ACTOR
Barbra Streisand
92 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (92)
- #001
Barbra Streisand and Shirley MacLaine celebrate their shared birthday together every year.
- #002
She is one of the elite actors who won an Oscar for their first film roles.
- #003
On December 17, 1976, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- #004
She was the first woman to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Director. As of 2013, she remains the only winner.
- #005
She is the only artist to have won Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, CableACE and Peabody awards.
- #006
She was the first woman to direct, produce, write and star in a feature film since the silent era, and she also sang in it (Yentl (1983)).
- #007
In Funny Lady (1975), the dressing-room scene in which James Caan and Barbra sprinkle powder on each other's faces turned into a surprise for Barbra, who was expecting only a light dusting, but James conspired with director Herbert Ross to dump a storm of powder on her for dramatic and comic effect. It is one of her personal favorites.
- #008
She has used the same assistant, a woman named Renata, for 37 years.
- #009
Despite intense peer pressure, she always refused to have a nose job.
- #010
She is the best-selling female recording artist in the United States.
- #011
She is a close friend and Malibu (L.A.) neighbor of the Irish actor Pierce Brosnan.
- #012
Both of her husbands, Elliott Gould and James Brolin, appeared in Capricorn One (1978).
- #013
She lost the 1964 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (for which she was nominated for "Funny Girl") to Carol Channing, who won for "Hello, Dolly" — the same role Streisand played in the film version (Hello, Dolly! (1969)).
- #014
She is the only Oscar winner for both acting and songwriting.
- #015
She is one of the 12 people who are EGOTs, holding at least one of the four major entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. In chronological order, the others are Richard Rodgers, Helen Hayes, Rita Moreno, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn, Marvin Hamlisch, Jonathan Tunick, Mel Brooks, Mike Nichols and Whoopi Goldberg. However, Barbra won a non-competitive Special Tony Award, and Minnelli won a Special Grammy.
- #016
At the 2018 Golden Globe Awards ceremony, she criticized the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for not recognizing the work of female directors. Streisand won one of the prestigious awards in 1984 for Yentl (1983), but while presenting at that year's ceremony she pointed out that no other woman had won in the Best Director category before or since.
- #017
Her favorite modern actress is Meryl Streep.
- #018
She is one of five actors/actresses who have both a number-one single and an Oscar in the best actor/actress category. The others are Frank Sinatra (Best Supporting Actor), Jamie Foxx, Cher and Bing Crosby.
- #019
Her highest-grossing single concert was on December 31, 1999, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with $14,694,750.
- #020
She had her late dog Sammie cloned.
- #021
She was named the best-selling female singer of the 20th century. She sold more than 68 million records, including 47 Gold, 28 Platinum and 13 Multi-Platinum certifications.
- #022
Big Business (1988) was originally written for Streisand and Goldie Hawn. When both turned down the offer, the project became a vehicle for Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin.
- #023
She prefers to be photographed from the left.
- #024
She is able to order a full meal in Chinese, a skill she picked up while working as a cashier in a Chinese restaurant.
- #025
She is close friends with Dustin Hoffman and Dick Van Dyke.
- #026
At Erasmus High School she said she had an unrequited crush on a fellow student who would also become internationally famous: the chess prodigy Bobby Fischer.
- #027
She claims she has not smoked since she was thirteen. When a film such as Funny Girl (1968) or The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) required her to pretend to smoke, she did not inhale.
- #028
December 3, 2003 – A privacy-invasion lawsuit she filed after aerial photographs of her Malibu home were shown on a website devoted to the California coastline was dismissed from court by a California judge. She argued that the ruling would encourage stalkers.
- #029
She is the mother of actor Jason Gould, with Elliott Gould.
- #030
She is the former stepmother of Diane Lane.
- #031
While appearing in the London production of "Funny Girl," she discovered she was pregnant with her son Jason Gould.
- #032
She once worked as a switchboard operator.
- #033
Her paternal grandparents were Isaac Streisand and Anna Kesten, Austrian Jewish immigrants (from Galicia). Her maternal grandparents were Louis Rosen and Ida Friedland, Russian Jews.
- #034
She holds the second-most gold album certifications (47) {#1: Elvis Presley}.
- #035
According to biographer Christopher Andersen, Streisand was banned from the White House by First Lady Hillary Clinton after she discovered that the superstar had spent the night there in March 1993 while the Clintons were out of town and had visited her dying father in Little Rock, Arkansas.
- #036
Asked whether she had any regrets looking back on her career, Streisand said in an Extra (1994) interview (while promoting The Guilt Trip (2012)) that she wished she had made more films. Joking, she said she had given Jane Fonda her award-winning career by turning down They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), Klute (1971) and Julia (1977).
- #037
Columbia Pictures wanted Shirley MacLaine to play Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968). However, Ray Stark, who produced the Broadway show and was Brice's son-in-law, insisted that Streisand reprise her Broadway role. Several lead actors later publicly criticized Streisand and director William Wyler because most of their scenes were cut almost entirely in favor of focusing on Streisand. Columbia considered Frank Sinatra for the role of Nicky Arnstein, but Arnstein vetoed it because he did not like him. The final musical number, "My Man," was filmed live both to maximize Streisand's dramatic interpretation and because she hated the lip-syncing process. At the time of the film's release she was also a voting member of AMPAS.
- #038
She has sold 71.5 million albums in the United States.
- #039
Barbra Streisand has dated men ranging from 23 years her senior (former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau) to 28 years her junior (tennis champion Andre Agassi). She had live-in relationships with Jon Peters, who moved from hairdressing into producing, and with Richard Baskin, heir to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream fortune. Other notable ex-boyfriends include Arnon Milchan, Neil Wolfe, Sam Elliott, Barry Gibb, Barry Dennen, Steve McQueen, Tom Smothers, Richard Burton, Gary Busey, Sydney Chaplin, George Lazenby, Anthony Newley, Omar Sharif, Tom Waits, Warren Beatty, Graham Nash, Ryan O'Neal, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Gere, Don Johnson, Clint Eastwood, James Newton Howard, Liam Neeson, US President Bill Clinton, Peter Weller, Jon Voight, King Charles III, Dodi Fayed and Peter Jennings. Lesser-known romances include information management guru Larry Prusak (in high school), Veronica Lake's son Anthony Michael DeToth, and businessman Richard Cohen, who briefly took an interest in Barbra after divorcing Tina Sinatra.
- #040
She was the first choice for Sally Bowles in Cabaret (1972) and turned it down because she wanted to move away from musicals. The role went instead to the second choice, Liza Minnelli, who won an Oscar for her performance.
- #041
She has the fourth-most number-one albums (8) {#1: The Beatles}.
- #042
At the 42nd Academy Awards, she presented John Wayne with his only Oscar.
- #043
She ranks third among the top 40 albums (45) {#1: Frank Sinatra}.
- #044
The "Streisand Effect" phenomenon is named after her; it describes how an attempt to hide, remove or censor a piece of information often backfires by publicizing that information far more widely, usually accelerated by the Internet.
- #045
She ranks fourth among the top 10 albums (26) {#1: Frank Sinatra}.
- #046
She is one of four actresses to win the Best Actress Oscar for her first film (Funny Girl (1968)). The others are Shirley Booth (for Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)), Julie Andrews (for Mary Poppins (1964)) and Marlee Matlin (for Children of a Lesser God (1986)).
- #047
She rarely licenses her music for use in films or on television.
- #048
She is a close friend of Shirley MacLaine and Donna Karan.
- #049
After The Main Event (1979), her film output dropped significantly. She has appeared in only eight films since then.
- #050
She has appeared in three films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Funny Girl (1968), Hello, Dolly! (1969) and The Prince of Tides (1991). She also directed The Prince of Tides, which was a Best Picture nominee.
- #051
She announced her engagement to James Brolin.
- #052
She directed four actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Amy Irving, Nick Nolte, Kate Nelligan and Lauren Bacall.
- #053
She turned down the role of Eva Peron in Evita (1996). She was the first choice of Ken Russell, the first director attached to the film.
- #054
She has a brother named Sheldon (b. 1934) and a half-sister named Roslyn Kind (b. 1951).
- #055
On 14 July 2007, she gave her first concert in Ireland, on the grand grounds of Castletown House in County Kildare.
- #056
Mary Martin, Anne Bancroft and Carol Burnett were considered for the Broadway role of Fanny Brice before Barbra Streisand won it. Singer Eydie Gormé was also considered, but she objected when they would not cast her husband, Steve Lawrence, as Nicky Arnstein.
- #057
On 17 August 2018, during TCM's Summer Under the Stars, she was honored with a day-long tribute to her film work.
- #058
She is the stepmother of Josh Brolin, Jess Brolin and Molly Brolin.
- #059
Barbra Streisand is one of eight actresses who have won an Oscar for a performance in a musical. The others, in chronological order, are Rita Moreno, Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Hudson, Anne Hathaway and Emma Stone.
- #060
Entertainment Weekly named Barbra Streisand the 54th Greatest Movie Star of All Time.
- #061
Barbra Streisand is the daughter of Diana Kind and Emanuel Streisand.
- #062
Barbra Streisand trained under Lee Strasberg.
- #063
Barbra Streisand was considered for the role of the promising young actress Dawn in King Kong (1976), but the part ultimately went to Jessica Lange.
- #064
Barbra Streisand supported Al Gore's presidential bid.
- #065
Barbra Streisand is the artist with the fifth most entries on the Billboard charts, behind {#1: Elvis Presley}.
- #066
Barbra Streisand's $16.6 million gross from seven performances is the second-highest-grossing American concert, at Madison Square Garden in 1994 (#1: $19 million, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, 15 performances, Continental Airlines Arena, 1999).
- #067
Barbra Streisand opposed former Missouri Senator John Ashcroft's nomination for Attorney General.
- #068
Barbra Streisand was awarded the National Medal of Arts by the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC.
- #069
Barbra Streisand studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, New York City.
- #070
Barbra Streisand lost the female lead in The Gauntlet (1977) to Sondra Locke and the lead in Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) to Faye Dunaway.
- #071
Barbra Streisand has the longest span of top-20 hits on the Billboard pop music charts, 32 years and 7 months between "People" (released April 4, 1964) and "I Finally Found Someone" (released November 23, 1996).
- #072
Barbra Streisand is one of 22 Oscar-winning actresses born in New York State. The others are Alice Brady, Teresa Wright, Anne Revere, Celeste Holm, Claire Trevor, Judy Holliday, Shirley Booth, Susan Hayward, Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft, Jane Fonda, Lee Grant, Beatrice Straight, Whoopi Goldberg, Mercedes Ruehl, Marisa Tomei, Mira Sorvino, Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Connelly, Melissa Leo and Anne Hathaway.
- #073
As a child, Barbra Streisand attended the Bais Yakov School in Brooklyn, New York.
- #074
Barbra Streisand is very afraid of performing live and is allergic to horses.
- #075
In 1966, Barbra Streisand recorded an American version of the French song "C'est si bon" (written in 1947 by Henri Betti (music) and André Hornez (lyrics)) for her album "Color Me Barbra". The musical arrangements were by Michel Legrand and the English lyrics were written by Jerry Seelen in 1949. Her version was the favorite of composer Henri Betti.
- #076
Barbra Streisand wanted to play Sophie Zawistowski in Sophie's Choice (1982), but the role ultimately went to Meryl Streep.
- #077
Barbra Streisand worked as a court clerk.
- #078
Barbra Streisand endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024.
- #079
Barbra Streisand is one of 27 actors nominated for an Oscar for a performance in a musical; hers was for Funny Girl (1968). The others, in chronological order, are: Bessie Love (The Broadway Melody (1929)), Grace Moore (One Night of Love (1934)), Jean Hagen (Singin' in the Rain (1952)), Marjorie Rambeau (The Torch Song (1953)), Dorothy Dandridge (Carmen Jones (1954)), Deborah Kerr (The King and I (1956)), Rita Moreno (West Side Story (1961)), Gladys Cooper (My Fair Lady (1964)), Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins (1964), The Sound of Music (1965) and Victor/Victoria (1982)), Debbie Reynolds (The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)), Peggy Wood (The Sound of Music (1965)), Carol Channing (Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)), Kay Medford (Funny Girl (1968)), Liza Minnelli (Cabaret (1972)), Ronee Blakley (Nashville (1975)), Lily Tomlin (Nashville (1975)), Ann-Margret (Tommy (1975)), Lesley Ann Warren (Victor/Victoria (1982)), Amy Irving (Yentl (1983)), Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge! (2001)), Queen Latifah (Chicago (2002)), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago (2002)), Renée Zellweger (Chicago (2002)), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls (2006)), Penélope Cruz (Nine (2009)), Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables (2012)), Meryl Streep (Into the Woods (2014)) and Emma Stone (La La Land (2016)).
- #080
Barbra Streisand graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York (1959).
- #081
Barbra Streisand ranked 31st on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll.
- #082
Barbra Streisand is the former sister-in-law of Randy Stone.
- #083
Barbra Streisand is one of 15 actors who won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical for the same performance; hers was for Funny Girl (1968). The others, in chronological order, are: Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday (1950), Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins (1964), Liza Minnelli for Cabaret (1972), Glenda Jackson for A Touch of Class (1973), Diane Keaton for Annie Hall (1977), Sissy Spacek for Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Cher for Moonstruck (1987), Jessica Tandy for Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Helen Hunt for As Good as It Gets (1997), Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love (1998), Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line (2005), Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose (2007), Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and Emma Stone for La La Land (2016).
- #084
Barbra Streisand turned down the role of the call girl Bree Daniels in Alan J. Pakula's Klute (1971), which won Jane Fonda the Oscar for Best Actress.
- #085
Barbra Streisand is one of 13 actresses who won the Oscar for Best Actress for playing a character who is pregnant at some point in the film; hers was for Funny Girl (1968). The others are Helen Hayes for The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931), Luise Rainer for The Good Earth (1937), Vivien Leigh for Gone with the Wind (1939), Ginger Rogers for Kitty Foyle (1940), Olivia de Havilland for To Each His Own (1946), Jane Wyman for Johnny Belinda (1948), Anna Magnani for The Rose Tattoo (1955), Julie Christie for Darling (1965), Liza Minnelli for Cabaret (1972), Sissy Spacek for Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Frances McDormand for Fargo (1996) and Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021).
- #086
Barbra Streisand was considered for the role of Sandy Olsson in Grease (1978), which later went to Dame Olivia Newton-John.
- #087
Barbra Streisand was born at 5:08 a.m. (EST).
- #088
Barbra Streisand is one of 12 actresses who won the Oscar for Best Actress for a film in which they sang as the character; hers was for Funny Girl (1968). The others are Luise Rainer, Ingrid Bergman, Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Ellen Burstyn, Diane Keaton, Sissy Spacek, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone, Renée Zellweger and Jessica Chastain. Marion Cotillard could be argued to belong on this list, but instead of using her own voice she mimed Édith Piaf for La Vie En Rose (2007).
- #089
Barbra Streisand is the godmother of Caleigh Peters.
- #090
The films Barbra Streisand turned down are The Young Lovers (1964), Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970), The Devils (1971), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Playing for Time (1980), Cross Creek (1983), Bagdad Cafe (1987), Frankie and Johnny (1991), Shadowlands (1993), White Oleander (2002) and the miniseries The Politician (2019).
- #091
Barbra Streisand is the godmother of Sarah May Somers.
- #092
Barbra Streisand was considered for the role of Liliane La Fleur in Nine (2009), but the role ultimately went to Dame Judi Dench.
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