Barbra Streisand – biography, photos, facts, family, kids, affairs, height and weight 2020

Barbra Streisand’s biography

Modern mass culture unfairly rigidly went over the name of the singer and actress Barbra Streisand, to remember at least the series of the animated serial South Park, in which the superstar of the 60s appears in the image of iron Godzilla.

Barbra Streisand ‒ the most famous singer of the 20th century

There is evidence that Barbara (stage name Barbra) Streisand is a great woman whose contribution to culture does not end with the appearance of such a conception as the Streisand Effect and the track of the Duck Sauce group named in her honor, which conquered world dance floors in 2010.

Duck Sauce ‒ Barbra Streisand

There are 2 Oscars in Streisand’s awards piggy bank: for her role in the musical Funny Girl and for the song from the movie The Star Is Born. Three more times she was nominated for the main prize of the Academy Awards: for her role in the film The Way We Were, for the film The Prince of Tides (as a director) and for the song from the musical The Mirror Has Two Faces.

Oscars 1969: Barbara Streisand and her candid attire

By the 80th, according to authoritative critics, Streisand became the most influential performer of America, putting in the shade even Frank Sinatra, as well as one of the richest female singers in the world.

By the beginning of the 21st century, the total number of Streisand’s albums sold reached a quarter of a billion copies. There are 34 gold, 27 platinum and 13 multi-platinum albums in the singer’s discography.

Barbra Streisand’s songs have been popular for over 50 years

Sony Records still believes that the 1992 contract with Streisand was commercially more profitable than similar agreements with Michael Jackson and Madonna.

Childhood. From ugly duckling to superstars

I came to Hollywood without veneers on my teeth, without a nose reshaped by plastic surgeons and without a resounding pseudonym. It does me credit, Streisand said in one of her interviews. But Barbara’s path to fame was difficult, and not only because her appearance did not meet the glamour standards.

The baby was born in the family of school secretary Diana and grammar teacher Emanuel. Barbara’s father died when she was barely one year old. After his death, the family was on the verge of poverty. The situation improved when Diana married again. But Barbara’s relationship with the new lover of her mother, to put it mildly, was not good enough ‒ the stepfather beat the girl for the slightest offense.

Barbara Streisand was born on April 24, 1942

The strained atmosphere in the family affected Barbara’s relations with her peers. Classmates kept away from this unsociable, ungainly, awkward, big-nosed girl in baggy clothes. Nobody suspected that in her heart she always knew for sure that she would become a star.

From an early age the little girl was drawn to creativity

After classes, she disappeared in the cinema looking at the screen like spellbound, and at home she locked herself in the bathroom, dressed up and danced in front of the mirror, imagining herself a star of commercials. Not only her stepfather, who directly called his stepdaughter ugly, but also her mother, who never supported her daughter in her undertakings, laughed at her dream of glory. At the age of 12, the demure little thing rebelled against domestic terror, shrugging off the phrase to her parents: You will hear about me. I will break your ideas of beauty. She smeared her face and hair with brilliant green dye and went to school in this appearance. The teachers sent her back, and her mother, becoming enraged, shaved Barbara baldly. While the hair did not grow again, the girl drew funny caricatured and inscriptions on her head every day.

The difficulties did not break the young star with her own idea of beauty, and her further biography is the best proof of that. Subsequently, the ironic phrase Hello, Gorgeous! from the musical Funny Girl, for which Barbra Streisand got her first Oscar, became the visiting-card of the actress and symbol of her victory over circumstances.

Talented from nature

Streisand studied neither singing nor acting. She managed to do both of them by itself.

Barbra Streisand and Ray Charles ‒ Crying Time (1973)

She began to sing in early childhood. Barbra’s first listeners were the neighbors in their multistory building, who already then admired the voice of the little girl that was strong for her age. Then little Streisand amazed the parents of her classmates at the school meeting. That evening only her mother, who already then criticized any initiative of her daughter, was sitting with a stony face.

On the right side ‒ Barbara with her elder brother Sheldon

She severely derided Barbara when she congratulated her on her birthday with a song (A fright with a huge conk, what are you trying to prove here?), when she failed at her first studio audition at the age of 9, and also when her first demo recorded after her 13th birthday did not get a response from the music agents.

Despite this, Barbra gained an impressive experience in high school: she appeared at weddings, sang in a summer camp, and then joined the school choir, where she strike up an acquaintance with her first friend, Neil Diamond, who, along with Barbra and Elton John today is considered one of the most successful performers in history.

Diamond and Streisand have known each other since childhood

At the age of 14 Barbara visited the Broadway musical and fell ill with the theater. Since then, she began to consider singing as a hobby and searched in vain for the slightest opportunity to appear on the stage. She worked up in the theatre during the summer holidays ... as a cleaner and only once she was entrusted to play the wordless part of a bald Japanese man.

Barbra Streisand and Princess Margaret (on the right side), 1969

After graduating from school at the age of 16, she moved out of the house and settled at her friends ‒ there was not enough money even for renting a room. But theatrical career did not work out, so she decided to return to singing. On a friend’s tip, she took part in a talent contest that took place on the stage of a famous Manhattan gay club, and won the first prize ‒ a permanent contract with the institution and $ 125 per week.

Barbra Streisand’s rare photo: she is 19 years old

As a result, singing opened the door for her to Broadway. At one of the performances Barbara was noticed by the director of the musical comedy I Can Get It For You Wholesale and offered a small comic role of the plain-woman secretary. In this way Streisand debuted on the big stage.

Streisand’s debut in the musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale

The role was tiny, but Barbra made it noticeable. Unexpectedly for the leading stars of the musical, she dragged the audience’s attention to her character and received a nomination for the prestigious Theatre Tony Award.

Barbra Streisand ‒ Woman in Love

This was followed by a performance on The Ed Sullivan Show and a contract with Columbia Records (a branch label of Sony Entertainment) under the aegis of which Barbra Streisand’s debut album, The Barbra Streisand Album was released in 1963. It received platinum status in the States. The record was awarded two Grammy Awards: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Album Of The Year.

For two years, Barbra Streisand presented the public 5 more albums, each of which also received the platinum status. Her records stayed on the first lines of the Billboard 200 national charts for a long time. Over the following years she became the only singer whose albums occupied the first lines on the Billboard 200 for 50 years.

Cinema career

Her cinema career was no less productive. Two movie musicals with Barbra Streisand in lead role were released one after another: Funny Girl and Hello, Dolly!. The first, largely autobiographical film told about Fanny Brice’s way of development from plain girl to a world star. The second one represented an ironic story about the brilliant matchmaker Dolly Levi.

Streisand’s participation in the audition for the role in Funny Girl was not without embarrassment. It was necessary to show Fanny’s and her screen lover’s first kiss scene. Omar Sharif had already been approved for the role of the lover.

In the photo: Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif

Stepping onto the stage, she stumbled and dropped the curtain, causing laughter of camera crew. The director William Wyler, who had already looked at several hundred claimants, was going to ask her to go away, when Omar Sharif shouted: This idiot bit me! Barbara, who was inexperienced and had never really kissed a man, bit his lip and thus convinced Wyler to take just her.

And already in 1970, in the film The Owl and the Pussycat Barbra played as an experienced woman of easy virtue named Doris, who met a highly moral Felix. It was from the mouth of her character that the indecent word fuck sounded from the screen for the first time in the history of cinema.

Barbra Streisand in the film The Owl and the Pussycat

For her role in the movie A Star Is Born, Barbra Streisand received a fabulous fee of $ 15 million by the 1979 standards. The plot tells the story of the love of the fallen rock musician John and the beginning singer Esther, for whom meeting with the fading idol opened the way to heights of glory.

In 1983, the musical Yentl was introduced to the audience. It tells about a purposeful Jewish girl from Eastern Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, who dresses as a man to get an education. Streisand was simultaneously a producer, director, screenwriter and performer of the key role. The film received 6 nominations for Golden Globe (2 awards: Best Motion Picture ‒ Comedy or Musical and Best Director) and 5 nominations for Oscars (1 award ‒ Best Original Song).

Queen of duets

Streisand is known not only as a singer with voice close to the opera mezzo-soprano, who made an enormous contribution to world pop culture, but also as a performer, who sings in duo most frequently. In the 60s she managed to sing with Frank Sinatra (I’ve Got A Crush On You), the king of rhythm and blues Ray Charles (Crying Time) and star of musicals Judy Garland (Happy Days Are Here).

At the turn of the 70s and 80s, Streisand collaborated with Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees group (Guilty, What Kind Of Fool) and the disco star Donna Summer (No More Tears (Enough Is Enough). The duets with her old friend Neil Diamond (You Don’t Bring Me Flowers) and with the serial handsome fellow Don Johnson (Till I Loved You) were popular.

Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion – Tell Him

The 90s were marked by collaboration with Celine Dion (Tell Him), Bryan Adams (I Finally Found Someone) and Johnny Mathis (One Hand, One Heart).

In 2002, Barbra offered the rising star of pop music, Josh Groban, to record a song together. The result of their efforts was the composition All I Know of Love.

The duet of Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra

The singer spoke about the experience of their collaboration as follows: I was only 21 years old. When Barbra offered me to record a song, I did not believe it. She didn’t have to do it, but she did, and it was wonderful. As for work, in this regard she is a perfectionist. She must be convinced a hundred times that this is the best option before accepting it. She constantly rehearses. Therefore she is always on top.

To overcome the main fear

It is surprising, but despite the successful acting career and the phenomenal success of her audio recordings, for almost thirty years Streisand stiffened with horror at the thought that she would have to perform live before the public.

Fear of the stage appeared in her in 1966. During a large-scale tour through the USA, she, a Jewess from Brooklyn was sent threatening letters by Islamist terrorists, who promised to shoot the singer during a performance. She forgot the lyrics of the song because of fear right during the concert. She was standing and was silent, and several thousand visitors were watching her fail.

Streisand did not give concerts for 27 years for fear of performing

Barbara decided to appear on the stage again only in September 1993, 27 years after that fateful performance. The cost of tickets for the first concert of the singer after such a long break reached one and a half thousand dollars, and nevertheless, all the tickets were sold out half an hour after the start of sales. Time edition called Streisand’s performance the main musical event of the century. The honorable title was confirmed by five Emmy statuettes.

Barbara Streisand’s personal life

The success of the first album went to Barbara’s head, and she without hesitation accepted the proposal from actor Elliott Gould, whom no one knew then. At the wedding, her mother muttered in surprise: How could such an ugly get such a guy!

Barbra Streisand’s first husband ‒ Elliott Gould

In 1966, the couple became parents. The boy who was born on December 29 was called Jason. When he was 5 years old, Barbra and Elliott divorced ‒ Streisand paid too much attention to her career. After the divorce, she gave her son to a specialized boarding-school, having forgotten about him for the next 20 years.

Streisand and Gould’s marriage lasted 8 years

Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould’s son himself became an actor: in 1989 he debuted in the film Say Anything …, and in 1991 starred in the film of his mother The Prince of Tides. He is overt gay and is married to a man, a model of underwear.

In 1973, divorced Streisand seduced the stylist John Peters, luring him to her home under the pretext of work. Soon she declared him her personal hairdresser and made him move to her home. The man was married, and the singer called his wife 10 times a day, telling her that she was expecting a baby from Peters, although they did not have intimate relationships.

For 8 years Streisand had love-affairs with a hairdresser John Peters

In the end, John allowed Barbra to marry him. Their relationship lasted 8 years, until Barbra was made a proposal by the Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, who was literally possessed by the singer. However, at the last moment, Streisand refused to marry officially, saying that all men were deceivers: I could make a whole book of the promises that men gave me in bed.

Canadian politician Pierre Trudeau asked Barbra Streisand to marry him

After that, the woman, as they say, went on the spree, and began to treat men as a consumer. The first-class handsome men of Hollywood were in her bed: billionaire Richard Baskin, television star Peter Jennings, actors Don Johnson, Robert Redford, Jon Voight and Richard Gere, tennis player Andre Agassi, who, by the way, was 28 years younger than Barbra. Yesterday’s plain woman rejoiced, feeling her power over men, who fulfilled any of her whims resignedly.

With Robert Redford (on the left side) and Don Johnson (on the right side)

A series of infatuations was interrupted by marriage with the actor James Brolin in 1998. It was with him that she for the first time allowed herself to feel weak. Today, a man is considered a gentleman, if he takes a cigarette out of his mouth before a kiss. ‒ Streisand’s famous quote that seems to have no relation to the imposing Brolin.

Barbra Streisand is married to James Brolin

Streisand is probably the only Hollywood star who has never resorted to the correction of appearance. She doesn’t even have her ears pierced (she wears clips). Firstly, the singer is terribly afraid of pain, and secondly, she accepts herself in her natural appearance. In addition, even entering the eighth decade, she looks stunning.

Streisand effect

The aforementioned term Streisand effect (increased interest in any information following the attempt to limit it) appeared in 2003. Barbara Streisand filed a lawsuit against photographer Kenneth Adelman, who posted on Image Hosting site a photo of her house on the California coast along with 12,000 photographs of the neighborhood.

Before the press learned about Streisand’s lawsuit, 6 people had been interested in the photo, two of them ‒ Barbra’s lawyers. After the court refused the celebrity in the claim, the photo was viewed by more than 420 thousand Internet users.

Barbra Streisand now

Now Barbara Streisand almost does not appear in films. In 2010, she appeared in the black comedy Little Fockers, where she performed as the mother of the scandalous family Roz Focker. On the set she was supposed to play with Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

Meet the Fockers: Barbara Streisand as Roz

In 2012, the woman could be seen in the comedy The Guilt Trip ‒ about a young inventor who tries to help his mother find her old love while she tries to find out the reason for her son’s failure in personal life. The part of her character’s son played a comedian Seth Rogen.

Shot from the movie The Guilt Trip (2012)

As for the music, in 2016 Streisand released the disc Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway ‒ a collection of her songs ever included in movie soundtracks. It contains duets with many celebrities, including Hugh Jackman (Any Moment Now from the musical Smile), Alec Baldwin (The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened from the musical Road Show), Chris Pine (I’ll Be Seeing You from the musical My Fair Lady).