Streisand, Barbra

Streisand, Barbra (1942- ), American singer, actress, director, and producer, born Barbara Streisand in Brooklyn, New York. After winning a talent contest, she obtained a succession of singing engagements and occasional television performances. In 1961, Streisand appeared in an off-Broadway play that lasted only one night, but it landed her a job singing at the Blue Angel Club. She was then given a role in the Broadway theatre production of I Can Get It For You Wholesale, which opened in 1962. When the play closed nine months later, Streisand received offers from nightclubs, television and Broadway producers, and record companies. Her portrayal on Broadway of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1964) was greeted with critical acclaim, and in 1968 she won an Academy Award (Oscar) for her film debut in the same role. Her subsequent films include Hello Dolly! (1969); On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970); Up the Sandbox (1972); The Way We Were (1973); A Star Is Born (1976); The Main Event (1979); All Night Long (1981); Yentl (1983), which she also directed and produced; Nuts (1987); The Prince of Tides (1991) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1995), both of which she also directed and co-produced; and Meet the Fockers (2004). At the Golden Globe Awards in 2000 Streisand was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Streisand’s first record, The Barbra Streisand Album (1963), sold more than a million copies. In 1987 she was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocalist for The Broadway Album (1986). She starred in several television specials as well. In 1995 she was awarded two Emmy Awards for her cable-television special, Barbra Streisand: The Concert. She won another Emmy in 2001 for Timeless, Live in Concert. In 2006 she embarked on her first national concert tour since 1994. As of 2006 she had recorded more than 60 albums and was the bestselling female singer of all time.