For what film did Meryl Streep win her first Oscar?

Meryl Streep won her first Oscar for Kramer vs. Kramer.

At the 52nd Academy Awards in 1980, Streep won Best Supporting Actress for playing Joanna Kramer in the 1979 film. The role marked her first Academy Award victory, following her first Oscar nomination for The Deer Hunter two years earlier. In Kramer vs. Kramer, Joanna leaves her husband Ted and their young son, then later returns and becomes involved in a difficult custody dispute.

The film, directed by Robert Benton and based on Avery Corman's novel, examines divorce, parenthood and changing expectations about family life. Dustin Hoffman won Best Actor for playing Ted, while the film also won Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay. Streep's performance helped establish her as one of the leading screen actors of her generation.

A frequent mix-up is answering Sophie's Choice, which brought Streep her first Best Actress Oscar in 1983. That was her second win overall, not her first Oscar. Another distinction matters too: Streep was nominated for The Deer Hunter, but a nomination is not a victory. Her Kramer vs. Kramer win was specifically in the supporting-actress category.