Barbra Streisand

Barbara Joan"Barbra"Streisand(/ˈstraɪsænd/STRY-sand; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the first performer awardedEmmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards.
Streisand's career began in the early 1960s performing in nightclubs and Broadway theaters. Following guest appearances on various television shows, she signed toColumbia Records—retaining full artistic control in exchange for accepting lower pay, an arrangement that continued throughout her career.Her studio debutThe Barbra Streisand Album(1963) won theGrammy Award for Album of the Year. Throughout her recording career, Streisand has topped the USBillboard200chart with 11 albums (the record for a woman until 2023),includingPeople(1964),The Way We Were(1974),Guilty(1980), andThe Broadway Album(1985).She also topped the USBillboardHot 100with five singles: "The Way We Were", "Evergreen", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (withNeil Diamond), "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (withDonna Summer), and "Woman in Love".
Following her established recording success, Streisand ventured into film by the end of the 1960s.She starred in the critically acclaimedFunny Girl(1968), winning theAcademy Award for Best Actressat the41st Academy Awards.Additional fame on the big screen followed with the extravagant musicalHello, Dolly!(1969), thescrewball comedyWhat's Up, Doc?(1972), and the romantic dramaThe Way We Were(1973). Streisand won theAcademy Award for Best Original Songfor writing the love theme fromA Star Is Born(1976), the first woman to be honored as a composer.With the release ofYentl(1983), Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film.The film won an Oscar forBest Original Scoreand a Golden Globe forBest Motion Picture Musical. Streisand also received theGolden Globe Award for Best Director, becoming the first (and for 37 years, the only) woman to win that award. Streisand later produced and directedThe Prince of Tides(1991), andThe Mirror Has Two Faces(1996).
With sales exceeding 150 million records worldwide, Streisand is one of thebest-selling recording artists of all time.According to theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA), she isthe second-highest certified female artistin the United States, with 68.5 million certified album units.Billboardranked Streisand as the greatest solo artist on theBillboard200 chart and the topAdult Contemporaryfemale artist of all time.
Her accolades span tenGrammy Awards, including theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Awardand theGrammy Legend Award;nineGolden Globe Awards;fiveEmmy Awards; fourPeabody Awards;twoAcademy Awards;theScreen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award;and thePresidential Medal of Freedom.
Streisand was born April 24, 1942, inBrooklyn,New York City, to Diana Ida (néeRosen; 1908–2002)and Emanuel Streisand (1908–1943). Her mother had been a soprano in her youth and considered a career in music, but later became a school secretary.Her father was a high school teacher at the same school, where they first met.Streisand's family isJewish.Her paternal grandparents emigrated fromGalicia(modern-dayPolandandUkraine) in theAustro-Hungarian Empire, and her maternal grandparents from theRussian Empire, where her grandfather had been acantor.
In August 1943, a few months after Streisand's first birthday, her father died at age 34 from complications from anepileptic seizure, possibly the result of a head injury years earlier.The family fell into near poverty, with her mother working as a low-paid bookkeeper.As an adult, Streisand remembered those early years as always feeling like an "outcast", explaining, "Everybody else's father came home from work at the end of the day. Mine didn't."Her mother tried to pay their bills but could not give her daughter the attention she craved: "When I wanted love from my mother, she gave me food," Streisand says.
Streisand recalled that her mother had a "great voice" and sang semi-professionally on occasion. In a 2016 interview withRosie O'Donnell, Streisand recounted that when she was 13, she and her mother recorded some songs on tape during a visit to theCatskills. That session was the first time Streisand ever asserted herself as an artist, which also became her "first moment of inspiration."
She has an older brother, Sheldon, and a younger half-sister, singerRoslyn Kind,from her mother's remarriage to Louis Kind in 1950.
Streisand began her education at the Jewish OrthodoxYeshivaof Brooklyn when she was five.She was considered bright and inquisitive; however, she lacked discipline, often shouting answers to questions out of turn.She next attended Public School 89 in Brooklyn, and during those early school years began watching television and going to movies. "I always wanted to be somebody, to be famous... You know, get out of Brooklyn."
Streisand became known by others in the neighborhood for her voice. She remembers sitting on the stoop in front of their apartment building with the other kids and singing: "I was considered the girl on the block with the good voice."That talent became a way for her to gain attention. She would often practice her singing in the hallway of her apartment building, which gave her voice an echoing quality.
She made her singing debut at a PTA assembly, where she became a hit to everyone but her mother, who was mostly critical of her daughter. Streisand was invited to sing at weddings and summer camp, along with having an unsuccessful audition at MGM records when she was nine. By the time she was 13, her mother began supporting her talent, helping her make a four-song demo tape, including "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" and "You'll Never Know".
Becoming an actress was her main objective. That desire was made stronger when she saw her first Broadway play,The Diary of Anne Frank, when she was 14. The star in the play wasSusan Strasberg, whose acting she wanted to emulate.Streisand began spending her spare time in the library, studying the biographies of various stage actresses such asEleanora DuseandSarah Bernhardt. In addition, she began reading novels and plays and studying the acting theories ofKonstantin StanislavskiandMichael Chekhov.
In 1956, she attendedErasmus Hall High Schoolin Brooklyn, where she became an honor student in modern history, English, and Spanish. She also joined the Freshman Chorus and Choral Club, where she sang with another choir member and classmate,Neil Diamond.Diamond recalls, "We were two poor kids in Brooklyn. We hung out in the front of Erasmus High and smoked cigarettes." The school was near an art movie house, and he recalls that she was always aware of the films they were showing.She had a crush on 15-year-old US Chess Champion and fellow studentBobby Fischer, whom she found to be "very sexy".
During the summer of 1957, she landed her first stage experience as a walk-on at the Playhouse, inMalden Bridge, New York. That small part was followed by a role as the kid sister inPicnicand as a vamp inDesk Set.In her second year, she took a night job at theCherry Lane TheatreinGreenwich Village, helping backstage. When she was a senior, she rehearsed for a small part inDriftwood, a play staged in a midtown attic space.
She graduated from Erasmus Hall in January 1959 at age 16, and despite her mother's pleas that she stay out of show business, she set out trying to get roles on the New York City stage.After renting a small apartment on 48th Street in the heart of the theater district, she accepted any job she could involving the stage, and at every opportunity, she "made the rounds" of the casting offices.
Living on her own at 16, Streisand took various menial jobs to have some income. During one period, she lacked a permanent address, and found herself sleeping at the home of friends or anywhere else she could set up the army cot she carried around. When desperate, she returned to her mother's flat in Brooklyn for a home-cooked meal. However, her mother was horrified by her daughter's "gypsy-like lifestyle", wrote biographerKaren Swenson, and again begged her to give up trying to get into show business,but Streisand took her mother's pleadings as even more reason to keep trying: "My desires were strengthened by wanting to prove to my mother that Icouldbe a star."
Streisand took a job as an usher at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater forThe Sound of Musicearly in 1960. During the run of the play, she heard that the casting director was auditioning for more singers, and it marked the first time she sang in pursuit of a job.Although the director felt she was not right for the part, he encouraged her to begin including her talent as a singer on her résumé when looking for other work.
Streisand asked her boyfriend,Barry Dennen, to tape her singing, copies of which she could then give out to possible employers. Dennen found a guitarist to accompany her:.
Dennen grew enthusiastic and he convinced her to enter a talent contest at the Lion, agaynightclub in Manhattan'sGreenwich Village. She performed two songs, after which there was a "stunned silence" from the audience, followed by "thunderous applause" when she was pronounced the winner.She was invited back and sang at the club for several weeks.During this time, disliking her name,she changed it from "Barbara" to "Barbra".In early days of her career Streisand was repeatedly told she was too ugly to be a star and was advised to get anose job—she did not.
Streisand was next asked to audition at the Bon Soir nightclub, after which she was signed up at $125 a week. It became her first professional engagement in September 1960, where she was the opening act for comedianPhyllis Diller. She recalls it was the first time she had been in that kind of upscale environment: "I'd never been in a nightclub until I sang in one."
Dennen now wanted to expose Streisand to his vast record collection of female singers, includingBillie Holiday,Mabel Mercer,Ethel Waters, andÉdith Piaf. Streisand realized she could still become an actress by first gaining recognition as a singer.From his collection she drew the song that best defined her mission in singing:A Sleepin' Bee, with music byHarold Arlenand lyrics byTruman Capotefor the 1954 musicalHouse of Flowers. "The lyrics to that song gave me the three acts of a play that I longed for as an actress," Streisand said. "And Harold was one of those writers who could write these magnificent melodies. That gave me what I needed."According to biographer Christopher Nickens, hearing other great female singers benefited her style, as she began creating different emotional characters when performing, which gave her singing a greater range.
Streisand improved her stage presence when speaking to the audience between songs. She discovered that her Brooklyn-bred style of humor was received favorably.During the next six months appearing at the club, some began comparing her singing voice to famous names such asJudy Garland,Lena HorneandFanny Brice. Her conversational ability to charm an audience with spontaneous humor during performances became more sophisticated and professional.Theater criticLeonard Harriswrote: "She's twenty; by the time she's thirty she will have rewritten the record books."
Streisand accepted her first role on the New York stage inAnother Evening with Harry Stoones, a satirical comedy play in which she acted and sang two solos. The show received terrible reviews and closed the next day. With the help of her new personal manager,Martin Erlichman, she had successful shows in Detroit and St. Louis. Erlichman then booked her at an even more upscale nightclub inManhattan, the Blue Angel, where she became a bigger hit during the period from 1961 to 1962. Streisand once toldJimmy Fallon, with whom she sang a duet,on theTonight Show, thatErlichmanwas a "fantastic manager" and still managed her career after 50 years.
While appearing at the Blue Angel, theater director and playwrightArthur Laurentsasked her to audition for a new musical comedy he was directing,I Can Get It for You Wholesale. She got the part of secretary to the lead actor businessman, played by then unknownElliott Gould.They fell in love during rehearsals and eventually moved into a small apartment together. The show opened on March 22, 1962, at theShubert Theater, and received rave reviews. Her performance "stopped the show cold", wrote Nickens.Groucho Marx, while hosting theTonight Show, told her that 20 was an "extremely young age to be a success on Broadway".Streisand received aTony Awardnomination and New York Drama Critic's prize for Best Supporting Actress.The show was recorded and made into an album.
Streisand's first television appearance was onThe Tonight Show, then credited to its regular host,Jack Paar. She was seen during an April 1961 episode on whichOrson Beansubstituted for Paar. She sangHarold Arlen's "A Sleepin' Bee".During her appearance,Phyllis Diller, also a guest on the show, called her "one of the great singing talents in the world."
Later in 1961, before she was cast inAnother Evening With Harry Stoones, Streisand became a semi-regular onPM East/PM West, a talk/variety series hosted byMike WallaceandJoyce Davidson.Some of Streisand'sPM Eastsegments survive as audio recordings, and still photos survive, but moving images do not.
In early 1962, she went into the Columbia Records studio for the cast recording ofI Can Get It for You Wholesale. Also that spring, she participated in a 25th anniversary studio recording ofPins and Needles,the classicpopular frontmusical originated in 1937 by theInternational Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Reviews of both albums highlighted Streisand's performances.
In May 1962, Streisand appeared onThe Garry Moore Show, where she sang "Happy Days Are Here Again" for the first time. Her sad, slow version of the 1930s upbeat Democratic Party theme song became hersignature songduring this early phase of her career.
Johnny Carsonhad her on theTonight Showhalf a dozen times in 1962 and 1963, and she became a favorite of his television audience and himself personally. He described her as an "exciting new singer".During one show, she joked with Groucho Marx, who liked her style of humor.
In December 1962, Streisand made the first of a number of appearances onThe Ed Sullivan Show. She was later a cohost onThe Mike Douglas Show, and also made an impact on a number ofBob Hopespecials. Performing with her onThe Ed Sullivan ShowwasLiberace, who became an instant fan of the young singer. Liberace invited her toLas Vegasto perform as his opening act at theRiviera Hotel. He is credited with introducing Streisand to audiences on the West Coast.The following September, during her ongoing shows atHarrah's Hotelin Lake Tahoe, she andElliott Gouldtook time off to get married inCarson City, Nevada. With her career and popularity rising so quickly, she saw her marriage to Gould as a "stabilizing influence".
When she was 21, Streisand signed a contract withColumbia Recordsthat gave her full creative control, in exchange for less money.
Lieberson relented and agreed to sign her. Nearly three decades later, Streisand said:
She took advantage of this several times during her career.
Columbia wanted to call her first album, in early 1963,Sweet and Saucy Streisand; Streisand used her control to insist that it was calledThe Barbra Streisand Album, saying "if you saw me on TV, you could just go [to the record shop] and ask for the Barbra Streisand album. It's common sense".It reached the top 10 on theBillboardchart and won threeGrammy Awards.The album made her the best-selling female vocalist in the country.That summer she also releasedThe Second Barbra Streisand Album, which established her as the "most exciting new personality sinceElvis Presley."She ended that breakthrough year of 1963 by performing one-night concerts in Indianapolis, San Jose, Chicago, Sacramento, and Los Angeles.
Streisand returned to Broadway in 1964 with an acclaimed performance as entertainerFanny BriceinFunny Girlat theWinter Garden Theatre. The show introduced two of her signature songs, "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade." Because of the musical's overnight success, she appeared on the cover ofTime. In 1964, Streisand was nominated for aTony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musicalbut lost toCarol ChanninginHello, Dolly!Streisand received an honorary "Star of the Decade" Tony Award in 1970.
In 1966, Streisand repeated her success withFunny Girlin London's West End at thePrince of Wales Theatre. From 1965 to 1968 she appeared in her first four solo television specials, including theEmmy Award–winningMy Name is Barbra.
Streisand has recorded 50 studio albums, almost all withColumbia Records. Her early works in the 1960s (her debutThe Barbra Streisand Album,The Second Barbra Streisand Album,The Third Album,My Name Is Barbra, etc.) are considered classic renditions of theatre and cabaret standards, including her pensive version of the normally uptempo "Happy Days Are Here Again". She performed this in a duet with Judy Garland onThe Judy Garland Show. Garland referred to her on the air as one of the last greatbelters. They also sang "There's No Business Like Show Business", withEthel Mermanjoining them.
Beginning withMy Name Is Barbra, her early albums were often medley-filled keepsakes of her television specials. Starting in 1969, she began attempting more contemporary material, but like many talented singers of the day, she found herself out of her element with rock. Her vocal talents prevailed, and she gained newfound success with the pop and ballad-orientedRichard Perry-produced albumStoney Endin 1971. Thetitle track, written byLaura Nyro, was a major hit for Streisand.
During the 1970s, she was also highly prominent on the pop charts, with Top 10 recordings such as "The Way We Were" (US No. 1); "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" (US No. 1); "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (1979, withDonna Summer), which as of 2010is reportedly still the most commercially successful duet, (US No. 1); "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (withNeil Diamond) (US No. 1); and "The Main Event" (US No. 3), some of which came from soundtrack recordings of her films. As the 1970s ended, Streisand was named the most successful female singer in the U.S. — onlyElvis PresleyandThe Beatleshad sold more albums.In 1980, she released her best-selling effort to date, theBarry Gibb-producedGuilty. The album contained the hits "Woman in Love" (which spent several weeks on top of the pop charts in the fall of 1980), "Guilty", and "What Kind of Fool".
After years of largely ignoring Broadway and traditional pop music in favor of more contemporary material, Streisand returned to her musical-theater roots. Columbia Records objected that the songs she wanted to sing were not pop songs, but Streisand asserted the full creative control her contract gave her—'I've always had the right to sing what I want'—with 1985'sThe Broadway Album, which was unexpectedly successful, holding the coveted No. 1 Billboard position for three straight weeks and being certified quadruple platinum. The album featured tunes byRodgers and Hammerstein,George Gershwin,Jerome Kern, andStephen Sondheim, who was persuaded to rework some of his songs especially for this recording.The Broadway Albumwas met with acclaim, including a Grammy nomination for album of the year, and handed Streisand her eighth Grammy as Best Female Vocalist. After releasing the live albumOne Voicein 1986, Streisand was set to release another album of Broadway songs in 1988. She recorded several cuts for the album under the direction ofRupert Holmes, including "On My Own" (fromLes Misérables), a medley of "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?", and "Heather on the Hill" (fromFinian's RainbowandBrigadoon, respectively), "All I Ask of You" (fromThe Phantom of the Opera), "Warm All Over" (fromThe Most Happy Fella), and an unusual solo version of "Make Our Garden Grow" (fromCandide). Streisand was not happy with the direction of the project and it was scrapped. Only "Warm All Over" and a reworked, lite FM-friendly version of "All I Ask of You" were ever released, the latter appearing on Streisand's 1988 effort,Till I Loved You. At the beginning of the 1990s, Streisand started focusing on her film directorial efforts and became almost inactive in the recording studio. In 1991, a four-disc box set,Just for the Record, was released. A compilation spanning Streisand's entire career to date, it featured over 70 tracks of live performances, greatest hits, rarities, and previously unreleased material.
The following year, Streisand's concert fundraising events helped propel PresidentBill Clintoninto the spotlight and into office.Streisand later introduced Clinton at his inauguration in 1993. Streisand's music career, however, was largely on hold. A 1992 appearance at an APLA benefit, as well as the aforementioned inaugural performance, hinted that Streisand was becoming more receptive to the idea of live performances. A tour was suggested, though Streisand would not immediately commit to it, citing her well-known stage fright as well as security concerns. During this time, Streisand finally returned to the recording studio and releasedBack to Broadwayin June 1993. The album was not as universally lauded as its predecessor, but it did debut at No. 1 on the pop charts (a rare feat for an artist of Streisand's age, especially given that it relegatedJanet Jackson'sJanetto the No. 2 spot). One of the album's highlights was a medley of "I Have A Love" / "One Hand, One Heart", a duet withJohnny Mathis, who Streisand said is one of her favorite singers.
In 1993,The New York Timesmusic criticStephen Holdenwrote that Streisand "enjoys a cultural status that only one other American entertainer, Frank Sinatra, has achieved in the last half century".In September 1993, Streisand announced her first public concert appearances in 27 years (discounting her Las Vegas nightclub performances between 1969 and 1972). What began as a two-night New Year's event at theMGM Grand Las Vegasled to a multi-city tour in the summer of 1994. Tickets for the tour sold out in under an hour. Streisand also appeared on the covers of major magazines in anticipation of whatTime magazinenamed "The Music Event of the Century". The tour was one of the biggest all-media merchandise parlays in history. Ticket prices ranged from US$50 to US$1,500, making Streisand the highest-paid concert performer in history at the time.Barbra Streisand: The Concertwent on to be the top-grossing concert of the year and earned fiveEmmy Awardsand thePeabody Award, while the taped broadcast onHBOwas the highest-rated concert special in HBO's 30-year history. Following the tour's conclusion, Streisand once again kept a low profile musically, instead focusing her efforts on acting and directing duties as well as a burgeoning romance with actorJames Brolin.
In 1996, Streisand released "I Finally Found Someone" as a duet with Canadian singer and songwriterBryan Adams. The song was nominated for an Oscar, as it was part of the soundtrack of Streisand's self-directed movieThe Mirror Has Two Faces. It reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was her first significant hit in almost a decade and her first top 10 hit on the Hot 100 (and first gold single) since 1981.
In 1997, she finally returned to the recording studio, releasingHigher Ground, a collection of songs of a loosely inspirational nature that also featured a duet withCéline Dion. The album received generally favorable reviews and once again debuted at No. 1 on the pop charts. Following her marriage to Brolin in 1998, Streisand recordedA Love Like Oursthe following year. Reviews were mixed, with many critics complaining about the somewhat syrupy sentiments and overly lush arrangements; however, it did produce a modest hit for Streisand in the country-tinged "If You Ever Leave Me", a duet withVince Gill.
On New Year's Eve 1999, Streisand returned to the concert stage, selling out in the first few hours, eight months before her return.At the end of the millennium, she was the number one female singer in the U.S., with at least two No. 1 albums in each decade since she began performing. A two-disc live album,Timeless: Live in Concert, was released in 2000. Streisand performed versions of theTimelessconcert in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, in early 2000. In advance of four concerts (two each in Los Angeles and New York) in September 2000, Streisand announced that she was retiring from playing public concerts. Her performance of the song "People" was broadcast on the Internet via America Online.
Streisand's subsequent albums includedChristmas Memories(2001), a somewhat somber collection of holiday songs, andThe Movie Album(2003), featuring famous film themes and backed by a large symphony orchestra.Guilty Pleasures(calledGuilty Tooin the UK), a collaboration with Barry Gibb and a sequel to theirGuilty, was released worldwide in 2005.
In February 2006, Streisand recorded the song "Smile" alongsideTony Bennettat Streisand'sMalibuhome. The song is included on Bennett's 80th birthday album,Duets. In September 2006, the pair filmed a live performance of the song forTony Bennett: An American Classic, directed byRob Marshall. The special aired on NBC on November 21, 2006, and was released on DVD the same day. Streisand's duet with Bennett opened the special.
That same year, Streisand announced her intent to tour again, in an effort to raise money and awareness for multiple issues. After four days of rehearsal at theSovereign Bank ArenainTrenton, New Jersey, the2006 Streisand concert tourbegan on October 4 at theWachovia CenterinPhiladelphia, continued with a featured stop inSunrise, Florida, and concluded at Staples Center in Los Angeles on November 20, 2006. Special guestsIl Divowere interwoven throughout the show. Streisand's 20-concert tour set box office records. At the age of 64, she grossed $92,457,062 and set house gross records in 14 of the 16 arenas played on the tour. She set the third-place record for her show of October 9, 2006, at Madison Square Garden, the first- and second-place records, of which are held by her two shows in September 2000. She set the second-place record atMGM Grand Garden Arena, with her December 31, 1999, show being the house record and highest-grossing concert of all time. This led many people to openly criticize Streisand forprice gouging, as many tickets sold for upwards of $1,000.
A collection of performances culled from different stops on this tour,Live in Concert 2006, debuted at No. 7 on theBillboard200, making it Streisand's 29th Top 10 album.In the summer of 2007, Streisand gave concerts for the first time in continental Europe. The first concert took place inZürich(June 18), then Vienna (June 22), Paris (June 26), Berlin (June 30),Stockholm(July 4, canceled),Manchester(July 10), andCelbridge, nearDublin(July 14), followed by three concerts in London (July 18, 22 and 25), the only European city where Streisand had performed before 2007. Tickets for the London dates cost between £100.00 and £1,500.00, and for Ireland, between €118 and €500. The Ireland date was marred by issues with serious parking and seating problems, leading to the event's being dubbed a fiasco byHot Press.The tour included a 58-piece orchestra.
In February 2008,Forbeslisted Streisand as the No. 2-earning female musician between June 2006 and June 2007, with earnings of about $60 million.On November 17, 2008, Streisand returned to the studio to begin recording what would be her 63rd albumand it was announced thatDiana Krallwas producing the album.Streisand is one of the recipients of the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors.On December 7, 2008, she visited the White House as part of the ceremonies.
On April 25, 2009,CBSaired Streisand's latest television special,Streisand: Live in Concert, highlighting the featured stop from her 2006 North American tour inFort Lauderdale, Florida. On September 26, 2009, Streisand performed a one-night-only show at theVillage Vanguardin New York City's Greenwich Village.This performance was later released on DVD asOne Night Only: Barbra Streisand and Quartet at The Village Vanguard.On September 29, 2009, Streisand and Columbia Records released the studio albumLove is the Answer, produced byDiana Krall.On October 2, 2009, Streisand made her British television performance debut with an interview onFriday Night with Jonathan Rossto promote the album. This album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and registered her biggest weekly sales since 1997, making Streisand the only artist in history to achieve No. 1 albums in five different decades.
On February 1, 2010, Streisand joined over 80 other artists in recording a new version of the 1985 charity single "We Are the World".Quincy JonesandLionel Richieplanned to release the new version to mark the 25th anniversary of its original recording. These plans changed, however, in view of the devastating earthquake that hitHaition January 12, 2010, and on February 12, the song, now called "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", made its debut as a charity single to support relief aid for the island nation.
Streisand was honored asMusiCares Person of the Yearon February 11, 2011, two days prior to the 53rd AnnualGrammy Awards.That same year, Streisand sang "Somewhere" from the Broadway musicalWest Side Story, withchild prodigyJackie Evancho, on Evancho's albumDream with Me.
On October 11, 2012, Streisand gave a three-hour concert performance before a crowd of 18,000 as part of the ongoing inaugural events ofBarclays Center(and part of her currentBarbra Livetour) in Brooklyn (her first-ever public performance in her home borough). Streisand was joined onstage by trumpeterChris Botti, Italian operatic trioIl Volo, and her son,Jason Gould. The concert included musical tributes by Streisand toDonna SummerandMarvin Hamlisch, both of whom had died earlier in 2012. Confirmed attendees includedBarbara Walters,Jimmy Fallon,Sting,Katie Couric,Woody Allen,Michael Douglas, and New York City mayorMichael Bloomberg, as well as designersCalvin Klein,Donna Karan,Ralph Lauren, andMichael Kors.In June 2013, she gave two concerts inBloomfield Stadium,Tel Aviv.
Streisand is one of many singers who usetelepromptersduring their live performances. Streisand has defended her choice in using teleprompters to display lyrics and, sometimes, banter.
In September 2014,she releasedPartners, a new album of duets that features collaborations withElvis Presley,Andrea Bocelli,Stevie Wonder,Lionel Richie,Billy Joel,Babyface,Michael Bublé,Josh Groban,John Mayer,John Legend,Blake Shelton, andJason Gould. This album topped theBillboard200, with sales of 196,000 copies in the first week, making Streisand the only recording artist to have a number-one album in each of the last six decades.It was also certified gold in November 2014 and platinum in January 2015, thus becoming Streisand's 52nd gold and 31st Platinum album, more than any other female artist in history.
In May 2016, Streisand announced the upcoming albumEncore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, to be released in August following a nine-city concert tour,Barbra: The Music, The Mem'ries, The Magic, including performances in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and a return to her hometown of Brooklyn.In June 2018, Streisand confirmed she was working on the new studio albumWalls,released November 2, 2018, just prior to the U.S. midterm election. The album's lead single, "Don't Lie to Me", was written as a criticism of America's political climate amid thepresidency of Donald Trump,while the title track alludes to Trump's frequent calls for awall at the Mexico border.
Streisand released the single "Love Will Survive", from the television seriesThe Tattooist of Auschwitz, on April 25, 2024.
Streisand's first film was a reprise of her Broadway hitFunny Girl(1968), an artistic and commercial success directed by Hollywood veteranWilliam Wyler. She won the 1968Academy Award for Best Actressfor the role,sharing it withKatharine Hepburn(The Lion in Winter), the only time there has been a tie in thisOscarcategory.Her next two movies were also based on musicals—Jerry Herman'sHello, Dolly!, directed byGene Kelly(1969); andAlan Jay Lerner's andBurton Lane'sOn a Clear Day You Can See Forever, directed byVincente Minnelli(1970)—while her fourth film was based on the Broadway playThe Owl and the Pussycat(1970).
During the 1970s, Streisand starred in severalscrewball comedies, includingWhat's Up, Doc?(1972) andThe Main Event(1979), both co-starringRyan O'Neal, andFor Pete's Sake(1974) withMichael Sarrazin. One of her most famous roles during this period was in the dramaThe Way We Were(1973) withRobert Redford, for which she received anAcademy Awardnomination as Best Actress. She earned her secondAcademy AwardforBest Original Song(with lyricistPaul Williams) for the song "Evergreen", fromA Star Is Bornin 1976,in which she also starred.
Along withPaul Newman,Sidney Poitier, and laterSteve McQueen, Streisand formedFirst Artists Production Companyin 1969 so that actors could secure properties and develop movie projects for themselves. Streisand's initial outing with First Artists wasUp the Sandbox(1972).
From 1969 to 1980, Streisand appeared inTop Ten Money Making Stars Poll, the annual motion picture exhibitors poll of Top 10 Box Office attractions a total of 10 times,often as the only woman on the list. After the commercially disappointingAll Night Longin 1981, Streisand's film output decreased considerably. She has acted in only eight films since.
Streisand produced a number of her own films, setting up Barwood Films in 1972.Yentl(1983) was turned down by every Hollywood studio at least once when she proposed both directing and starring in the film, until Orion Pictures took on the project and gave the film a budget of $14 million.ForYentl(1983), she was producer, director, and star, an experience she repeated forThe Prince of Tides(1991) andThe Mirror Has Two Faces(1996). There was controversy whenYentlreceived five Academy Award nominations but none for the major categories of Best Picture, Actress, or Director.The Prince of Tidesreceived even more Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay, although not for director. Upon completion of the film, its screenwriter,Pat Conroy, who also authored the novel, called Streisand "a goddess who walks upon the earth."
Streisand also co-scriptedYentl(withJack Rosenthal), something for which she is not always given credit.According toThe New York TimeseditorAndrew Rosenthal, in an interview with Allan Wolper, "The one thing that makes Barbra Streisand crazy is when nobody gives her the credit for having writtenYentl."
After an eight-year hiatus of screen roles, Streisand returned to film acting for the comedyMeet the Fockers(2004, a sequel toMeet the Parents), playing oppositeDustin Hoffman,Ben Stiller,Blythe Danner, andRobert De Niro.
In 2005, Streisand's Barwood Films, Gary Smith, and Sonny Murray purchased the rights toSimon Mawer's bookMendel's Dwarf.In December 2008, she stated that she was considering directing an adaptation ofLarry Kramer's playThe Normal Heart, a project she has worked on since the mid-1990s.
Streisand reprised the role of Roz Focker inLittle Fockers(2010, alongside Dustin Hoffman), the third film from theMeet the Parentstrilogy.
Paramount Pictures gave the green light to begin shooting theroad tripcomedyMy Mother's Cursein early 2011, withSeth Rogenplaying Streisand's character's son.Anne Fletcherdirected the project, with a script byDan Fogelman, produced byLorne Michaels,John Goldwyn, andEvan Goldberg. Executive producers included Streisand, Rogen, Fogelman, andDavid Ellison, whoseSkydance Productionsco-financed theroad movie.Shooting began in spring 2011 and wrapped in July; the film's title was eventually altered toThe Guilt Trip, and the movie was released in December 2012.
Plans emerged in 2015 for Streisand to direct a feature biopic about the 18th-century Russian empressCatherine the Great, based on the top 2014 Black List script produced byGil Netter,withKeira Knightleystarring.Streisand was also set to star in a film adaptation of the musicalGypsy–  featuring music byJules Styne, book byArthur Laurents, and lyrics byStephen Sondheim–  withRichard LaGraveneseattached to the project as screenwriter.Streisand was in advanced negotiations to star and produce the film in April 2016, to be directed byBarry Levinsonand distributed bySTX Entertainment.Two months later, the film's script had been completed and production was scheduled to begin in early 2017.Streisand reportedly exited the project,and bothfailed to move into production.
Streisand possesses amezzo-sopranovocal range,which Howard Cohen of theMiami Heralddescribed as "peerless".Whitney Balliettwrote, "Streisand wows her listeners with her shrewd dynamics (in-your-ear soft here, elbowing-loud there), her bravura climbs, her rolling vibrato, and the singular Streisand-from-Brooklyn nasal quality of her voice – a voice as immediately recognizable in its way as Louis Armstrong's."Music writer Allegra Rossi adds that Streisand creates complete compositions in her head:
While she is predominantly a pop singer, Streisand's voice has been described as "semi-operatic" due to its strength and quality of tone.According to Adam Feldman ofTime Out, Streisand's "signature vocal style" is "a suspension bridge between old-school belting and microphone pop."She is known for her ability to hold relatively high notes, both loud and soft, with great intensity—which led classical pianistGlenn Gouldto call himself "a Streisand freak"—as well as for her ability to make slight but unobtrusive embellishments on a melodic line.
Since about 2010 critics and audiences noted that her voice had "lowered and acquired an occasionally husky edge". However,New York Timesmusic critic Stephen Holden noted that her distinctive tone and musical instincts remained, and that she still had "the gift of conveying a primal human longing in a beautiful sound".Paul Taylor ofThe Independentwrote that Streisand "has sounded a little scratchy and frayed, though the stout resolve and superb technique with which Streisand manages to hoist it over these difficulties has come to seem morally as well aesthetically impressive."Reviewing Streisand's 2014 studio albumPartners, Gil Naveh ofHaaretzdescribed Streisand's voice as "velvety, clear and powerful ... and the passing years have given it a fascinating depth and roughness."
Streisand has been married twice. Her first husband was actorElliott Gould, whom she married on September 13, 1963. They announced their separation on February 12, 1969, and divorced on July 6, 1971.They had one child,Jason Gould, who appeared as her on-screen son inThe Prince of Tides.
In 1969 and 1970, Streisand dated Canadian Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau.
She started a relationship with hairdresser/producerJon Petersin 1973.He went on to be her manager and producer. They broke up in 1982 during the making ofYentl, but remain friends. She is the godmother of his daughters, Caleigh Peters and Skye Peters.
Streisand briefly dated film directorMichael Ciminoin early 1983, though they kept their relationship secret. Cimino had considered her for a role in his planned adaptation ofThe FountainheadbyAyn Rand, which was not made.
From November 1983 to October 1987, Streisand lived withBaskin-Robbinsice cream heirRichard Baskin,who composed the lyrics to "Here We Are At Last" on her 1984 albumEmotion. They remained friends after the split, and Baskin would accompany Streisand to public events in between her subsequent romances.
She dated actorDon Johnsonfrom December 1987 until at least September 1988;they recorded a duet of "Till I Loved You".
In 1983 and 1989 respectively, Streisand briefly dated actorsRichard GereandClint Eastwood.
From 1989 to 1991, she was involved with composerJames Newton Howard.
Streisand dated tennis championAndre Agassifrom 1992 to 1993. Writing about the relationship in his 2009 autobiography, Agassi said: "We agree that we're good for each other, and so what if she's twenty-eight years older? We'resimpatico, and the public outcry only adds spice to our connection. It makes our friendship feel forbidden, taboo – another piece of my overall rebellion. Dating Barbra Streisand is like wearing Hot Lava."
During the early-to-mid-1990s, Streisand was in romantic relationships with several high-profile men, including newscasterPeter Jennings,and actorsLiam Neeson,Jon VoightandPeter Weller.
Her second husband is actorJames Brolin, whom she married on July 1, 1998.They have no children together. Brolin has two sons from his first marriage, including actorJosh Brolin, and one daughter from his second marriage.
Streisand has several dogs; she loved her dog Samantha so much that she had hercloned.
In March 2019, Streisand apologized for her controversial statements aboutMichael Jackson's accusers.
Streisand changed her name from "Barbara" to "Barbra" because, she said, "I hated the name, but I refused to change it."Streisand further explained, "Well, I was 18 and I wanted to be unique, but I didn't want to change my name because that was too false. You know, people were saying you could be Joanie Sands, or something like that. (My middle name is Joan.) And I said, 'No, let's see, if I take out the 'a,' it's still 'Barbara,' but it's unique."A 1967 biography with a concert program said, "the spelling of her first name is an instance of partial rebellion: she was advised to change her last name and retaliated by dropping an "a" from the first instead."
According to Streisand, her surname is pronounced with an "s" sound "like sand on the beach," not the "z" sound often used.TheApplevoice digital assistantSirioriginally pronounced her surname wrong, prompting Streisand to personally contact Apple CEOTim Cookto complain about the pronunciation, which Apple soon corrected.
In the early years of her career, Streisand's interest in politics was limited, with the exception of her participation in activities of the anti-nuclear groupWomen Strike for Peacein 1961 and 1962.In 1968, her political activism increased, and she helped promote the presidential campaign ofEugene McCarthywho held an anti–Vietnam Warstance.In July 1968, withHarry Belafonteand others, she performed at the Hollywood Bowl in a fundraising concert sponsored by theSouthern Christian Leadership Conferenceto benefit the poor.
Streisand has been an active supporter of theDemocratic Partyand many of its causes. She was among the celebrities on PresidentRichard Nixon's1971 list of political enemies.In 1972, she assisted the presidential campaign of anti-war candidateGeorge McGovernby headlining thebenefit concertFour for McGovern, organized by actorWarren Beattyand record producerLou Adler; her concert recording was released asLive Concert at the Forum.The next year, in association with liberal activistStanley Sheinbaumand theAmerican Civil Liberties Union, Streisand performed a benefit at the mansion of film mogulJennings Langto pay for the legal defense ofDaniel EllsbergofPentagon Papersfame. Accompanied by a small combo includingMarvin Hamlischon piano, Streisand took paid song requests from the star-studded audience and by telephone to bring the night's total to $50,000.
In 1984, Streisand joinedJane Fondaand ten other television and film industry notables to establish the activist groupHollywood Women's Political Committee(HWPC), the membership eventually growing to 300. The HWPC fought for liberal causes for more than a decade, contributing to the Democratic Party taking majority control in the1986 U.S. Senate elections,and in 1992 fundingBill Clinton'spresidential electionas well as helping to usher in theYear of the Womanby electing more women senators.In 1995 Streisand spoke atHarvard'sJohn F. Kennedy School of Governmentabout the role of the artist as citizen, in support of arts programs and funding.
Streisand is a supporter ofLGBT rightsand backed the "No on 8" campaign in an unsuccessful attempt to defeatCalifornia Proposition 8of 2008.
In 2012, Streisand stated, "The newlaws requiring U.S. citizens to produce photo IDsat the poll are designed to deprive elderly and minority citizens of the precious right to cast their vote. These regressive laws are themselves the most dangerous voter fraud threatening American democracy."Streisand continued her voter rights advocacy in 2020, tweeting a link toVoteRiders, a nonprofit that assists citizens with obtaining voter ID.
A longtime supporter ofIsrael, Streisand helped celebrate the 90th birthday ofShimon PeresatJerusalem's international convention center in June 2013.She also performed at two other concerts in Tel Aviv that same week, part of her first concert tour of Israel.
In January 2017, she participated in2017 Women's Marchin Los Angeles. Introduced byRufus Wainwright, Streisand appeared on stage and made a speech.
In an October 2018 interview withEmma BrockesofThe Guardian, Streisand discussed the theme of her new albumWalls: the danger she believed PresidentDonald Trumpposed towards the United States. She said, "This is a dangerous time in this nation, this republic: a man who is corrupt and indecent and is assaulting our institutions. It's really, really frightening. And I just pray that people who are compassionate and respect the truth will come out and vote. I'm saying more than just vote. Vote for Democrats!"In November 2023, she praised PresidentJoe Biden, saying "I like Biden. I think he has done a good job. I think he is compassionate, smart, supports the right things."
In 1984, Streisand donated the Emanuel Streisand Building for Jewish Studies to theHebrew University of Jerusalem, in the Mount Scopus campus, in memory of her father, an educator and scholar who died when she was young.
Streisand has personally raised $25 millionfor organizations through her live performances. The Streisand Foundation,established in 1986, has contributed over $16 million through nearly 1,000 grants to "national organizations working on preservation of the environment, voter education, the protection ofcivil libertiesandcivil rights,women's issuesandnuclear disarmament".
In 2006, Streisand donated $1 million to theWilliam J. Clinton Foundationin support of former PresidentBill Clinton's climate change initiative.
In 2009, Streisand gifted $5 million to endow the Barbra Streisand Women's Cardiovascular Research and Education Program atCedars-Sinai Medical Center's Women's Heart Center.In September that year,Parademagazine included Streisand on its Giving Back Fund's second annual Giving Back 30 survey, "a ranking of the celebrities who have made the largest donations to charity in 2007 according to public records",as the third most generous celebrity. The Giving Back Fund claimed Streisand donated $11 million, which The Streisand Foundation distributed. In 2012 she raised $22 million to support her women's cardiovascular center, bringing her own personal contribution to $10 million. The program was officially named the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center.
At Julien's Auctions in October 2009, Streisand, a longtime collector of art and furniture, sold 526 items, with all the proceeds going to her foundation. Items included a costume fromFunny Ladyand a vintage dental cabinet purchased by the performer at 18 years old. The sale's most valuable lot was a painting byKees van Dongen.
In December 2011, she appeared at a fundraising gala forIsrael Defense Forcescharities.
In June 2020, she giftedGeorge Floyd's daughter, Gianna Floyd, Disney shares.
On September 22, 2022,Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, invited Streisand to become an ambassador for theUNITED24platform, focusing on the Medical Aid direction of support.Streisand helped raise $240,000 for medical care.
Streisand is regarded as the "Queen of the Divas" by various media outlets.The New York Timescalled her among the three of America's Most Beloved Divas (alongsideDolly PartonandPatti Labelle).Vulturehonored her enduring legacy saying her works influence "extends toCéline Dion, the 1980s output ofLionel RichieandLuther Vandross, and the more maudlin ballads ofMariah Carey,Adele, andWhitney Houston."Forbeshailed Streisand as the "Queen of the Charts" for her unmistakable longevity on the Billboard charts.TheLos Angeles Timesalso hailed her as the "most influential female vocalist" and the "most revolutionary of performers" for being responsible for changing the rules for female performers to come.CNNlisted her as one of the most romantic singers of the 20th century.In 2023,Rolling Stoneranked Streisand at number 147 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.In 1997,New Yorkmagazine acknowledged her fashion sense saying "she embarked on a surreal, chameleonic, personal fashion quest" that single-handedly began the retro revolution in the 1960s.
Streisand was presented the Distinguished Merit Award byMademoisellein 1964, and selected as Miss Ziegfeld in 1965. In 1968, she received the Israel Freedom Medal, the highest civilian award of Israel, and she was awarded Pied Piper Award byASCAPandPrix De L'Academie Charles Crosin 1969, Crystal Apple by her hometown City of New York, Woman of Achievement in the Arts byAnti-Defamation Leaguein 1978. In 1984, Streisand was awarded theWomen in Film Crystal Awardfor outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.She received the Woman of Courage Award by theNational Organization for Women(NOW),the Ordre des Arts et des Lettresand Scopus Award byAmerican Friends of the Hebrew University.
She received Breakthrough Awards for "making films that portray women with serious complexity" at the Women, Men and Media symposium in 1991.In 1992, she was given the Commitment to Life Award byAIDS Project Los Angeles(APLA), and the Bill of Rights Award by theAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, the Dorothy Arzner Special Recognition byWomen in Film, and the Golden Plate by theAcademy of Achievement. She was honored with the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award from theASCAPin 1994 and thePeabody Awardin 1995, the same year she was accorded an Honorary Doctorate in Arts and Humanities byBrandeis University.She was also awarded Filmmaker of the Year Award for "lifetime achievement in filmmaking" by ShowEast andPeabody Awardin 1996,Christopher Awardin 1998.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton presented Streisand with theNational Medal of Arts, the highest honor specifically given for achievement in the arts,andLibrary of Congress Living Legend, she also received the highest honor for a career in filmAFI Life Achievement AwardfromAmerican Film Instituteand Liberty and Justice Award fromRainbow/PUSHCoalition,Gracie Allen Award, First Annual Jewish Image Awards in 2001, and Humanitarian Award "for her years of leadership, vision, and activism in the fight for civil liberties, including religion, race, gender equality and freedom of speech, as well as all aspects of gay rights" fromHuman Rights Campaignin 2004. In 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkozy presented Streisand withLegion of Honour, the highest decoration in France, and President George W. Bush presented herKennedy Center Honors, the highest recognition of cultural achievement.
In 2011, she was given Board of Governors Humanitarian Award for her efforts on behalf of women's heart health and her many other philanthropic activities." byCedars-Sinai Heart Institute. She received the L'Oréal Paris Legend Award in 18thElleMagazine Women in Hollywood. In 2012, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from theWomen Film Critics Circle. She was accorded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by theHebrew University of Jerusalemin 2013. In that year, she was also recipient of the Charlie Chaplin Award for Lifetime Achievement by theFilm Society of Lincoln Centeras the only female artist to direct, write, produce and star in the same major studio film,Yentl,along with a Lifetime AchievementGlamour Awards.
In 2014, Streisand was on one of eight differentNew York Magazinecovers celebrating the magazine's "100 Years, 100 Songs, 100 Nights: A Century of Pop Music in New York". She also received theAmerican Society of Cinematographers(ASC) Board of Governors Award,the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award atThe Hollywood Reporter's annual Women in Entertainment Breakfast,and came first in the 1010 Wins Iconic Celebrity Poll by CBS in 2015.In November 2015, PresidentBarack Obamaannounced that Streisand would receive thePresidential Medal of Freedom, the highestcivilian awardof the United States.
Streisand was inducted into andHollywood Walk of Famein 1976,Goldmine Hall of Famein 2002,Long Island Music Hall of Famein 2007,theHit Parade Hall of Famein 2009,National Museum of American Jewish HistoryandCalifornia Hall of Famein 2010.
In 1970, she received aSpecial Tony Awardnamed "Star of the Decade", and was selected "Star of the Decade" by theNational Association of Theatre Owners(NATO) in 1980, "Star of Decade" by NATO/ShowWest and President's Award byNARMin 1988. That year she was also named as All-Time Favorite Musical Performer byPeople's Choice Awards. In 1986,Lifenamed her as one of "Five Hollywood's Most Powerful Women".In 1998,Harris Pollreported that she is the "Most Popular Singer Among Adult Americans of All Ages." She was also featured onVH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll,Top 100 Singers of all time byMojomagazine,named the century's best female singer in a Reuters/Zogby poll, and "Top Female Artist of the Century" byRecording Industry Association of Americain 1999.In 2006, Streisand was one of honorees atOprah Winfrey's white-tie Legends Ball.
In 2015,The Daily Telegraphranked Streisand as one of the 10 top female singer-songwriters of all time.A&E'sBiographymagazine ranked Streisand as one of their favorite leading actress of all time,she was also featured on the Voices of the Century list byBBC,the "100 Greatest Movie Stars of Time" list compiled byPeople,VH1's list of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons of All Time",the "100 Greatest Entertainers of All Time", "ranked at #13" and the "Greatest Movie Star of all time list" byEntertainment Weekly,"The 50 Greatest Actresses of All Tim" byAMC,and Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists.Billboardalso ranked Streisand as the top female Jewish musician of all time.As agay icon, Streisand was named byThe Advocateas one of the "25 Coolest Women" and the "9 Coolest Women Appealing to Both Lesbians and Gay Men",and was also placed among the "12 Greatest Female Gay Icons of All Time" byOutmagazine.She was recognized as one of the top gay icons of the past three decades byGay Times.
During the first decade of the 21st century, theAmerican Film Institutecelebrated 100 years of the greatest films in American cinema. Four of Streisand's songs were represented onAFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs, which highlighted "America's Greatest Music in the Movies": "The Way We Were" at #8, "Evergreen (Love Theme FromA Star Is Born)" at # 16, "People" at #13, and "Don't Rain on My Parade" at #46. Many of her films were represented on AFI's 100 Years ... series.AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Laughs, highlighting "the films and film artists that have made audiences laugh throughout the century," rankedWhat's Up, Doc?at #61.AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Passionshighlighted the top 100 greatest love stories in American cinema and placedThe Way We Wereat #8,Funny Girlat #41, andWhat's Up, Doc?at #68.AFI's Greatest Movie Musicalshighlighted the 25 greatest American movie musicals, rankingFunny Girlat #16.
TheLibrary of CongresschoseFunny Girlfor preservation in theNational Film Registryin December 2016.When "People" was selected in March 2017 for preservation in theNational Recording Registry, Streisand said she was humbled to have the song honored "as part of the flow of our nation's culture."
As one of the most acclaimed actresses, singers, directors, writers, composers, producers, designers, photographers and activists in every medium that she's worked in, Streisand is the only artist who is concurrently a member of theAmerican Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers,Screen Actors Guild,American Federation of Television and Radio Artists,Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and SciencesandActors' Equity Association, as well as the honorary chairwoman of the board of directors ofHadassah's International Research Institute on Women.
In a 2003 lawsuit, Streisand claimed that a website illustrating coastal erosion invaded her privacy because one of its over 12,000 images happened to show herMalibu, Californiahome; Streisand wanted the photo removed from the site. The suit was dismissed and the resultant publicity prompted hundreds of thousands of people to download the photo, which had been accessed only four times prior to Streisand initiating legal action.The termStreisand effectwas coined to refer to an attempt to censor information which unintentionally publicizes that information.
TheBarbra Streisand Cupis arugby unionmatch held inSydney,Australia each year played between the Sydney Convicts, Australia's first gay and inclusive Rugby Union club, and theMaccabi Rugby FC, Sydney's only Jewish rugby team.  It's a friendly match, typically played in or around April, between the rival clubs and is named in Streisand's honour as she is known to have a large fan base in both the gay and the Jewish communities.
Barbra Streisand is one of the most decorated entertainers in history. She has won two Academy Awards - one forBest ActressinFunny Girl (1968)and another forBest Original SongforEvergreen (1976), making her the first woman to receive the latter. Streisand has earned 10Grammy Awards, includingAlbum of the YearforThe Barbra Streisand Album. She was also awarded the prestigiousGrammy Legend Award, an honor received by only 14 other artists, as well as theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She has won fiveEmmy Awards, comprising fourPrimetime Emmysand oneDaytime Emmy. She has received fourPeabody Awards, theScreen Actors Guild Life Achievement Awardand nineGolden Globes. Additionally, she received aSpecial Tony Awardin1970, recognizing her contributions to Broadway. In 2011, she was honored asMusiCares Person of the Yearby theGrammy Foundationfor her artistic achievement in the music industry.
Streisand's writing of her autobiography stalled at various stages,andViking Pressannounced in May 2015 that they anticipated publishing her long-awaited memoir in 2017, spanning Streisand's entire life and career.
Upon the release ofMy Name Is Barbraon November 7, 2023,herBBCinterview concluded with Streisand claiming she wanted "to have more fun" in life.