Biography
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, and director. Her career, spanning more than six decades, has seen her excel across various entertainment fields, making her one of the few performers to earn an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT).
With over 150 million records sold worldwide, she ranks among the top-selling recording artists ever. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists her as the second highest-certified female artist in the U.S., with 68.5 million certified album units. Billboard named her the greatest female artist on the Billboard 200 chart and the top Adult Contemporary female artist of all time. Her honors include two Academy Awards, 10 Grammy Awards—among them the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Grammy Legend Award—five Emmy Awards, four Peabody Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and nine Golden Globes.
Streisand's career began in the early 1960s performing in nightclubs and on Broadway. After guest appearances on various TV shows, she signed with Columbia Records, demanding full artistic control and accepting lower pay, a condition maintained throughout her career. She released her debut, The Barbra Streisand Album (1963), which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Over her recording career, she has achieved 11 number-one albums on the US Billboard 200—a record for a female artist—including People (1964), The Way We Were (1974), Guilty (1980), and The Broadway Album (1985). She also secured five number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100: "The Way We Were," "Evergreen," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)," and "Woman in Love."
After establishing her music career in the 1960s, Streisand transitioned to film by the decade's end. She starred in the critically praised Funny Girl (1968), winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. She gained further acclaim with movies such as the lavish musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), the screwball comedy What's Up, Doc? (1972), and the romantic drama The Way We Were (1973). She earned a second Academy Award for composing the love theme from A Star Is Born (1976), becoming the first woman honored as a composer.
With Yentl (1983), Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film. The movie won an Oscar for Best Score and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical. She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, becoming the first—and for 37 years, the only—woman to receive that honor. She later directed The Prince of Tides (1991) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).
46 wins and 60 nominations
