Biography
Raised in rural Salisbury, CT, and schooled at Northwestern, Mamie Gummer -- the eldest daughter of five-star actress
Meryl Streep and sculptor Don Gummer -- followed in the footsteps of her wildly famous mother by entering the acting limelight. She did so at the wee age of 18 months -- appearing as the baby of Streep and
Jack Nicholson -- in the disappointing
Mike Nichols-
Nora Ephron collaboration
Heartburn (1986). (The scene reportedly required Gummer to scream her head off, and the filmmakers accommodated the infant by giving her a piece of candy and promptly tearing it away.) In addition to lead roles in many high-school stage productions, scattered film appearances ensued, with a young Gummer typically cast in supporting roles or bit parts of Streep pictures, including the 1993
The House of the Spirits and the 2006
The Devil Wears Prada.
Gummer signed for her first substantial role in 2007, with her portrayal of a younger Streep in the poorly received
Evening. Critics responded unevenly to Gummer's work in the film. Nearly all who commented on the blossoming ingenue in her early years belabored her striking and attractive (though not conventionally beautiful) allure. With a countenance that almost perfectly mirrored her mother's at a young age, the resemblance -- and the comparisons it engendered -- were inescapable. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide