Home> Facts and Trivia > Stars > Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand Facts
| Sign | Taurus |
| Born |
Apr 24, 1942 Williamsburg, Brooklyn |
| Age | 84 |
| Total Facts | 71 |
[June 8, 2005] Manager Martin Erlichman announced 2006 20 City Fall Charity Tour.
Mary Martin, Anne Bancroft and Carol Burnett were all considered for the Broadway role of Fanny Brice before Barbra nabbed it. Singer Eydie Gormé was also considered but balked when they would not cast husband Steve Lawrence as Nicky Arnstein.
3 December 2003 - Her invasion-of-privacy suit over aerial photos taken of her Malibu home and shown on a web site dedicated to the California coastline was thrown out of court by a California judge. She claimed it would encourage stalkers.
Announced engagement to James Brolin. [May 1997]
Artist with Grammy nominations in the most categories -- 9.
Artist with longest career between top-20 hits on the Billboard pop music charts (32 years, 7 months between "People" [debuted 4 April 1964] and "I Finally Found Someone" [debuted 23 November 1996]).
Attended Bais Yakov School in Brooklyn, New York as a child.
Born at 5:08 AM EST
Both of her husbands, Elliott Gould and James Brolin, starred in Capricorn One (1977).
Columbia wanted to cast Shirley MacLaine as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968). However Ray Stark, who produced the Broadway show and was Brice's son-in-law, insisted on Streisand repeating her Broadway role. Several co-stars later publicly blasted Streisand and director William Wyler for much of their scenes being cut in favor of focusing almost entirely on Streisand. Columbia were considering Frank Sinatra for the role of Nicky Arnstein, which she vetoed as she didn't like him. The final musical number, "My Man", was filmed "live" both to maximize Streisand's dramatic rendition and because she hated the lip-syncing process. At the time of the film's release, she was also a voting member of AMPAS.
Daughter of Diana Rosen and Emmanuel Streisand.
Directed 4 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Amy Irving, Nick Nolte, Kate Nelligan and Lauren Bacall.
Discovered that she was pregnant with her son Jason Gould when she was starring in the London production of "Funny Girl".
During the filming of Hello, Dolly! (1969), Barbra and co-star Walter Matthau fought bitterly. He disliked her so intensely that he refused to be around her except when required to do so by the script. He is famously quoted as telling Barbra that she "had no more talent than a butterfly's fart". Interestingly, he is clearly seen in the audience at Barbra's One Voice (1986) (TV) concert at her Malibu ranch, where invitation-only guests paid $5,000 per couple to help establish the Streisand Foundation, which supports numerous charitable organizations. Apparently, he did not hold grudges.
Female artist with most albums sold in U.S.
Fifth top Billboard-charting artist {#1: Elvis Presley}.
Film output toned down considerably after The Main Event (1979). She's only acted in six films since.
First woman since the silent era to direct, produce, write and star in a feature film; she also sings (Yentl (1983)).
Fourth most number 1 albums (8) {#1: The Beatles}.
Fourth most top 10 albums (26) {#1: Frank Sinatra}.
Godmother of Caleigh Peters
Graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn.
Has a great fear of performing live.
Has an older brother, Sheldon Streisand.
Has had the same assistant - a woman called Renata - for thirty-seven years.
Has sold 70 million records worldwide.
Her favorite modern actress is Meryl Streep.
Highest grossing single concert, with $14,694,750, MGM Grand Garden Arena, December 31, 1999.
In 2006, she donated $11,750,000 to the Barbra Streisand Foundation, numerous civil liberties, environmental, and civil rights organizations "dedicated to democratic values".
In a controversial decision, she was allowed to become a voting member of the Academy prior to her first film, Funny Girl (1968), even being released and won the Oscar in a tie with Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter (1968) a few months later.
Interviewed in "Directors Close Up: Interviews with Directors Nominated for Best Film by the Directors Guild of America", ed. by Jeremy Kagan, Scarecrow Press, 2006.
Is a staunch Democrat.
Is close friends with Dustin Hoffman and Dick Van Dyke.
Is good friends with Shirley MacLaine and Donna Karan.
Is one of only five actors/actresses to have both a number one single and an Oscar for best actor/actress. The others are 'Frank Sinatra' (Best Supporting Actor), Jamie Foxx, Cher and Bing Crosby.
Is one of the only 12 people who are an EGOT, which means that she won at least one of all of the four major entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. The other ones in chronological order are Richard Rodgers, Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols and Whoopi Goldberg. Barbra, however, won a Special Tony Award, not a competitive one, and Liza Minnelli won a Special Grammy.
Lost the 1964 Tony award for Best Actress in a Musical (nominated for "Funny Girl") to Carol Channing who won for "Hello, Dolly" - a role Streisand played in the movie version in Hello, Dolly! (1969).
Loves Chinese food and coffee ice cream.
Measurements: 36-25-36 (1960s measures), 34 1/2B-27 1/2-33 1/2 (filming The Main Event (1979)), 34B-25-36 (1995 stats). (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).
Mother of actor Jason Gould.
Named the best selling female singer of the 20th Century. She has sold more than 68 million records, with 47 Gold, 28 Platinum and 13 Multi-Platinum.
One of the elite actors who have nabbed an Oscar for their first film role.
Only artist to achieve Billboard #1 albums in five decades, the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and 2000's.
Only artist to receive Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, CableACE and Peabody awards.
Only Oscar recipient for both acting and songwriting.
Played her first ever concert in Ireland in the palatial grounds of Castletown House, County Kildare. [July 14, 2007]
Ranked #31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll
Received a Special Tony Award in 1970. Previously, she was nominated twice for a Tony: in 1962 as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Musical) for "I Can Get It for You Wholesale," and in 1964 as Best Actress (Musical) for portraying Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl," a signature role she recreated in her Oscar- winning performance in the film version of the same name, Funny Girl (1968).
Returned to work six months after giving birth to her son Jason Gould in order to begin recording her eleventh studio album entitled "A Christmas Album".
Second most Gold album certifications (47) {#1: Elvis Presley}.