Meryl Streep, now the Iron Lady!

Meryl Streep	Margaret Meryl Streep et Thatcher

The genuine article appeared in the magazine frequently in the 1980s' and now Margaret Thatcher is back on the cover of Newsweek. But sadly for fans of the right-wing icon, it's merely Meryl Streep, 62, in her eerily accurate impersonation of The Iron Lady, from the film of the same name. Baroness Thatcher, now 86 , often gave interviews to the US political magazine at the height of her power and friendship with the late former president Ronald Reagan.

Political icon: Meryl Streep appears on this week's cover of Newsweek as Margaret Thatcher, who she plays in The Iron Lady She sat down with the publication after the United States bombed Libya in 1986 to talk about her unwavering support for Reagan. The magazine's headline, Maggie's Moment - Why She's More Important Than Ever, suggests that this new film could well promote the former British Prime Minister to pop culture icon. It's doing much for Streep's already glittering reputation, which is interesting as she admitted recently that she disagreed with Thatcher's politics.

She was named best actress of the year by the New York Film Critics Circle, one of the most influential critics' groups in the U.S. Streep won for her acclaimed portrait of Britain's first female Prime Minister in the film The Iron Lady in which the star plays Baroness Thatcher as she is now, an old lady suffering from dementia, looking back over her career. The prize from the New York Critics Circle is a strong indicator of possible Oscar glory. Streep becomes the front runner for the best actress Oscar, which will be revealed in Los Angeles on February 26. Mrs Thatcher won three general elections while Streep has won two Oscars.

Her last win was 30 years ago for the film Sophie's Choice. She first won an Oscar in 1980 for Kramer vs Kramer. Streep often jokes that she has lost the Oscar more times than anyone in history.

Talking about The Iron Lady, Streep declared herself to be 'in awe' of Thatcher, adding that 'it was a privilege to look at a life deeply with empathy' even though she did not share Thatcher's political beliefs. However, Streep told the Daily Mail: 'I feel she believed in her policies and that they came from an honest conviction and that she wasn't a cosmetic politician just changing make-up to suit the times'.