This honor is long overdue. On Thursday, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that Meryl Streep will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2017 Golden Globes airing Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017. It's surprising that she hasn't been honored previously, especially since she is one of the most gifted talents in Hollywood. On multiple occasions, she's been recognized for her acting abilities with 29 Golden Globe nominations (she's won eight) and 19 Oscar nominations (she's won three). She seriously has an impressive resume and continues to build upon it.
"It’s no surprise that the HFPA has chosen Meryl Streep as the recipient of the 2017 Cecil B. DeMille Award," Lorenzo Soria, president of the HFPA said. "Meryl’s enthralling body of work across a diverse set of genres has made her a role model over the past 40 years, and she will continue to do so for generations to come. She has always taken roles with strong female leads, creating art by showing vulnerability and portraying truth on the big screen. Simply put, she is a trailblazer, having paved the way for women in television, film and stage. For shattering gender and age barriers, all with finesse and grace, the HFPA is humbled to bestow this honor upon her."
I really couldn't have said it better myself and now that Streep is finally being recognized, let's hope this means more women will continue to be honored. Sadly, ever since the lifetime achievement award began in 1953, only 13 women have been given the award. That is a ridiculously low number and the short list includes, Judy Garland (1962), Joan Crawford (1970), Bette Davis (1974), Lucille Ball (1979), Elizabeth Taylor (1985), Barbara Stanwyck (1986), Doris Day (1989), Audrey Hepburn (1990), Lauren Bacall (1993), Sophia Loren (1995), Shirley MacLaine (1998), Barbra Streisand (2000), and Jodie Foster (2013).
Even former Golden Globes hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey poked fun at George Clooney receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2015 over someone like his wife, who is basically a real-life hero. Obviously, she is not an actor and doesn't qualify, but Poehler and Fey's dig definitely highlights how sometimes women are overshadowed by men.
Thankfully, that didn't happen this time around with the HFPA finally handing Streep the major honor.
Image: Giphy
