Barbra Streisand

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Barbra Streisand
Streisand at Governors' Ball following the 1995 Emmys
Streisand at Governors' Ball following the 1995 Emmys
Background information
Birth name Barbara Joan Streisand
Born April 24, 1942 (1942-04-24) (age 66)
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Genre(s) Traditional Pop, adult Contemporary, showtunes
Occupation(s) Singer, actor, producer, director
Years active 1957-present
Label(s) Columbia
Website BarbraStreisand.com

Barbra Streisand (pronounced /ˈstraɪsænd/ "STRY-sand"; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, film and theatre actress. She has also achieved some note as a composer, political activist, film producer and director. She has won Oscars for Best Actress and Best Original Song as well as multiple Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards.

She is one of the most commercially and critically successful female entertainers in modern entertainment history and one of the best selling solo recording artists in the US, with RIAA-certified shipments of over 71 million albums. She is the highest ranking female artist on the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) Top Selling Artists list.[1] She has sold approximately 145 million albums worldwide.

Streisand is a member of the short list of entertainers with the distinction of having won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award.

Contents

[edit] Early years

Barbara Joan Streisand was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to a Jewish family. Her father, Emanuel Streisand, a grammar school teacher who emigrated from Vienna, Austria, died while working as a Jewish summer camp counselor in upstate New York when she was 15 months old. Her older brother remembers him. Starting at age seven she had a turbulent relationship with her stepfather, Louis Kind. She has a half-sister from her mother's second marriage, Roslyn Kind, who also became a singer, performing on Saturday Night Live in 1976.[2]

Streisand's mother, Diana, an American-born school secretary,[3] discouraged her daughter from pursuing a show business career, opining that she was not attractive enough, and encouraged her to learn to type. Streisand attended Erasmus Hall High School,[4] where she graduated third in her class in 1959, and where she sang in the school choir with Neil Diamond. She was also friendly there with future World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer.

[edit] Early singing, theater, and television career

After a music competition, Streisand 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 create a club act — first performed in a gay bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village in 1960 — she achieved success as a singer. In 1961 Streisand appeared at the Town and Country nightclub in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but her appearance was cut short; audiences did not understand her revolutionary singing style.[5] It was at this time that she shortened her first name to Barbra to make it more distinctive.[citation needed]

A kinescope exists of Streisand's first television appearance, which was on The Tonight Show in 1961 during the era when Jack Paar hosted it. The kinescope, which has circulated on Youtube, exists because in 1961 Streisand's older brother bought it from NBC. Orson Bean, who substituted for Paar that night, had seen the singer perform at a gay bar and booked her for the telecast. Later in 1961, Streisand became a semi-regular on P.M. East P.M. West, a talk/variety series hosted by Mike Wallace. His co-host, Joyce Davidson, was best known for a recent stint as a CBC Television talk host. Westinghouse Broadcasting, which aired P.M. East P.M. West in a select few cities (Boston, New York, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Cleveland, Chicago and San Francisco), wiped all the videotapes, which means that no moving image exists of Streisand on the show.[6] Audio segments from some episodes are part of her compilation CD Just for the Record, which went platinum in 1991. The singer said on 60 Minutes in 1991 that thirty years earlier Mike Wallace had been "mean" to her on P.M. East P.M. West. He countered that she had been "self-absorbed." 60 Minutes included the audio of Streisand saying to him in 1961, "I like the fact that you are provoking. But don't provoke me."[7]

In 1962, after several appearances on P.M. East P.M. West, Streisand first appeared on Broadway, in the small but star-making role of Miss Marmelstein in the musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale. She also signed her first recording contract that year with Columbia Records.[citation needed] She appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1962, and this brought her to the attention of fellow guest Liberace, who featured her in his acts in Las Vegas.[citation needed]

In July 1963, Streisand first performed with Liberace at the Riviera (hotel and casino) in Las Vegas.[citation needed] On September 9, 1963, she appeared as the opening act for him at Harrah's Lake Tahoe South Shore Room. She was touted as "the nation's newest singing sensation . . . who comes to Tahoe from a record-smashing engagement at Hollywood's Cocoanut Grove."[citation needed] (This club was actually located inside The Ambassador Hotel near downtown Los Angeles.)

Her first album, The Barbra Streisand Album, won two Grammy Awards in 1963. Her recording success continued, and at one time her 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.[citation needed]

Following her success in I Can Get It for You Wholesale, Streisand made several appearances on The Tonight Show when it was hosted by Johnny Carson. Portions of their conversations in 1962 and 1963 survive in audio. When they first sat down together in 1962, they covered topics ranging from her En Pierre dresses that she bought wholesale to her "crazy" reputation at Erasmus Hall High School to her desire to sing at the Metropolitan Opera and travel around the world.[8] NBC wiped all the videotapes as it did with most Tonight broadcasts in the 1950s and 1960s.

Streisand returned to Broadway in 1964 with an acclaimed performance as entertainer Fanny Brice in Funny Girl at the Winter Garden Theatre. The show introduced two of her signature songs, People and Don't Rain on My Parade. The play's overnight success resulted in her becoming one of the youngest women ever to grace the cover of Time. Although she continued to sing on television shows, she evidently decided during this period not to sit down with Johnny Carson again and to stop adlibbing with other talk hosts in the United States. In 1966, she repeated her success with Funny Girl in London's West End at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

One notable American TV special was a documentation of Streisand's 1967 free concert in New York's Central Park, at which she sang to a crowd of some 135,000 people.[citation needed] She resumed giving American television interviews in 1976 when she sat down with Barbara Walters.

[edit] Singing career

Streisand has recorded more than 60 albums, almost all with the Columbia Records label. Streisand has stamped nearly every song she has sung with her unique style of interpretation. 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 theater and cabaret standards, including her slow version of the normally uptempo Happy Days Are Here Again. She performed this in a duet on The Judy Garland Show. Garland referred to her on the air as one of the last great belters. They also sang There's No Business Like Show Business (song) with Ethel Merman joining them.

Beginning with My 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-oriented Richard Perry-produced album Stoney End in 1971. The title track, written by Laura 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 (US No. 1), No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (with Donna Summer) (US No. 1), You Don't Bring Me Flowers (with Neil 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. - only Elvis Presley and The Beatles had sold more albums.[9] In 1982, New York Times music critic Stephen Holden wrote that Streisand was "the most influential mainstream American pop singer since Frank Sinatra."[citation needed]. In 1980, she released her best-selling effort to date, the Barry Gibb-produced Guilty. The album contained the hits Woman In Love (which spent several weeks atop 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 finally returned to her musical-theater roots with 1985's The Broadway Album, which was unexpectedly successful, holding the coveted #1 Billboard position for three straight weeks, and being certified quadruple Platinum. The album featured tunes by Rodgers & Hammerstein, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern and, most notably, Stephen Sondheim - who was even persuaded to rework some of his songs especially for this recording. The Broadway Album was met with nearly universal acclaim including a nomination for Album of the Year and, ultimately, handed Streisand her eighth Grammy as Best Female Vocalist. After releasing the live album One Voice in 1986, Streisand was set to take another musical journey along the Great White Way in 1988. She recorded several cuts for the album under the direction of Rupert Holmes, including On My Own (from Les Misérables), a medley of How Are Things in Glocca Morra? and Heather on the Hill (from Finian's Rainbow and Brigadoon, respectively), All I Ask of You (from Phantom of the Opera), Warm All Over (from The Most Happy Fella) and an unusual solo version of Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide). Streisand was not happy with the direction of the project and it was ultimately 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.

The beginning of the 1990s found Streisand focusing on her directorial efforts and largely 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 former President Bill Clinton into the spotlight and into office.[10] 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 a live performances. A tour was suggested, though Streisand would not immediately commit to it, citing her her well-known stage fright as well as security concerns. During this time, Streisand finally returned to the recording studio and released Back to Broadway in June of 1993. The album was not as universally lauded as its predecessor, but it did debut at #1 on the pop charts (a rare feat for an artist of Streisand's age, especially given that it relegated Janet Jackson's Janet to the #2 spot). One of the album's highlights was a medley of I Have A Love / One Hand, One Heart a duet with the legendary Johnny Mathis, whom Streisand said is one of her favorite singers.

In September 1993, Streisand made global news, announcing her first public concert appearances in 27 years. What began as a two-night New Year's event at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas eventually led to a multi-city tour in the Summer of 1994. Tickets to the tour were sold out in under one hour. Streisand also appeared on the covers 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 US$50 to US$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 five Emmy Awards and the Peabody Award, and the taped broadcast on HBO is, to date, 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 her acting and directing duties as well as her burgeoning romance with actor James Brolin. In 1997, Streisand finally returned to the recording studio, releasing Higher Ground - a collection of songs of a loosely-inspirational nature which also featured a duet with Celine Dion. The album received generally favorable reviews and, remarkably, once again debuted at #1 on the pop charts.

Following her marriage to Brolin in 1998, Streisand recorded an album of love songs entitled A Love Like Ours the following year. Reviews were mixed, with many critics carping 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 with Vince Gill.

On New Year's Eve 1999, Streisand returned to the concert stage, giving the highest grossing single concert in Las Vegas history to date. At the end of the millennium, she was the number one female singer in the U.S., with at least two #1 albums in each decade since she began performing. A 2-disc live album of the concert entitled Timeless: Live in Concert was released in 2000.

Streisand's most recent albums have been Christmas Memories (2001), a somewhat somber collection of holiday songs (which felt entirely - albeit unintentionally - appropriate in the early post-9/11 days), 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 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 is included on Tony Bennett's 80th Birthday Album, Duets. In September 2006, the pair filmed a live performance of the song for a special directed by Rob Marshall entitled Tony Bennett: An American Classic. The special aired on NBC Television November 21, 2006, and was released on DVD the same day. Streisand's duet with Bennett opens the special.

In advance of four concerts (two each in Los Angeles and New York) in September 2000, Streisand announced she was retiring from future paying public concerts. Her performance of the song People was broadcast on the Internet via America Online.

In 2006, Streisand came out of retirement and announced her intent to tour again, in an effort to raise money and awareness for multiple issues. After four days of rehearsal at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey, the tour began on October 4 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia and concluded at Staples Center in Los Angeles on November 20, 2006. Special guests Il Divo were interwoven throughout the show. On stage closing night, Streisand hinted that six more concerts may follow on foreign soil. The show was known as Streisand: The Tour.

On October 9, 2006, Streisand performed a concert at the Madison Square Garden, featuring a skit that made fun of President George W. Bush. When one heckler continued to yell repeated taunts during and long after the skit had ended, Streisand responded by shouting "Shut the fuck up!" She later apologized, but added that "The artist's role is to disturb."[11] Ultimately, Streisand endured negative reaction to the sketch at only two out of her twenty concert dates. It was thought that an audience member in Fort Lauderdale threw liquid from a cup at her because of the skit, but the incident was found to be non-political.[12]

Streisand's 20-concert tour set record box office numbers. At the age of 64, well past the prime of most performers, she grossed US$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 October 9, 2006 show 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 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with her December 31, 1999 show being the house record and the highest grossing concert of all time. This led many people to openly criticize Streisand for price gouging, as many tickets sold for upwards of US$1,000.

A collection of performances culled from different stops on this tour, Live in Concert 2006, debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200, making it Streisand's 29th Top 10 album.[13] In the summer of 2007, Streisand gave concerts for the first time in continental Europe. The first concert took place in Zürich (June 18), then Vienna (June 22), Paris (June 26), Berlin (June 30), Stockholm (July 4, cancelled), Manchester (July 10) and Celbridge, near Dublin (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 GB£100.00 and GB£1,500.00 and for the Ireland date between 118.00 and €500.00. The tour included a 58 piece orchestra.

In February 2008, Forbes Magazine listed Streisand as the #2 richest woman (as a singer) in 2007, with earnings of about US$60 million.[2] Although Streisand's range has diminished with time and her voice has become deeper and huskier in recent years (which is particularly evident in her live performances), her vocal prowess has remained remarkably secure for a singer whose career has endured for nearly half a century.

[edit] Film career

Barbra Streisand
Born Barbara Joan Streisand
April 24, 1942 (1942-04-24) (age 66)
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Spouse(s) Elliott Gould (1963-1971)
James Brolin (1998-present)

Her first film was a reprise of her Broadway hit, Funny Girl (1968), an 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 (film) (1970).

She also starred in the original screwball comedies, including What's Up, Doc? (1972), with Ryan O'Neal, and For Pete's Sake (1974), and the drama The Way We Were (1973) with Robert Redford. Her second Academy Award was for Best Original Song as composer of the song "Evergreen", from A Star Is Born (1976); this was the first time a woman had received this award.

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 was the personal Up the Sandbox (1972).

In 1970, she had a topless scene in The Owl and the Pussycat. She regretted the move and requested that director Herbert Ross delete the scene from the movie. Years later, High Society magazine obtained the original negative from the film, which included the topless scene. When they published the photos of her bare breasts, Streisand took action to remove the magazine from the stands.[citation needed] The Owl and the Pussycat is also notable for being the first Hollywood film in which a major Hollywood star (Streisand) uttered the word "fuck."[citation needed]

From a period beginning in 1969 and ending in 1980, Streisand appeared in 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. But after the disappointment of All Night Long in 1981, Streisand's film output decreased considerably. She has only acted in five films since.

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.[14] Prince of Tides received even more nominations, including Best Picture, but the director was not nominated.

In 2004, Streisand made a return to film acting, after an eight-year hiatus, in the comedy Meet the Fockers (a sequel to Meet the Parents), playing opposite Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner and Robert De Niro.

Streisand has made only 17 films in her 40 year movie career, this however hasn't stopped her accumulative worldwide box office total being over 1.3 billion US Dollars.[citation needed]

She is currently working on a film based on Simon Mawer's Mendel's Dwarf, having pruchased the option from Uzo, who had it shortly after the novel's publication.

[edit] Politics

Streisand has long been an active supporter of the Democratic Party and many of its causes, such as working against global warming, supporting gun control (she executive-produced the film The Long Island Incident, about a mass shooting on the Long Island Railroad), getting more useful aid for victims of Hurricane Katrina, and questioning the motives behind the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She also strongly supports abortion rights. Streisand performed both at Lyndon B. Johnson's (1965) and Bill Clinton's (1993) inauguration galas. On November 27, 2007, Streisand endorsed 2008 presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton.[15]

[edit] Lawsuit

Streisand sued Kenneth Adelman, an aerial photographer who displayed a photo of her Malibu, California home along with other photos of the entire California coastline on the website of the California Coastal Records Project. Her suit was dismissed under the anti-SLAPP provisions of California law. Streisand v. Adelman Et al, in California Superior Court; Case SC077257.[16][17] The publicity generated by her efforts to suppress the photograph has given rise to the term Streisand effect.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Music awards

Year Award Position
1963 Grammy for Album Of The Year (The Barbra Streisand Album) Winner
1963 Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance (The Barbra Streisand Album) Winner
1963 Grammy for Record Of The Year ("Happy Days Are Here Again") Nominated
1964 Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance ("People") Winner
1964 Grammy for Album Of The Year (People) Nominated
1964 Grammy for Record Of The Year ("People") Nominated
1965 Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance (My Name Is Barbra) Winner
1965 Grammy for Album Of The Year (My Name Is Barbra) Nominated
1966 Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance (Color Me Barbra) Nominated
1966 Grammy for Album Of The Year (Color Me Barbra) Nominated
1968 Grammy for Best Contemporany-Pop Vocal Performance (Funny Girl Soundtrack) Nominated
1970 AGVA Georgie Award for Entertainer Of The Year Winner
1972 Grammy for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance ("Sweet Inspiration/Where You Lead") Nominated
1972 AGVA Georgie Award for Singing Star Of The Year Winner
1975 People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Singer Of The Year Winner
1976 Grammy for Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance (Classical Barbra) Nominated
1977 Grammy for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance ("Love Theme from A Star Is Born") Winner
1977 Grammy for Song Of The Year ("Love Theme from A Star Is Born") Winner
1977 Grammy for Record Of The Year ("Love Theme from A Star Is Born") Nominated
1977 Grammy for Best Original Score - Motion Picture or Television Special (A Star Is Born) Nominated
1977 AGVA Georgie Award for Singing Star Of The Year Winner
1978 Grammy for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers - Solo Version") Nominated
1979 Grammy for Record Of The Year ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers - duet with Neil Diamond") Nominated
1979 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Duo, Group, or Chorus ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers - duet with Neil Diamond") Nominated
1980 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Duo, Group, or Chorus ("Guilty - duet with Barry Gibb") Winner
1980 Grammy for Album Of The Year (Guilty) Nominated
1980 Grammy for Record Of The Year ("Woman In Love") Nominated
1980 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Female Performance ("Woman In Love") Nominated
1980 AGVA Georgie Award for Singing Star Of The Year Winner
1985 People's Choice Award for Favorite All-Around Female Entertainer Winner
1986 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Female Performance (The Broadway Album) Winner
1986 Grammy for Album Of The Year (The Broadway Album) Nominated
1986 Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Acompanying Vocal ("Being Alive") Nominated
1987 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Female Performance (One Voice) Nominated
1987 Grammy for Best Music Video Performance (One Voice) Nominated
1988 People's Choice Award for Favorite All-Time Musical Performer Winner
1991 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance ("Warm All Over") Nominated
1992 Grammy Legend Award Special Award
1993 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance (Back To Broadway) Nominated
1994 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Special Award
1994 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance (Barbra: The Concert) Nominated
1994 Grammy for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance ("Ordinary Miracles") Nominated
1997 Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals ("Tell Him - with Céline Dion") Nominated
1997 Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals ("I Finally Found Someone - with Bryan Adams") Nominated
2000 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Timeless - Live In Concert) Nominated
2002 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Christmas Memories) Nominated
2003 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (The Movie Album) Nominated
2004 Grammy Hall Of Fame (Funny Girl) Original Broadway Cast; Barbra Streisand And Sydney Chaplin Inducted
2006 Grammy Hall Of Fame (The Barbra Streisand Album) Inducted
2007 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album (Live In Concert 2006) Nominated
2008 Grammy Hall Of Fame ("The Way We Were") Inducted

[edit] Other awards

Other recognitions (for career, political woman...) / 42 wins and 29 nominations

Year Award Position
1962 New York Drama Critics Poll for Best Supporting Actress In a Musical (as Miss Marmelstein in I Can Get It For You Whosale) Winner
1962 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress In a Musical (as Miss Marmelstein in I Can Get It For You Whosale) Nominated
1964 Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program or Series (The Judy Garland Show) Nominated
1964 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl) Nominated
1965 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement (My Name Is Barbra) Winner
1965 Emmy Award for Outstanding Program Achievement (My Name Is Barbra) Winner
1966 Peabody Award for Outstanding Program Achievement (My Name Is Barbra) Winner
1968 Golden Apple Award for Female Star Of The Year Winner
1969 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety or Musical Program (A Happening In Central Park) Nominated
1969 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl) Winner
1969 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy (as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl) Winner
1969 David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress (as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl) Winner
1970 BAFTA Film Award for Best Actres (as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl) Nominated
1970 BAFTA Film Award for Best Actress (as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!) Nominated
1970 Tony Award - Stars Of The Decade (for her career in theatre) Special Award
1970 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy (as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!) Nominated
1970 Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite - Female Special Award
1970 Golden Laurel Award for Female Comedy Performance (as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl) Winner
1970 Golden Laurel Award for Female Star 32rd Place
1971 Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite - Female Special Award
1971 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/omedy (as Doris Wilgus in The Owl and The Pussycat) Nominated
1971 Golden Laurel Award for Best Comedy Performance, Female (as Doris Wilgus in The Owl and The Pussycat) 2nd Place
1971 Golden Laurel Award for Female Star 2nd Place
1974 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (as Katie Morosky in The Way We Were) Nominated
1974 David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress (as Katie Morosky in The Way We Were) Winner
1974 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety, Variety or Music Special (Barbra Streisand... and Other Musical Instruments) Nominated
1974 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama (as Katie Morosky in The Way We Were) Nominated
1975 BAFTA Film Award for Best Actress (as Katie Morosky in The Way We Were) Nominated
1975 Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite - Female Special Award
1975 People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Actress Winner
1976 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy (as Fanny Brice in Funny Lady) Nominated
1977 Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song (Evergreen - Love Theme from A Star Is Born) Winner
1977 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy (as Esther Hoffman in A Star Is Born) Winner
1977 Golden Globe for Best Original Song - Motion Picture (green - Love Theme from A Star Is Born) Winner
1977 People's Choice Award for World Film Favorite - Female Winner
1978 BAFTA / AAAFM Award for Best Music (A Star Is Born) Nominated
1978 Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite - Female Special Award
1978 People's Choice Award for World Film Favorite - Female Winner
1982 Razzie Award for Worst Actress (as Cheryl Gibbons in All Night Long) Nominated
1984 Golden Globe for Best Director - Motion Picture (as director of Yentl) Winner
1984 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a MotPicture - Comedy/Musical (as Yentl/Ashel in Yentl) Nominated
1984 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy (as producer of Yentl) Winner
1984 Special Silver Ribbon for Best Director of a Foreign Film (as director of Yentl) Winner
1982 Razzie Award for Worst Actress (as Yentl/Ashel in Yentl) Nominated
1984 Crystal Award (as a woman in film) Special Award
1987 CableACE Award for Performance in a Music Special (Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album) Nominated
1988 ASCAP Award for Most Performed Feature Film Standards (Evergreen - Love Theme From A Star Is Born) Winner
1988 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (as Claudia Faith Draper in Nuts) Nominated
1992 Academy Award for Best Picture (as producer of The Prince Of Tides) Nominated
1992 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (as director of The Prince Of Tides) Nominated
1992 Golden Globe for Best Director - Motion Picture (as director of The Prince Of Tides) Nominated
1992 Dorothy Arzner Special Recognition Award (as a woman in film) Special Award
1994 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety Television Program (Barbra: The Concert) Winner
1995 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program (Barbra: The Concert) Winner
1995 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special (Barbra: The Concert) Winner
1995 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Variety or Music Program (Barbra: The Concert) Nominated
1995 Emmy Award for Outstanding Made for Television Movie (Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story) Nominated
1995 CableACE Award for Best Performance in a Music Special or Series (Barbra: The Concert) Winner
1995 CableACE Award for Best Direction of a Music Special or Series (Barbra: The Concert) Winner
1995 Peabody Award (Barbra: The Concert) Winner
1997 Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song (I Finally Found Someone - from The Mirror Has Two Faces) Nominated
1997 Golden Globe for Best Original Song - Motion Picture (I Finally Found Someone - from The Mirror Has Two Faces) Nominated
1997 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical (as Rose Morgan in The Mirror Has Two Faces) Nominated
1998 ASCAP Award for Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures (I Finally Found Someone from The Mirror Has Two Faces) Nominated
2000 Cecil B. DeMille Award (for her film career) Special Award
2001 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Special (Reel Models: The First Women of Film) Winner
2001 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program (Timeless: Live In Concert) Winner
2001 AFI Life Achievement Award (for her film career) Special Award
2002 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety (Timeless: Live In Concert) Nominated
2007 Member of The Long Island Hall Of Fame Member
2007 Officer of the Légion d'Honeur, France (for her career) Special Award

[edit] 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 James Brolin, whom she married on July 1, 1998. While they have no children together, Brolin has two children from his first marriage and one child from his second marriage. Both of her husbands starred in the 1970s conspiracy thriller Capricorn One.

Streisand allegedly dated Ryan O'Neal, Tom Smothers, Warren Beatty, Jon Voight, former Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, producer Jon Peters, Omar Sharif, Don Johnson, Dodi Al-Fayed, Steve McQueen, Anthony Newley, Kris Kristofferson, Andre Agassi, and news anchor Peter Jennings. Jon Peters' daughters, Caleigh Peters and Skye Peters, are her goddaughters.

On a Season 8 episode of Friends, Brolin is mentioned in the script. In the same episode, Gould appears on the show as Ross and Monica's father.

Streisand shares a birthday with Shirley MacLaine, and they celebrate together every year.

Streisand's philanthropic organization, The Streisand Foundation, gives grants to "national organizations working on preservation of the environment, voter education, the protection of civil liberties and civil rights, women’s issues and nuclear disarmament"[18] and has given large donations to programs related to women's health[19].

[edit] References in popular culture

Streisand's iconic status has been parodied on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live in the recurring skit Coffee Talk where character Linda Richman, played by Mike Myers, hosts a talk show dedicated to, among other things, the adoration of Streisand. Streisand, in turn, made an unannounced guest appearance on the show, surprising Myers and guests, Madonna, and Roseanne Barr.

Streisand has been repeatedly satirized in the animated series South Park, most notably the episode "Mecha-Streisand", where she is portrayed as self-important and turns into a gigantic robotic dinosaur in order to conquer the universe, before being defeated by Robert Smith of The Cure. On another occasion, the Halloween episode "Spookyfish" was promoted for a week as being done in "Spooky-Vision", which involved Streisand's face seen at times during the episode in the four corners of the screen. At the end of the feature film South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, her name is used as a powerful curse word, a gag repeated in the episode "Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants".

Streisand is the favorite of the character Howard Brackett, played by Kevin Kline, in the film In & Out, who finally admits to being gay while standing at the altar. His unfortunate bride-to-be, played by Joan Cusack, cries out in frustration to family and friends present, "Do you know how many times I've had to sit through Funny Lady?" In an earlier scene, Howard is taunted by a friend during an argument at a bar with a jeering, "The studio thought that Barbra was too ol-l-ld to play Yentl." Barbra's signature tune, "People", is played by a school orchestra in honor of teacher Howard as the story wraps at the end of the credits. This and similar references refer to her popularity among gay men.

Streisand is mentioned many times in Fran Drescher's The Nanny, where Fran Drescher played Fran Fine who, along with her entire family, is obsessed with the performer.

In 1993 Robin Williams' Mrs. Doubtfire, while trying different looks to apply to the Mrs. Doubtfire character, Williams uses a wig "a la Streisand" and sings some lines from "Don't Rain On My Parade", but discarded the idea.

Streisand is referenced in at least two episodes of Friends. In The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister, Monica names a sandwich at her 50's-styled restaurant after Barbra. A soup is also named after Barbra's movie Yentl. Meanwhile, in The One After 'I Do', Phoebe pretends she is pregnant with James Brolin's baby, to which Chandler Bing responds "[A]s in Barbra Streisand's husband, James Brolin?"

Streisand is referenced in at least three episodes of The Simpsons. Outside Springfield Elementary School, announcing Lisa's jazz concert, is an advertisement for a Streisand concert in the same venue for the following day, with tickets still on sale. In another episode, after Marge undergoes therapy, she informs the therapist that whenever she hears the wind blow, she'll hear it saying "Lowenstein", Streisand's therapist character in The Prince of Tides, despite Marge's therapist having a completely different name. Another reference comes in "Sleeping with the Enemy" when Bart exclaims after seeing Lisa make a snow-angel in a cake on the kitchen table, "At least she's not singing Streisand".

In The In-Laws, Michael Douglas's character borrows Streisand's jet, and in the bathroom "The Way We Were" is playing on the speaker system and Albert Brooks finds a large drawer full of nail polish, referencing her signature long fingernails.

In the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a teenage runaway (played by Christina Ricci) paints images of Streisand while being administered large amounts of LSD by Hunter Thompson's Samoan attorney.

In the Broadway Musical Spamalot, the song "You can't succeed on Broadway" references lines from "People" and "Papa, Can You Hear Me?".

In the internet cartoon and subsequent movie Queer Duck, the character is obsessed with Streisand. In the film he undergoes Christian-based conversion therapy to be made straight, and only Barbra's magic nose can return him to his gayness.

In a Family Guy episode, where Peter is a bartender, Lois does a cabaret act and sings "Don't Rain On My Parade," only slowed down and jazzier, as an act of defiance to Peter.

In a Family Guy episode, Peter received life insurance after Lois died. Peter then claimed that he has more money than Streisand. This was followed by a cut scene showing Streisand and her husband in their home. The husband asked for money and Streisand pressed one nostril of her nose and dollar bills came out the other nostril.

In Chicken Little, Chicken's best friend Runt's mom says, after she thinks he is lying about seeing an alien spaceship, "Don't make me take away your Streisand collection!" and Runt returns with, "Mother, you leave Barbra out of this!"

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Broadway performances

Year Title Notes
1961-1963 I Can Get It for You Wholesale Tony Nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
1964-1965 Funny Girl Tony Nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical

[edit] Television specials

Year Title Notes
1965 My Name Is Barbra  
1966 Color Me Barbra  
1967 The Belle of 14th Street  
1968 A Happening in Central Park filmed June 17, 1967
1973 Barbra Streisand... and Other Musical Instruments  
1975 Funny Girl to Funny Lady  
1976 Barbra: With One More Look at You  
1983 A Film Is Born: The Making of 'Yentl'  
1986 Putting it Together: The Making of The Broadway Album  
1987 One Voice  
1994 Barbra Streisand: The Concert Also producer
2000 Barbra Streisand: Timeless  

[edit] Discography

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Box-Office Worldwide Rentals
1968 Funny Girl Fanny Brice US$87.0 million US$30.0 million
1969 Hello, Dolly! Dolly Levi US$56.0 million US$50.0 million
1970 On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Daisy Gamble / Melinda Tentres US$26.0 million US$12.0 million
1970 The Owl and the Pussycat Doris Wilgus/Wadsworth/Wellington/Waverly US$11.0 million US$6.0 million
1972 What's Up, Doc? Judy Maxwell US$56.0 million US$37.0 million
1972 Up the Sandbox Margaret Reynolds US$15.0 million US$13.0 million
1973 The Way We Were Katie Morosky US$78.0 million US$31.0 million
1974 For Pete's Sake Henrietta 'Henry' Robbins US$16.0 million US$11.0 million
1975 Funny Lady Fanny Brice US$63.0 million US$19.3 million
1976 A Star Is Born Esther Hoffman Howard US$123.0 million US$38.0 million
1979 The Main Event Hillary Kramer US$62.2 million US$31.0 million
1981 All Night Long Cheryl Gibbons US$10.0 million US$8.0 million
1983 Yentl Yentl/Anshel (also director) US$63.2 million US$28.6 million
1987 Nuts Claudia Faith Draper US$34.0 million US$14.0 million
1991 The Prince of Tides Dr. Susan Lowenstein (also director) US$118.0 million US$43.0 million
1996 The Mirror Has Two Faces Rose Morgan (also director) US$62.0 million US$26.0 million
2004 Meet the Fockers Roz Focker US$516.0 million US$23.0 million
TOTAL BOX OFFICE AND RENTALS US$1.381,4 million US$707,6 million

[edit] References

  1. ^ Gold and Platinum Top Selling Artists. RIAA.com.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/streisand.htm Barbra Streisand genealogy. Rootsweb.com.
  4. ^ Boyer, David. "NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: FLATBUSH; Grads Hail Erasmus as It Enters a Fourth Century", The New York Times, March 11, 2001. Accessed December 1, 2007.
  5. ^ >> Barbra Streisand Archives | Town N Country Supper Club, 1961, Winnipeg, Canada
  6. ^ P.M. East P.M. West in the Streisand archives
  7. ^ Audio clip of Streisand saying this to Mike Wallace in 1961. 60 Minutes segment is available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media.
  8. ^ >> Barbra Streisand Archives | Johnny Carson Tonight Show 1962-1963
  9. ^ Recording Industry Association of America: Newsletter 1999. RIAA.com.
  10. ^ Reprint of article in George Magazine. November, 1996
  11. ^ Streisand to heckler: 'Shut the @#&% up' . CNN.com. 2006.
  12. ^ MSN Music News.
  13. ^ Bronson, Fred. Chart Beat Chat. Billboard.com 18 May 2007.
  14. ^ 1983 Academy Awards Winners and History. Filmsite.com.
  15. ^ Gorman, Steve. Barbra Streisand backs Clinton's White House bid. Reuters.com. 27 November 2007.
  16. ^ Kenneth Adelman (13 May 2007). Barbra Streisand Sues to Suppress Free Speech Protection for Widely Acclaimed Website. California Coastal Records Project. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
  17. ^ Mindfully.org (3 December 2003). "Streisand’s Lawsuit to Silence Coastal Website Dismissed". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
  18. ^ Streisand Foundation Grant Guidelines. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  19. ^ "Barbara Streisand Endows Program at Cedars-Sinai Women's Heart Center: $5 Million Gift Supports Women's Cardiovascular Research and Education", Heartworknews.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-22. 

[edit] Further reading

  • Andersen, Christopher (2006). Barbra: the way she is. Harper-Collins. ISBN 0-06-056256-0. 
  • Spada, James (1995). Streisand: Her Life. Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0517597535. 

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Awards
Preceded by
Ella Fitzgerald
for Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson Riddle
Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Female
1964
for The Barbra Streisand Album
1965
for People
1966
for My Name Is Barbra
Succeeded by
Eydie Gorme
for If He Walked Into My Life
Preceded by
Vaughn Meader
for The First Family
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
1964
for The Barbra Streisand Album
Succeeded by
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
for Getz/Gilberto
Preceded by
Ella Fitzgerald
for Mack The Knife
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
1965
for People
Succeeded by
Petula Clark
for I Know a Place
Preceded by
Anne Bancroft
for The Graduate
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1969
for Funny Girl
Succeeded by
Patty Duke
for Me, Natalie
Preceded by
Ann-Margret
for Tommy
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1977
for A Star Is Born
Succeeded by
Diane Keaton for Annie Hall
Marsha Mason for The Goodbye Girl
Preceded by
Linda Ronstadt
for Hasten Down The Wind
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
1977
for Love Theme From A Star Is Born
Succeeded by
Anne Murray
for You Needed Me
Preceded by
Bruce Johnston
for I Write the Songs
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
1978
for Evergreen
Succeeded by
Billy Joel
for Just the Way You Are
Preceded by
The Doobie Brothers
for Minute by Minute
Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
1981
for Guilty
Succeeded by
The Manhattan Transfer
for Boy From New York City
Preceded by
Richard Attenborough
for Gandhi
Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture
1984
for Yentl
Succeeded by
Miloš Forman
for Amadeus
Preceded by
Whitney Houston
for Saving All My Love for You
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
1987
for The Broadway Album
Succeeded by
Whitney Houston
for I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)
Preceded by
Bill Evans, Aretha Franklin, Arthur Rubinstein
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
1995
Succeeded by
Dave Brubeck, Marvin Gaye, Georg Solti, Stevie Wonder
Preceded by
Jack Nicholson
Cecil B. DeMille Award
2000
Succeeded by
Al Pacino
Preceded by
Harrison Ford
AFI Life Achievement Award
2001
Succeeded by
Tom Hanks
Preceded by
Eddie Izzard
for Dress to Kill
Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program
2001
for Barbra Streisand: Timeless
Succeeded by
Sting
for A&E in Concert
Persondata
NAME Streisand, Barbra
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Streisand, Barbara Joan
SHORT DESCRIPTION Singer-Songwriter, Actress
DATE OF BIRTH April 24, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn, New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH