Hello, Barbra!
Lorna Cowan pays tribute to the remarkable career of superstar Barbra Streisand as she celebrates her eightieth birthday.
WITH a career spanning seven decades, Barbra Streisand is an American singer, actress, writer, director, composer and passionate philanthropist who has won the heart of fans all over the world.
She’s one of the few entertainers who have been awarded an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award, and she’s sold an estimated 72 million records.
As Barbra celebrates her eightieth birthday this week, we look back at her amazing life and many outstanding achievements.
Barbara Joan Streisand (the star later changed the spelling of her name) was born on April 24, 1942, in the Brooklyn district of New York.
Her Jewish parents, Diana and Emanuel, had met while working as a secretary and teacher at a school, and they already had a son called Sheldon.
Tragically, when Barbra was only 15 months old, Emanuel died from an epileptic seizure. Diana remarried several years later.
Attending Beis Yaakov Jewish school, a young Barbra had dreams of being an actress or a conductor.
She was overjoyed when she won a singing contest in a Manhattan club and started being offered gigs in music venues.
Aged nineteen, she appeared on a Broadway stage in the musical “I Can Get It For You Wholesale”.
Her performance earned her a Tony nomination and opened the door to a career in show business.
She signed her first contract with Columbia Records in 1962 and her debut album, simply entitled “The Barbra Streisand Album”, quickly became the US’S topselling record by a female vocalist.
Soon after, she had her first TV deal, a TV Special called “My Name is Barbra”.
Barbra had already played “Funny Girl’s” Fanny Brice on stage, so it wasn’t a surprise when she reprised the role for the 1968 film version.
It was her first movie and her first Academy Award – she picked up an Oscar for Best Actress.
A year later and Barbra was yet again starring in a film musical, this time “Hello, Dolly!” alongside Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford and Louis Armstrong.
In 1973, Robert Redford was her co-star in the romantic film, “The Way We Were”.
Then Barbra was given the leading role in a new adaptation of “A Star Is Born” (Judy Garland appeared in the 1954 version). She composed and performed the love story’s theme, “Evergreen”.
“Yentl” was Barbra’s first film as a director in 1983, though she had read the short story 15 years earlier.
The action revolves around a courageous Jewish girl who breaks tradition and disguises herself as a boy, determined to make her dreams come true.
Barbra went on to win another award – Best Director at the Golden Globes.
She was the first woman to achieve this accolade, and the only one until 2021.
Also well-known for starring in “The Prince Of Tides” and “Meet The Fockers”, Barbra has turned down roles over the years, including Eva Peron in “Evita”.
She also didn’t accept the offer to play Sally Bowles in “Cabaret” – the role was instead played by Liza Minnelli.
Barbra has been married twice. In 1963 she wed actor Elliott Gould, who went on to star in “M*A*S*H”.
The couple had one child together before parting ways in 1971.
Pierre Trudeau, the former prime minister of Canada, also dated the singer. Rumour had it he proposed, but Barbra turned him down.
Other famous names once romantically linked to Barbra include Clint Eastwood, Richard Gere and tennis player Andre Agassi.
Barbra remarried in 1998, having fallen in love with James Brolin, another actor whom she’d met on a blind date, and their home today is in Malibu. ■