Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand, born Barbara Joan Streisand on April 24, 1942, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, author, and filmmaker. Spanning a career of more than six decades, she is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, with global sales exceeding 150 million records. She is among the rare entertainers to achieve EGOT status, having earned all four major performing arts honors: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards.

Streisand was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to a Jewish family. Her father died shortly after her first birthday, placing the family in near poverty. She spent her early years in Brooklyn, attending Public School 89 and later Erasmus Hall High School, where she sang in the school chorus alongside classmate Neil Diamond. After gaining initial stage experience in summer theater roles, she graduated high school at age 16 in January 1959 and moved to Manhattan to pursue an acting career.

While working various jobs, Streisand began performing in Greenwich Village nightspots. After winning a talent contest at a local club, she changed the spelling of her first name to "Barbra" and secured engagements at nightclubs including the Bon Soir and the Blue Angel. Managed by Martin Erlichman, her singing performances drew critical attention. In 1962, Streisand made her Broadway debut in the musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Streisand signed with Columbia Records, retaining full artistic control over her performances. Her studio debut, The Barbra Streisand Album (1963), won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Over her recording career, she earned 31 RIAA platinum-certified albums, including People, The Way We Were, Guilty, The Broadway Album, and Higher Ground. Streisand became the first woman to record 11 number-one albums on the US Billboard 200 chart and the only artist to top the chart across six consecutive decades. She also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with five singles, including "Evergreen" and "Woman in Love".

In the late 1960s, Streisand transitioned to film, starring in Funny Girl (1968), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She subsequently starred in Hello, Dolly!, What's Up, Doc?, and The Way We Were. For writing the love theme to A Star Is Born (1976), she became the first woman to win an Academy Award as a composer. With Yentl (1983), Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film, earning the Golden Globe Award for Best Director. She later produced and directed The Prince of Tides (1991) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).

Streisand's career honors include ten Grammy Awards, five Emmy Awards, nine Golden Globe Awards, four Peabody Awards, two Academy Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, the Honorary Palme d'Or, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. According to the RIAA, she is the third-highest certified female album artist in the United States.