Barbra Streisand Biography - The Life and Career of a Living Legend

Barbara Joan Streisand was born on April, 24, 1942 in Brooklyn New York. Her father Emmanuel was a high school teacher and her mother Diana Rosen Streisand was a homemaker. Barbra was the second child of three. She has an older brother named Sheldon Streisand and a younger half sister named Rosyln Kind, who is a professional singer. When Streisand was fifteen months old, her father died of a brain hemorrhage. Without Emmanuel’s income the family faced financial devastation. Streisand’s mother Diana remarried and her stepfather fathered Rosyln.

Teenage Dreams

Brought up within the Jewish faith, Streisand attended the Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York where she took a particular interest in singing. She was part of her high school Freshman Chorus and Choral Club. She worked as a nightclub singer as a teenager and dreamed of becoming an actress. She appeared in summer stock and small plays such as “Driftwood” which only lasted for six weeks. She decided to take one "A" out of her name, changing Barbara to Barbra, so her name would be different. 

Finding Fame as a Singer

Her boyfriend at the time, Barry Dennen encouraged her to create a singing act which helped her to become successful at various nightclubs and people began to take notice of her amazing singing talent in 1960. Streisand landed her first big television appearance in 1961 when she was invited on “The Tonight Show.” Then in 1962 she appeared on “60 Minutes” and “PM East/PM West” and then began fulfilling her dream as a professional actress appearing on Broadway. Her small role in the musical “I Can Get It for You Wholesale” boosted her career. Now a recognized singer, she recorded “The Barbra Streisand Album” which one two Grammy Awards.

Barbra Streisand landed the role of “Fanny Brice” in the Broadway musical “Funny Girl” in 1964. Two songs from the musical “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “People” would become synonymous with Barbra Streisand’s name. The successful Broadway production was taken to London, England and Streisand was featured on the cover of Time magazine. Streisand became one of the hottest singing sensations and starred in many television specials.

Barbra’s success reaches superstar levels during the 1970’s when five of her songs topped the pop charts. Evergreen, The Way We Were, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers and No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) all reached number one and she was named the most successful female U.S. singer by 1980. Her success continued in the 1980’s when she released the album “Guilty.” Much to her fans delight, Barbra Streisand returned to her musical theatre past and released “The Broadway Album” in the mid 1980’s. The album hit number one on Billboards for three continuous weeks. In total Barbra Streisand has released over 60 albums over the years.

Public Concerts and Stage Fright

In the early 1990’s Barbra Streisand temporarily put her music career to the side as she focused on her work as a director, but was back in the recording studio within a few years and in 1993 her “Back to Broadway” album was released. In autumn of the same her Streisand announced that she was going on tour. She had not performed a public concert in 27 years. Streisand does not enjoy singing for a public audience due to stage fright. Her stage fright stems from the enormous amount of pressure she feels from her concert goers.

In a 2010 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show Barbara Streisand talked about how she felt that the people in the front row expecting so much from her because they pay so much for the tickets. She fears criticism and finds public performances stressful. Tickets for the 1994 “Barbra Streisand: The Concert” tour ranged from $50 - $1,500 and were sold out within the first hour. The singer often uses teleprompters during live performances to ensure she gets song lyrics right.

Her next concert performance was in 1999 in Las Vegas. Barbra Streisand did several public concerts in 2000. Before her final four concerts, she announced that she would not be doing any more in the future. In 2006, at the age of 64, the singer decided she would go on a short tour again in order to raise money for important issues. The concert series “Streisand: The Tour” earned over 90 million dollars. She also brought her talent to Europe, where she carried out another series of concerts in 2007.

One year later in 2008, Streisand was listed as the second top earning female musician on the Forbes list. In 2010 Barbra Streisand joined other top singers to record the new version of the song “We Are the World.” The original song was recorded in 1985. The new version was recorded to raise funds for Haiti Earthquake victims.

Love and Romance

Some of Barbra Streisand’s high profile boyfriends include Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.Barbra Streisand has had her ups and downs when it comes to love.

While she was a young, struggling artist in the early 1960s, Barbra Streisand lived over the Oscar’s Salt of the Sea Restaurant with her boyfriend Elliot Gould. The couple paid $62 per month rent for the small apartment. Barbra Streisand and Elliot Gould eventually married and had a son, Jason Emanuel Gould, who was born inNew York City on December 29, 1966. Streisand took six months off after having her son before she returned to work. Jason Gould now works as an actor.

For a while it seemed as though Barbara Streisand had given up on love until she met actor (James Brolin pictured below). Streisand and Brolin married in 1997 and in 2010, In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand revealed that her favorite days are the ones that are spent in bed watching movies and relaxing with her husband James.

Films and Awards

Barbara Streisand has starred in plenty of movies throughout her career. She has acted in Funny Girl, Hello Dolly!, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Way We Were, The Owl and the Pussycat, A star is Born, All Night Long, The Mirror Has Two Faces and Yentl. Her most recent acting role was in the hit comedy movies, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers. Streisand has one numerous awards throughout her career including eight Grammies, two Oscars, four Emmys, and a Special Tony Award. She is one of the dozen stars who have received all four elite entertainment awards.

Passion for Design

Streisand’s most recent career move was to create a book on home design titled “My Passion for Design.” Barbara Streisand designed her gorgeous home and decided that she wanted to share her passion with others. Her new book features fantastic home design tips, focusing on the architecture of her current homes. Streisand shares photos of her carefully constructed and decorated homes as well as childhood memories. Fans get to have a rare look at Babra's private life. The book has been well received since its 2010 release.