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Barbara Joan Streisand (born April 24, 1942 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American singer, theatre and film actress, composer, film producer and director. Many consider her the most successful female performer in modern entertainment history. She has won Oscars for Best Actress and Best Original Song as well as multiple Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Golden Globe awards and the Tony.

Biography

Early years

Streisand was born Barbara Joan Streisand to a Jewish family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. Her father, Emanuel Streisand, a grammar teacher, died when she was 15 months old; and she had a turbulent relationship with her stepfather, Louis Kind. Her mother, Diana Ida Rosen, did not encourage her daughter to pursue a show business career, opining that Barbara was not attractive enough. She was educated at Erasmus Hall High School, where she graduated fourth in her class in 1959, and she sang in the school choir with Neil Diamond. She was also friendly there with future World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer. She never attended college.

Early singing, theater, and television career

Following a music competition, Barbara became a nightclub singer while in her teens. She originally wanted to be an actress and appeared in a number of Off-Off-Broadway productions, including one with then-aspiring actress Joan Rivers, but when her boyfriend Barry Dennen helped her shape a club act — first performed in a gay bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village in 1960 — she achieved success as a singer. It was at this time that she shortened her first name to Barbra to make it more distinctive.

In 1962 Streisand appeared on Broadway, first in a small but star-making role in the musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962), and she signed her first recording contract with Columbia Records in 1962. Her first album, The Barbra Streisand Album, won two Grammy Awards in 1963. Her recording success continued, and at one time, Streisand's first three albums appeared simultaneously on Billboard's pop albums Top Ten - an unusual feat considering it was at a time when rock and roll and The Beatles dominated the charts.

Jule Styne's and Bob Merrill's Funny Girl (1964), based upon the life of Fanny Brice, was fashioned for Streisand after Styne saw Streisand's Wholesale performance, though the wife of Ray Stark (the show's producer), daughter of Fannie Brice, was strongly opposed, and preferred Carol Burnett.

After several notable television appearances, including a legendary guest appearance on The Judy Garland Show (CBS, 1963), Streisand appeared on a number of her own television specials for CBS. The first special, My Name Is Barbra (1965), was praised by critics and fans, as were most of the subsequent specials.

Barbra is classified as one of the most "Amazing Female Vocalists" in the 2006 edition of Women in Song.

Singing career

Barbra Streisand has recorded more than 60 albums, almost all with the Columbia Records label. Her early works in the 1960s (her debut, The Second Barbra Streisand Album, The Third Album, My Name Is Barbra, etc.) are considered classic renditions of theatre and nightclub standards, including her famously ironic version of "Happy Days Are Here Again". Beginning with My Name Is Barbra her albums were often medley-filled keepsakes of her television specials.

Starting in 1969, Streisand tackled contemporary songwriters; like many talented singers of the day, she found herself a fish out of water in attempts to tackle rock, but her vocal talents prevailed and she gained newfound success with the pop and ballad-oriented, Richard Perry-produced album Stoney End in 1971. The title track, written by Laura Nyro, was a big hit for Streisand.

During the 1970s she was also highly prominent in the pop charts, with number-one records like "The Way We Were", "Evergreen", "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" and "Woman In Love"; some of these came from soundtrack records to her films.

When the 1970s ended, Streisand was named the most successful female singer in the U.S. - only Elvis Presley and The Beatles having sold more albums.

In 1982, music critic Stephen Holden wrote that Streisand was "the most influential mainstream American pop singer since Frank Sinatra."

Streisand returned to her musical-theater roots with 1985's The Broadway Album. This was an unexpected success, holding the coveted #1 Billboard position for 3 straight weeks, and being certified 3x Platinum. The album featured songs reworked by Stephen Sondheim especially for this recording, was critically acclaimed, nominated as Album of the Year and landed Streisand her 8th Grammy as Best Female Vocalist.

In 1991 a four-disc box set, entitled Just for the Record was released, spanning Streisand's entire career. It featured over 70 tracks, including live material, greatest hits, and rarities, from her early recordings up to 1991.

Streisand's concert fundraising events helped propel former President Bill Clinton into the spotlight and into office. Streisand later introduced Clinton at his inauguration in 1992. However, Streisand's music career was on hold. A tour was suggested, and she debated it for two years because of her stage fright. A year later, Streisand landed another #1 Back to Broadway. This album included the duet medley I Have A Love / One Hand, One Heart with the legendary Johnny Mathis whom Streisand has publicly acknowledged as one of her favorite singers.

In September 1993 Streisand made global news, announcing her first public concert tour in 27 years. Tickets to the limited tour were sold out in under one hour. Streisand also hit the cover of major magazines, in anticipation of what Time magazine named, "The Music Event of the Century." The tour was one of the biggest all-media merchandise parlays in history. Ticket prices ranged from $50 to $1,500 - making Streisand the highest paid concert performer in history. Barbra Streisand: The Concert went on to be the top grossing concert of the year, earned 2 Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award, and the taped broadcast on HBO is to-date the highest rated concert special in HBO's 30 year history.

On New Year's Eve 1999 she returned to the concert stage, giving the highest grossing single concert in Las Vegas history to date. At the end of the last millennium, she was the number-one female singer in the US, with at least 2 # 1 albums in each decade since she had started out.

Her most recent albums have been Christmas Memories (2001), a collection of somber holiday songs, and The Movie Album (2003), featuring famous movie themes and backed by a large symphony orchestra. Guilty Pleasures (called Guilty Too in the UK), a collaboration with Barry Gibb and a sequel album to their previous Guilty, was released worldwide in 2005.

In February 2006, Streisand recorded the song 'Smile' alongside Tony Bennett, at Streisand's Malibu home. The song will be included on Tony Bennett's 80th Birthday Album, 'Duets'. In September 2006, the pair recorded a video segment of the song, to be included on a forthcoming TV Special.

Like many artists, Streisand is also known to hate discussing her work, and says she would rather forget about her material as soon as it is recorded, considering it 'done'. She has stated that she cannot even remember the names of many of her own songs.

Film career

Her first film was a reprise of her Broadway hit, Funny Girl (1968), a stunning artistic and commercial success, for which she won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actress, sharing it with Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter), the first time there was a tie in this Oscar category. Her next two movies were also based on musicals, Jerry Herman's Hello, Dolly! (1969) and Alan Jay Lerner's and Burton Lane's On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), while her fourth film was based on the Broadway play The Owl and the Pussycat (1970).

She also starred in the original screwball comedies What's Up, Doc? (1972), with Ryan O'Neal, and For Pete's Sake (1974), and the hugely successful drama The Way We Were with Robert Redford. Her second Academy Award was for Best Original Song as composer of the song "Evergreen", from A Star Is Born (1976) and was the first time a woman had received this award (the film itself, though, was widely criticized as a vanity project).

Along with Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier, Streisand formed First Artists Production Company in 1969 so the actors could secure properties and develop movie projects for themselves. Streisand's initial outing with First Artists, while not a huge success, was the personal and critically lauded Up the Sandbox (1972).

In 1970, she had a topless scene in The Owl and the Pussycat. She regretted the move and bought up all prints of the film, deleting the scene. When High Society magazine published the original photos of her bare breasts, Streisand sued them.

Streisand produced a number of her own films, setting up Barwood Films in 1972. For Yentl (1983), she was producer, director, writer, and star, an experience she repeated for The Prince of Tides (1991). Steven Spielberg called Yentl a masterpiece, and both won critical acclaim.

There was controversy when Yentl received five Academy Award nominations but none for the major categories of Best Picture, Actress, or Director . There was more controversy when Prince of Tides received even more nominations, including Best Picture, but Streisand was snubbed for Best Director.

In 2004, Streisand made a return to film acting, after an eight-year-long break, in the comedy Meet the Fockers (a sequel to the popular Meet the Parents), playing opposite Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller, and Robert De Niro and stealing the movie with her delightful onscreen chemistry with Hoffman. The film was very successful and garnered glowing reviews for Streisand's performance as Stiller's overbearing but loving mother.

2006: The return

In 2006, Streisand announced her intent to tour again, in an effort to raise money and awareness for multiple issues. The tour, which starts on October 4 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, has no official title but is simply being referred to as: Streisand: The Tour. Special guests Il Divo will open for Streisand.

In early October, (10/9/2006, MSG show) after a skit that made fun of President George W. Bush, a relentless heckler yelling taunts at her, she said, "Come on, be polite!" the well-known liberal implored during the sketch as she and "Bush" exchanged zingers. But one heckler wouldn't let up. And finally, Streisand let him have it. "Shut the fuck up!" Streisand bellowed, drawing wild applause. "Shut up if you can't take a joke!" Two days later, on 10/11/2006, during her second appearance at Madison Square Garden, she acknowledged the incident and told the audience, "you can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can't take the Brooklyn out of the girl." This statement was met with a great round of cheers. Later in the show, she tempered her skit by inserting a photograph of Steve Bridges, the Bush impersonator, standing side by side with President Bush at a White House event.

Many of her fans and music critics have slammed her for imposing her political beliefs when they have paid $250.00 to hear her sing. Rueters Oct 13. Tannim 10:53, 14 October 2006 (UTC)

Awards

Over the years, Streisand has been the recipient of an award in every medium she has worked in. Among her awards are two Oscars, six Emmys, eleven Golden Globes, ten Grammys, a Tony award, two Cable Ace awards, the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as a number of other awards.

In 1995 she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. As of 2005, her US album sales rank her as the top-selling female recording artist in the US.

Even though her Tony was a special "Star of the Decade" award, Streisand remains one of only a few individuals (including Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, Liza Minnelli, and Whoopi Goldberg) to have won an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy. However, Streisand's Tony was honorary rather than one of the regular awards, so she is sometimes not counted as one of the winners.

She will be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Personal life

Barbra Streisand has been married twice. Her first husband was actor Elliott Gould to whom she was married from 1963 to 1971. They have one child, Jason Gould. Her second husband is actor James Brolin, whom she married on July 1, 1998. The wedding was reported regularly in the celebrity gossip media. While they have no children together, Brolin has two children from his first marriage and one child from his second marriage.

Streisand has also allegedly dated Ryan O'Neal, Tom Smothers, Warren Beatty, Jon Voight, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, producer Jon Peters, Don Johnson, Steve McQueen, Andre Agassi, and news anchor Peter Jennings.

Barbra Streisand is frequently cited to be one of the biggest gay icons in history, second only to Judy Garland.

Performances on Broadway

• I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962), musical - Tony Nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
• Funny Girl (1964), musical - Tony Nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical

Television Specials

Filmography

Discography

See Barbra Streisand discography

See also

• Best selling music artists
• List of best selling music artists in U.S.
• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
• Mecha-Streisand
• "Send in the Clowns", from the musical A Little Night Music

References

1. Recording Industry Association of America: Newsletter 1999
2. George Magazine: November, 1996
3. 1983 Academy Awards Winners and History

External links

• Official Site
• BarbraNews.com
• Barbra Streisand Archives
• Guilty Pleasures Blog
• Barbra Streisand at the Internet Broadway Database
• Camille Paglia discusses Barbra's current tour and her career legacy, July 2006
• SimplyStreisand.com

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