended Yale University in the USA, and Don also graduated from the School of Fine Arts. In the mid-80s, Don was already a prestigious sculptor, with works exhibited in various corners of the world and the owner of awards and honors.

When Don found out that Meryl was being evicted, he suggested that she move into his loft since he was going away and the apartment would be empty. The two kept in touch through letters, but the actress began to suspect that he wanted more than friendship.

Six months later, Meryl and Don were married in a small ceremony held in the garden of the actress’ parents’ house, at the end of 1978. In the face of comments made by her mother, worried about that marriage so early, Meryl replied: “I haven’t gotten over the death of Don. John, but I need to keep living, and Don showed me how to do that.”

At the end of the following year, the couple’s first child, Henry, was born. Then came the two daughters, named Mamie and Grace. Already in 1991, they had the third and last daughter, Louise. Despite being very famous, Meryl never wanted to expose her children to the media, even though most of them have embarked on artistic careers: two of her daughters are actresses, while her son is a musician.

“They were my oasis. It was very pleasant to see my children grow up, be their confidant and enjoy everything that involved helping them become independent young people”, said Meryl. The actress always spoke well of her husband, about the way he took care of the children when she traveled to record, without ever making her feel guilty for being absent.

When the children left home, Meryl and Don moved to New York. Neither he nor she usually appears in vehicles that cover the lives of the famous, but Don always accompanies his wife to the awards. It can be seen at virtually every event of its kind.

In 2012, when Meryl won the Oscar for best actress for her work in the film Julie & Julia, the actress began her speech by quoting her husband.

“First, I want to thank Don, because when you leave it to thank the husband at the end of the speech, they put music on so you can finish it quickly. And I want you to know that everything that is most valuable in our lives was given to me by you”, Meryl said in her speech, her voice cracking.

The two have been married for more than 40 years, and if on the one hand Meryl never spoke openly about having had problems in her marriage, on the other hand she implied that the obstacles were overcome. The actress has already opined that, to maintain the strength of the marriage, the secret is to talk about any problem that eventually arises, even if it is something small. “You have to listen to your partner’s problems, suggestions and advice and accept that you are not always right. Talking is the key to a successful marriage.”

Don has been asked if he is aware of the fact that he is married to the most acclaimed actress of his generation, but he said he never thought about it. In their case, the Hollywood glamor wears off, and they simply argue about things like washing the dishes by hand or putting everything in the washing machine.

In your opinion, how is it possible to overcome the death of a loved one? And as for the films with Meryl Streep, in which one do you think the actress’s talent is most evident?