Barbra Streisand Biography
Summary
"Barbara Streisand" (pronounced STRY-sand, ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, theatre and film actress, composer, liberal 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 considered 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.
Early years
Born as "Barbara Joan Streisand" in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to Jewish American parents. Her father, Emanuel Streisand, a grammar school teacher, died when she was 15 months old; she had a turbulent relationship with her stepfather, Louis Kind. She has a half-sister from her mother's second marriage, Roslyn Kind, who was also a performer.
Her mother, Diana, a school secretary
, did not encourage her daughter to pursue a show business career, opining that Barbara was not attractive enough, and encouraged Barbara to learn to type. Streisand attended Erasmus Hall High School, where she graduated fourth 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. She never attended college.
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. It was at this time that she shortened her first name to "Barbra" to make it more distinctive.
In 1961 Streisand entered into a contract with Winnipeg, Manitoba's 'Town and Country' Restaurant. (... more) The performance received critical approval. In 1962 Streisand first appeared on Broadway, in a small but star-making role in the musical "I Can Get It for You Wholesale". She also signed her first recording contract that year with Columbia Records.
Her first album, "The Barbra Streisand Album", won two Grammy Awards in 1963. Her recording success continued, and at one time, Streisand's first three albums appeared simultaneously on Billboard's pop albums Top Ten - an unusual feat considering it was at a time when rock and roll and The Beatles dominated the charts.
Jule Styne's and Bob Merrill's "Funny Girl" (1964), based upon the life of Fanny Brice, was originally offered to Anne Bancroft, but refashioned for Streisand after Styne saw her "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" performance. Styne saw Streisand's work in the show at the invitation of producer Ray Stark's wife, who was Fanny Brice's daughter. Initially, Mrs. Stark was strongly opposed to the casting of Streisand, preferring Carol Burnett.
After several notable television appearances, including a legendary guest appearance on "The Judy Garland Show" (CBS, 1963), Streisand appeared on a number of her own television specials for CBS. The first special, "My Name Is Barbra" (1965), was praised by critics and fans, as were most of the subsequent specials.
Streisand is classified as one of the most 'Amazing Female Vocalists' in the 2006 edition of "Women in Song".
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 theatre and nightclub standards, including her version of 'Happy Days Are Here Again'. Beginning with "My Name Is Barbra" her albums were often medley-filled keepsakes of her television specials.
Starting in 1969, Streisand tackled contemporary songwriters; like many 'talented' singers of the day, she found herself a fish out of water in attempts to tackle rock, but her vocal 'talents' prevailed and she gained newfound success with the pop and ballad-oriented Richard Perry-produced album "Stoney End" in 1971. The title track, written by Laura Nyro, was a big hit for Streisand.
During the 1970s, she was also highly prominent in the pop charts, with number-one records like 'The Way We Were', 'Evergreen', 'No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)' (with Donna Summer) and 'Woman in Love'; some of these came from soundtrack records to her films.
When the 1970s ended, Streisand was named the most successful female singer in the U.S. - only Elvis Presley and The Beatles having sold more albums. In 1982, "New York Times" music critic Stephen Holden wrote that Streisand was 'the most influential mainstream American pop singer since Frank Sinatra.'
Streisand returned to her musical-theater roots with 1985's
"The Broadway Album", which was unexpectedly successful, holding the coveted #1 Billboard position for 3 straight weeks, and being certified 4x Platinum. The album featured songs reworked by Stephen Sondheim especially for this recording, was critically acclaimed, nominated as Album of the Year and landed Streisand her 8th Grammy as Best Female Vocalist.
In 1991, a four-disc box set, "Just for the Record", was released, spanning Streisand's entire career. It featured over 70 tracks, including live material, greatest hits, and rarities, from her early recordings up to 1991.
Streisand's concert fundraising events helped propel former President Bill Clinton into the spotlight and into office. Streisand later introduced Clinton at his inauguration in 1992. Streisand's music career, however, was on hold. A tour was suggested, and she debated it for two years because of her stage fright. A year later, Streisand landed another #1 "Back to Broadway". This album included the duet medley "I Have A Love / One Hand, One Heart" with the legendary Johnny Mathis whom Streisand said is one of her favorite singers.
In September 1993, Streisand made global news, announcing her first public concert tour in 27 years. Tickets to the limited tour were sold out in under one hour. Streisand also hit the cover of major magazines, in anticipation of what "Time magazine" named, 'The Music Event of the Century'. The tour was one of the biggest all-media merchandise parlays in history. Ticket prices ranged from $50 to $1,500 - making Streisand the highest paid concert performer in history. "Barbra Streisand: The Concert" went on to be the top grossing concert of the year, earned five Emmy Awards,the Peabody Award, and the taped broadcast on HBO is to-date the highest rated concert special in HBO's 30 year history.
On New Year's Eve 1999, she returned to the concert stage, giving the highest grossing single concert in Las Vegas history to date. At the end of the last millennium, she was the number one female singer in the US, with at least 2 # 1 albums in each decade since she had started out.
Her most recent albums have been "Christmas Memories" (2001), a collection of somber holiday songs, and "The Movie Album" (2003), featuring famous movie themes and backed by a large symphony orchestra. "Guilty Pleasures" (called "Guilty Too" in the UK), a collaboration with Barry Gibb and a sequel album to their previous "Guilty", was released worldwide in 2005.
In February 2006, Streisand recorded the song 'Smile' alongside Tony Bennett, at Streisand's Malibu home. The song 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 cancelled her 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.' 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.
Streisand's 20 concert tour set record-setting box office numbers. At the age of 64, well past the prime of most performers, 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 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 upwards of 1,000 dollars.A collection of performances culled from different stops on this tour, "", debuted at #7 on the , making it Streisand's 29th Top 10 album. In summer 2007 Streisand gave concerts for the first time in continental . The first concert took place in (), then (), (), (), (, cancelled), () and (), followed by three concerts in (, 22 & 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 the Ireland date between ?118.00 and ?500.00.===Film career===Her first film was a reprise of her Broadway hit, "Funny Girl" (1968), an artistic and commercial success, for which she won the 1968 , sharing it with (""), the first time there was a tie in this category. Her next two movies were also based on musicals, 's "" (1969) and 's and 's "" (1970), while her fourth film was based on the Broadway play "" (1970). She also starred in the original , including"" (1972), with , and "" (1974), and the drama "" (1973) with . Her second was for as of the song '', from "" (1976); this was the first time a woman had received this award.Along with and , Streisand formed in 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 , 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, 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. "" is also notable for being the first Hollywood film in which a major Hollywood star (Streisand) uttered the word 'fuck'.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 "" 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 in 1972. For "" (1983), she was producer, director, writer, and star, an experience she repeated for "" (1991). 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. "Prince of Tides" received even more nominations, including Best Picture, but the director was not nominated.In , Streisand made a return to film acting, after an eight-year hiatus, in the comedy "" (a sequel to ""), playing opposite , , and .===Politics===Streisand has long been an active supporter of the and many of its causes, such as working against , supporting (she executive-produced the film "", about a mass shooting on the ), getting more useful aid for victims of , and questioning the motives behind the . She also strongly supports women's reproductive rights. Barbra Streisand performed both at 's (1965) and 's (1993) inauguration galas.====SLAPP lawsuit====Streisand sued Kenneth Adelman, an aerial photographer who displayed a photo of her home (amongst photos of the entire California coast) on the website of the . Her suit was dismissed under the anti- provisions of California law. ", in California Superior Court; Case SC077257" . The publicity generated by her efforts to suppress the photograph have given rise to the term .==Awards==Over the years, Streisand has been the recipient of an award in every medium she has worked in. Among her awards are: *Two : (1968 for ""; 1976 for "" from "")*Four s, (1965 Outstanding Individual Achievement in Entertainment (My Name is Barbra); 1995 Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special (Barbra Streisand The Concert); 1995 Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Show (Barbra Streisand The Concert); 2001 Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program (Barbra Streisand: Timeless))*Nine s, (1969 Actress In A Leading Role for Funny Girl; 1977 Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture & Best Original Song for A Star Is Born; 1984 Best Director for Yentl; + five special awards)*Eight s, (1963 Best Vocal Performance, Female & Album of the Year; 1964 & 1965 Best Vocal Performance, Female; 1977 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female & Song of the Year; 1980 Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (with Barry Gibb); 1986 Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female)*A (1970 Special Award), *Two awards, *The American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. *Officer of the , France ( ).In , she received a . As of 2007, her US album sales rank her as . Streisand remains one of only a few individuals (including , , , , and ) to have .She was inducted into the in .==Personal life==Barbra Streisand has been married twice. Her first husband was actor to whom she was married from 1963 to 1971. They have one child, . Her second husband is actor , whom she married on , 1998. The wedding was reported regularly in the celebrity gossip media. While they have no children together, Brolin has two children from his first marriage and one child from his second marriage.Both of her husbands starred in the 1970s conspiracy thriller "".Streisand allegedly dated , , , , former , producer , , , , , guru Larry Prusak (in high school), and news anchor . Peters' daughters, and , are her goddaughters. On a Season 8 episode of "", (Barbra's second husband) is mentioned in the script. In the same episode, , Barbra's first husband, appears on the show as Ross and Monica's father.==References in popular culture==Streisand's iconic status has been parodied on the show "" in the recurring "" where character , played by , hosts a dedicated to, among other things, the adoration of Streisand. Streisand, in turn, made an unannounced guest appearance on the show, surprising Myers and guests, , and .Streisand has been repeatedly satirized in the animated series "," most notably the episode '', where she is portrayed as self-important and turns into a robotic dinosaur in order to conquer the universe, before being defeated by of "". On another occasion, the episode '' 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 "," her name is used as a powerful curse word, a gag repeated in the episode ''. Streisand is the favorite of the character Howard Brackett, played by , in the film "", who finally admits to being gay while standing at the altar. His unfortunate bride-to-be, played by , cries out in frustration to family and friends present, 'Do you know how many times I've had to sit through ""?' 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 "".' Barbra's signature tune, 'People', is played by a school orchestra in honor of teacher Howard as the story wraps. This and similar references refer to her popularity among gay men.Streisand is mentioned many times in 's "", where played who, along with her entire family, is obsessed with the performer.Streisand is referenced in three episodes of "". In , says that is the most romantic song she's ever heard. In , names a sandwich at her 50's-styled restaurant after Barbra. A soup is also named after Barbra's movie . Meanwhile, in , Phoebe pretends she is pregnant with baby, to which responds 'As in Barbra Streisand's husband, James Brolin?'Streisand is referenced in at least three episodes of "". 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 "", despite Marge's therapist having a completely different name. Another reference comes in 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 "", 's character borrows Streisand's jet, and in the bathroom 'The Way We Were' is playing on the speaker system and finds a large drawer full of nail polish, referencing her signature long fingernails.In the movie "" a teenage runaway (played by ) paints images of Streisand while being administered large amounts of LSD by Hunter Thompson's Somoan attorney.In the Broadway Musical 'Spamalot' during the song 'You can't succeed on Broadway...' lines from 'People' and 'Papa can you hear me' are referenced.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.==Broadway performances==
Credit
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