The French Lieutenant's Woman is a 1981 British romantic drama movie directed by Karel Reisz and was based on the 1969 novel of the same name by John Fowles. It stars Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Hilton McRae, Charlotte Mitchell, Lynsey Baxter, Peter Vaughan, Alun Armstrong, Penelope Wilton and was distributed by United Artists. It was nominated for 5 Academy Awards in 1982.