Icon: Meryl Streep

April 12, 2008 Practical jokes, hoaxes and gags are not the sort of thing one might associate with Streep, the grande dame of the silver screen, the woman so often referred to as the greatest actress of our time, who has embraced such serious works as 1979's Kramer vs. "She's vivacious, charming, sexy and smart, inclusive and downright funny," says another of her directors, Stephen Daldry ("The Hours"). That's apparent from even a glance at Streep's less-rehearsed moments, like the speech she gave when receiving the American Film Institute's lifetime achievement award in 2004 -- a harbinger, perhaps, of the speech she'll give tonight when she is honored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center at its annual gala.

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