Meryl Streep | Hollywood’s peerless star

 CANNES – There is a strong case to be made that Meryl Streep, who picks up a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, is the most respected actor of her generation. Streep, 74, has amassed a record haul of awards and built a filmography of modern classics that stretches across six decades, from dramas such as “The Deer Hunter”, “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” and “Kramer vs. Kramer”, to family favourites like “Mamma Mia!” and “The Devil Wears Prada”.It is her vocal skills that have often set her apart — from the Danish drawl in “Out of Africa” to her…