British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died Monday at age 87, inspired pop culture for decades. Her politics and her presence had a special influence on the British music scene, as she rose to power just as a new generation of musicians were making their mark on the art form. In the U.S., she may be best remembered for the 2011 film "The Iron Lady," which won Meryl Streep an Oscar and was not without controversy itself, inventing memories and thoughts for an elderly Thatcher.  

Here's a quick look at some of the ways Thatcher was portrayed in the arts world.

Iron Lady, big screen
Thatcher may be most recently remembered from her 2011 portrayal in "The Iron Lady," which won Meryl Streep her third Oscar. But the movie received mixed reviews, and was criticized by some for not taking a stand on Thatcher's politics. "Was she a monster? A heroine? The movie has no opinion," late critic Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times. "She was a fact. You leave the movie having witnessed it. Whatever your feelings were about Thatcher were before you saw it, you now have some images to accompany it."

Streep issued a statement on Monday, which read in part, "To me she was a figure of awe for her personal strength and grit. To have come up, legitimately,  through the ranks of the British political system, class bound and gender phobic as it was, in the time that she did and the way that she did, was a formidable achievement. ... I was honored to try to imagine her late life journey, after power; but I have only a glancing understanding of what her many struggles were, and how she managed to sail through to the other side. I wish to convey my respectful condolences to her family and many friends."

Thatcher's time in office provided the backdrop for the 2000 film "Billy Elliot," which took place amid a 1984-87 coal miner's strike that gave Thatcher a solid victory and more or less broke the trade unions. The musical version that hit Broadway featured an Elton John song, "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher," in which children sang, "We all celebrate today/'Cause it's one day closer to your death." 

Protest songs
Musicians coalesced around songs that beat down Thatcher and her policies, and that anti-government feeling arguably helped fuel the growth of the country's punk and ska music scenes. Many songs actively looked forward to her death, and singers like Billy Bragg and Morrissey typified some of the angriest lashings out at their leader, with songs like "Margaret on the Guillotine" (Morrissey) and Elvis Costello's "Tramp the Dirt Down." Sinead O'Connor sang about the shooting of a black British man that allegedly was covered up by police in "Black Boys on Mopeds" while Genesis used a "Spitting Image" puppet of Thatcher in their "Land of Confusion" video (which also satirized other world leaders, including Ronald Reagan).

A large number of influential British bands got their start during Thatcher's time in office, including The Clash, Gang of Four and The Jam. Her time in office provided lyrical inspiration as well as the impetus for songwriting. Musician Billy Bragg told The Guardian, "Whenever I'm asked to name my greatest inspiration, I always answer, 'Margaret Thatcher.' ... Try as I might to resist her, she provided the backdrop for all the songs I wrote in that turbulent period."

Live from New York, it's Maggie Thatcher
At home in England, the prime minister was the inspiration for any number of TV series -- including the original version of "House of Cards" in 1990, which features a fictional successor to Thatcher. As recently as 2009, two productions, "Margaret" and "The Queen" offered up modern looks at Thatcher, but for sheer American satire it's hard to beat late-night television. "Monty Python" member Michael Palin hosted "Saturday Night Live" in 1979 just a week after Thatcher's election as prime minister, and appeared as Thatcher. Palin's Thatcher even got to utter the catchphrase of the day, "Jane, you ignorant slut," after a grilling by Jane Curtin on the show's "Weekend Update" segment. And in the early 1980s, "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson played a practical joke on Joan Rivers, hiring a Thatcher lookalike to talk to her about her jokes about the royal family. 

Comic strips and books
Thatcher was ripe for cartooning and caricaturing. She popped up in hundreds of political comics over the years, and even got space in Bloom County. Any number of books about her rule -- including a few written by Thatcher herself -- gave her a significant non-fictional section on the shelf. But for those savvy readers who grew up during her time in office, few fictional takes encompass what it was like to live in the Thatcher years like Sue Townsend's "Adrian Mole" young adult book series. Mole even wrote a poem to his prime minister, called "Mrs. Thatcher": "Do you weep, Mrs. Thatcher, do you weep?" he asked.

Related content:

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• Review: 'Iron Lady' less about Thatcher than aging

Columbia Pictures

Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep as Arnold and Kay Soames, a longtime married couple stuck in an affectionless rut in "Hope Springs."

REVIEW: More comedic drama than midlife romantic comedy, rather literally titled "Hope Springs" holds few surprises but delivers plenty of warmth. As endless fodder for pop-psychology publications and mid-afternoon TV shows, the topic of promoting passion and intimacy in long-term relationships holds a particular place not only in the current cultural zeitgeist, but also in the lives of millions of Americans, perhaps especially those attaining and surpassing middle age.

One certainty about any new Meryl Streep movie is that crowds will flock to see the Oscar-winning actress in almost any vehicle she selects, so both the film’s topicality and the top-tier casting will richly resonate with the target demographic, perhaps even spurring a wave of matinee dating nationwide. As primarily a summer counter-programming strategy, however, it may not pose a major challenge to the season’s late wide releases.

More from THR: 'Hope Springs' scores modest $2.3 million on Wednesday

Married 31 years, Kay (Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) have a comfortable, but routine marriage -- perhaps too routine Kay begins to believe, wishing for the days when her inattentive husband took more of an active interest, or at least gave her the occasional affectionate hug and kiss. For his part, Arnold sees nothing wrong with a union that’s lasted three decades and still runs smoothly, even if they do have separate bedrooms and his idea of an appropriate wedding anniversary gift for his wife is a cable TV package.

Fed up with Arnold’s oblivious attitude and feeling their marriage needs intensive care, Kay insists they leave their cozy Nebraska home for a week of in-depth couples counseling in distant Great Hope Springs, Maine, where author and therapist Dr. Feld (Steve Carell) has a renowned practice based on the optimistic maxim: “You can have the marriage you want.” Arnold mightily resists, but since Kay has already spent her own savings on the trip and is threatening to attend without him, he grouchily packs his things to join her, even though almost every bone in his accountant’s cheapskate body rebels.

But Feld’s counseling office is the last place he wants to get trapped and despite the therapist’s compassionate approach, Arnold spends most of his time complaining about the process and bullying his wife about the expense and inconvenience of the trip. Things go from awkward to downright uncomfortable when Feld begins asking deeply personal questions about Kay and Arnold’s marriage, romantic history and sexual activities.

More from THR: Meryl Streep calls 'Hope Springs' co-star Tommy Lee Jones '50 shades of grumpy'

Although Feld insists “it’s not too late for anyone who really wants it and is willing to try” to save their marriage, Arnold isn’t about to discuss his deepest feelings about his wife. It’s all enough to push him practically to the point of breaking off the trip, until he realizes he may have only one chance left to restore the intimacy Kay so badly craves and is willing to do almost anything to recapture.

Covering some well-worn territory, "Hope Springs" demonstrates both a highly customary view of romance and a well-established approach to filmmaking. So it takes top actors to raise some overly familiar material above the merely prosaic. Indeed, Streep’s performance is a winning mix of vulnerability and determination as she at first tries to understand her husband’s indifference and then works to convince him to help reignite their romantic spark. Several scenes where she attempts to reassert sexual intimacy with Arnold are both heartbreaking and hilarious, particularly a risqué rendezvous in a darkened, quiet theater where her unpracticed technique goes wrong in too many different ways.

Jones has an equally challenging role that requires him to guard his feelings instead of sharing them. Rather than demonstrate Arnold’s emotions overtly, the actor relies on an appropriately gruff demeanor and conversational style, as well as a variety of nonverbal expressions and gestures, to demonstrate inner turmoil. In a refreshing dramatic role, Carell comes across as suitably calm, compassionate and realistic in his counseling role for the distraught couple. Supporting castmembers serve principally to keep the narrative and thematic threads on track, but could have provided key comedic commentary given more screen time.  

More from THR: Sean Penn in talks to direct 'Crazy for the Storm'

"The Devil Wears Prada director David Frankel again pairs with Streep, even if "Hope" is a far more restrained comedy. Although he excels at capturing the loaded body language and facial expressions Streep and Jones expertly employ to communicate nonverbal cues, Frankel doesn’t take many chances, sticking to a highly-polished, conventional style that foregrounds the characters and their emotional arcs. While this approach suits audience expectations, it’s at the expense of any real revelations of either plot or character.

With her first produced feature script, screenwriter Vanessa Taylor ("Game of Thrones") brings a comprehensive understanding of relationship dynamics that serves the characters well, even if critical plot developments are rather too schematic. Other credits are top-notch as well, with production designer Stuart Wurtzel and costume designer Ann Roth delivering the telling details that emphasize crucial aspects of character development. A pleasing selection of pop standards predictably and unobjectionably underlines key plot points.

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The Weinstein Company

In a tight Oscar race for the best actress trophy, Meryl Streep came away triumphant against Viola Davis, Glenn Close, Michelle Williams and Rooney Mara. Her role as Margaret Thatcher in the biopic "The Iron Lady" had already earned her the best actress award at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes.

The actress received a standing ovation as she took the stage to accept her third Oscar.

"When they called my name I had this feeling I could hear half of America going, 'Oh no! Oh, come on! Why her? Again?' But whatever," the star joked. But before thanking the Academy, the actress thanked her husband. "Because when you thank your husband at the end of the speech, they play him out with the music and I want him to know that everything I value most in our lives, you've given me."

"This is such a great honor," Streep noted of winning the award, "but the thing that counts the most with me is the friendships and the love, and the sheer joy we have shared in making movies. Thank you, my friends, departed and here, for this inexplicably wonderful career." 

The actress last won in 1983 for her role as Sophie in "Sophie's Choice."

Are you surprised that this is only Streep's third Oscar? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page!

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In fairly swift fashion, Lindsay Lohan's Playboy photo shoot has gone from rumor to reality, and now comes the next phase: wondering what it all might mean for Lohan's career.

Lohan defends her decision to do the pictorial in the accompanying Playboy interview, saying that posing nude gives her "confidence." While that might be the case for the actress, it still seems tough to rationalize her decision when you look at the stars on the covers of other monthly magazines right now, who definitely have steered clear of the Playboy strategy. Ironically, one of those stars is the incomparable Meryl Streep (now on the cover of Vogue) who co-starred with Lohan in "A Prairie Home Companion" in 2006.

AP, Reuters

Meryl Streep, left, on the cover of Vogue, and Lindsay Lohan on the cover of Playboy.

The two were photographed together at the time, appearing on W magazine's cover to promote the film. That accompanying story opens with Lohan joking with the W team, and it's recalled this way: “'What are you going to call the story?' she asks, pausing just a moment before she offers her suggestion. 'Lady and the Tramp?'"

W magazine

Streep and Lohan share a W cover in 2006.

Your words, Lindsay, not ours.

Lohan went on to say, “I’d love to be in Meryl’s position. I want people to know me for the work that I’m doing, not for this party girl image, which is just vile and disgusting and not fair, because I work so hard. Maybe someone will look at my life one day and say, ‘Why don’t I do a cover with Lindsay Lohan?’”

To be fair, Streep said later in the W interview that Lohan did work hard (something her co-stars often emphasize when describing their experience with Lohan.) And, there still might be a time in Lohan's life where someone says they want to be on the cover of a magazine with her.

But in the short term, it's doubtful that "tasteful," naked pictures will get Lohan to the place she wanted to go back in 2006. If that's truly where she still wants to be.

And in a more-of-the-same juxtaposition, as Streep stares down yet another potential Oscar nomination thanks to her buzzed-about role in "The Iron Lady," Lohan deals with this.  

Related content:

• Lindsay Lohan slideshow
• Meryl Streep slideshow

Jonathan Short / AP

Meryl Streep attends a photocall for "The Iron Lady" in central London on Monday, Nov. 14.

Meryl Streep has portrayed real-life people on the big screen in her celebrated career -- Julia Child, Karen Silkwood, Isak Dinesen. She was nominated for an Academy Award for all three portrayals, but collected no gold for those roles. However, that could change in 2012 with her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady." While few have seen the film, there is already huge buzz about Streep's performance, and she is quickly becoming the frontrunner to claim the Oscar for best actress.

The 16-time nominee was in London on Monday to begin promoting the film, which opens in limited release in the U.S. on Dec. 16 (in time for Oscar consideration) and in the U.K. on Jan. 6. In the film, she plays an aging Thatcher, who reflects back on her career and the tumult that surrounded her.

The 62-year-old actress told the Daily Mail, "It took a lot out of me, but it was a privilege to play her, it really was.

"It was one of those rare, rare films where I was grateful to be an actor and grateful for the privilege of being able to look at a life deeply with empathy," and went on to say it was the biggest role of her career.

You can watch the UK trailer, which was released Monday, below.