Barbra Streisand was born on April 24 in Brooklyn, New York to Diana and Emmanuel Streisand. At only 15 months old, her father passed away. Emmanuel Streisand was a respected scholar and teacher. Streisand attended Erasmus High School in Brooklyn, where she was an honor student. In the early 1960s, Streisand began to try her luck at acting and singing. He sang at nightclubs, and won a singing contest at a Manhattan nightclub.
In 1962, Barbra Streisand performed on her first Broadway show, I Can get It For You Wholesale. She was rewarded a “New York Drama Critics Award” for her performance and a Tony nomination. Later that year, Streisand signed a contract with Columbia records.
In 1963, Streisand released, The Barbra Streisand Album. Her debut album became a top ten and went gold. This made Streisand one of the bestselling female artists of the early 1960s. In 1963, she received two Grammy awards for the album, including Album of the Year. At that time, she was the youngest artist to win that award.
In 1964, Streisand was on Broadway once again, appearing in Funny Girl. She stayed on Broadway for more than two years with the show. On the show, she played the starring role of comedienne Fanny Brice.
In 1965, Streisand starred in her first television show special called, My Name Is Barbara. The show won five Emmy awards, and a Peabody award.
In 1966, Streisand moved to London to resume her role in Funny Girl at London’s prestigious, Prince of Wales Theatre. London theatre critics later that year voted Streisand to be the best female lead in a musical for the 1996 year.
In 1967, Barbara began the filming for the film version of Funny Girl. The film would later win the actress an Oscar in 1968 for Best Actress.
In 1970, Streisand starred in her first non-musical film, The Owl and the Pussycat.
In 1972, Streisand starred in the film, What’s Up, Doc? That same year, Streisand also created her production company, Barwood Films. The first film from the company, Up the Sandbox, dealt with the growing feminist movement.
In 1973, Streisand received a Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role in the film, The Way We Were. The soundtrack for the film eventually went quadruple-platinum.
In 1976, Streisand starred in a film called A Star is Born. The theme song, “Evergreen,” became a smash hit. Streisand also became the first female composer to win an Academy Award. That same year, she released Classical Barbara. The album, which was a compilation of classical music, was nominated for a Grammy award in the classical division.
In 1980, Streisand released, the album entitled Guilty. On this album, she collaborated with Barry Gibbs from The Bee Gees. The album sold more than 20 million units.
In 1983, Streisand became the first woman to ever produce, direct, write, and star in a major motion picture for the film, Yentl. The film took Streisand fifteen years to complete. She had written the screen play back in the 1970s. The movie is definitely feministic, celebrating women empowerment.
In 1985, Streisand released The Broadway Album. The album received three Grammy nominations. That same year, the singer received her eighth Grammy for Best pop female Vocalist.
In 1987, Streisand starred and produced the film, Nuts. The film is about a strong and courageous woman who become psychotic due to her childhood experiences. Shortly after, Streisand released The Prince of Tides. The film explore family relationships and childhood traumas. The film earned seven Academy Awards. She also received a nomination from the Directors Guild of America; she is the third woman to ever receive a nomination.
Streisand released Back to Broadway in 1993. The album went to number one on its first week release. It went platinum solely through shipping orders. In 1994, Streisand, who has extreme stage fright, went on a 26 show concert tour. This was the first time in three decades where her concerts were paid. Prior to this, all her concerts were solely for fund raising. Streisand donated $10.25 million to charities including AIDS research.
In 1994, Streisand had another television special, Barbara Streisand: the Concert. The show won two Emmys. Streisand also became a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate in Arts and Humanities from Brandeis University.
In 1997, Streisand starred in the film, The Mirror Has Two Faces. Once again she was director, producer, and star. The movie’s single, “I Finally Found Someone,” did extremely well. Lauren Bacall won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the romantic-comedy.
From 1997 through 1998, Barwood Productions released television movies under the title Rescuers: Stories of Courage. The show celebrates those who helped Jews flee during the Holocaust. The show, Serving in Silence: The Margherite Cammermeyer Story went in depth on the importance of civil rights.
In 1999, Streisand’s album entitled A Love Like Ours, went platinum.
On December 31, 1999 Streisand did a television special at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The special, Timeless: Live in Concert, broke all-time Ticket Master records for selling out. The concert sold out the first day, eight moths prior to the concert.
In October 2001, Streisand released her 57th album entitled Christmas Memories. This was her first full length album in a long time. Later that year, she received an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award.
In October 2003, Streisand released her album, The Movie Album. She also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. This was her first performance on a television Daytime show since 1963 when she appeared on the Mike Douglas Show. While on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Streisand performed the song, “Smile,” in which she dedicated to her late Bichon Frise (little, white, cuddly dog), Sammy (who died in late May 2003).
Thus, Streisand has definitely impacted musical history. She is remarkable because she did not follow the dominant musical trend of Rock N’ roll. Rather, she went with what felt right to her. Although forever a singer, she used her music as a stepping stone to advance her career. Barbara Streisand is a singer, actress, producer, and director. She has more than 45 gold albums and is the only artist of all time to be in the top four for most gold records, who was not involved with Rock N’ Roll. Streisand has over 28 platinum albums, and is the only artist to win an Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cable Ace, Peabody, and American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bio written by: bandhunt |
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