BARBARA STREISAND

Barbara Streisand is without a doubt one of the most prolific performers in history. Born in 1942 Brooklyn, Streisand had always dreamed of a career as a performer, but her mother was adamantly against it based on her belief that Streisand was not attractive enough for a career in entertainment. But Streisand was determined to prove her mother wrong which she did by becoming a nightclub singer as a teenager. Although Streisand’s original dream was to become an actress, her boyfriend at the time Barry Dennen helped her create a club act and her career went down an altogether different path. Her first performance was in a Greenwich Village gay bar in 1960 and it was a stunning success.

Two years after her debut performance, Barbara Streisand was signed to Columbia Records. The next year, Streisand won two Grammy Awards for her debut album, The Beck. In 1964, Streisand played the role of Fanny Brice in the 1964 Broadway musical Funny Girl, a role she later reprised in the film version. The role of Fanny Brice won Streisand her first Academy Award, which she shared with Katherine Hepburn, noting the first tie in Academy Awards history.

This was not to be last taste of success for Barbara Streisand; she began producing her own films as well, under Barwood Films in 1972. In 1983, Streisand served as producer, writer, director and star for Yentl, a film that has been called a masterpiece by Steven Spielberg although many feel the Academy Awards shut out Streisand that year. During this time she also achieved success as a recording artist, with more than sixty albums to her credit. Most of her musical success can be attributed to the fact that she often provided the soundtrack for many of her film.

By the end of the 1970s, Barbara Streisand was considered the most successful female singer in the country. The only artists to sell more records than Streisand were Elvis and The Beatles. In the late 1990s, Streisand began touring to solve some financial problems and in true Streisand fashion her New Years Eve concert is the highest grossing single concert in Las Vegas history! It seems that Barbara Streisand can do it all; produce, direct, sing and act. She proved that she’s got comedy skills too in her 2004 appearance as Sex Therapist for seniors, Rozalin Focker. A true entertainer, Barbara Streisand has won two Academy Awards, five Emmys and eight Golden Globes, just to name a few.