NEW YORK (AP) — Meryl Streep has another academy to thank.

The star of films such as "Sophie's Choice" and "Julie & Julia" has been named an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an elite club that includes Toni Morrison, Stephen Sondheim and Jasper Johns.

The 112-year-old academy announced Monday that Streep and conductor James Levine had been elected to a special category, established in 1983, for "Americans of great distinction in the arts whose work falls outside the traditional departments" of music (composition), literature and art.