Happy 70th Birthday BARBRA STREISAND

I cannot remember at what age my love affair with Barbra started. Our family has always had music flowing all over the house but I do remember hearing a beautiful voice with so much heart. That was when I got up and my endless search for Barbra's records begun.

I can't believe that it's been that long and today (US time) she celebrates her 70th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my musical influences and major reason for learning musical theater. I love you Barbra! :o)

Birth Name: Barbara Joan Streisand 

Nickname: Babs 

Date of Birth: 24 April 1942, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA 

Height: 5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography

Barbra Streisand was born on April 24, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. She is an actress, director, producer and writer. Among her many films are Hello, Dolly! (1969), A Star Is Born (1976), Yentl (1983) and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996). As a child she attended the Beis Yakov Jewish School in Brooklyn. She is good friends with singer/songwriter Neil Diamond, with whom she dueted on the smash hit song, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers". They both attended the same high school and sang together in the school choir. Barbra has one son, Jason Gould, with ex-husband Elliott Gould. She is now married to James Brolin. She has won many awards including two Oscars, five Emmys, eight Golden Globes, three People's Choice Awards, two Women in Film Crystal Awards and two ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards. Barbra has also received an American Film Institute award and a Cecil B. DeMille Award. 

IMDb Mini Biography By: A. Nonymous

Spouse

• James Brolin (1 July 1998 - present)
• Elliott Gould (21 March 1963 - 9 July 1971) (divorced) 1 son

Trade Mark

• Director trademark: constantly shows her own character's fingernails
• Her nose

Trivia

• She and Shirley MacLaine celebrate their joint birthday together every year.
• Announced engagement to James Brolin. [May 1997]
• Attended Bais Yakov School in Brooklyn, New York as a child.
• Daughter of Diana Rosen and Emmanuel Streisand.
• Has an older brother, Sheldon Streisand.
• Singer/actress/director.
• Mother of actor Jason Gould.
• Sister of Roslyn Kind.
• When she and Neil Diamond had a smash hit in 1978 with "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", it was not the first time that the Brooklyn-born superstars had sung together. While students at New York City's Erasmus High School, they both sang in the school choir.
• Supported Al Gore's bid for the presidency. [2000]
• Is a staunch Democrat.
• Spoke out against the nomination of former Missouri Senator John Ashcroft for Attorney General. [2001]
• Born at 5:08 AM EST
• 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.
• 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.
• Female artist with most albums sold in U.S.
• Only artist to achieve Billboard #1 albums in five decades, the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and 2000's.
• Solo artist with longest time span between first #1 and latest #1 albums (33 years between "People" and "Higher Ground").
• 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]).
• Second most Gold album certifications (47) {#1: Elvis Presley}.
• Third most top 40 albums (45) {#1: Frank Sinatra}.
• Fourth most top 10 albums (26) {#1: Frank Sinatra}.
• Fourth most number 1 albums (8) {#1: The Beatles}.
• Fifth top Billboard-charting artist {#1: Elvis Presley}.
• Highest grossing single concert, with $14,694,750, MGM Grand Garden Arena, December 31, 1999.
• Second single largest grossing American concert engagement, with $16.6 million, seven performances, Madison Square Garden, 1994 (#1: $19 million, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, 15 performances, Continental Airlines Arena, 1999).
• First woman since the silent era to direct, produce, write and star in a feature film; she also sings (Yentl (1983)).
• Artist with Grammy nominations in the most categories -- 9.
• Only artist to receive Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, CableACE and Peabody awards.
• Only Oscar recipient for both acting and songwriting.
• Turned down the role of call girl Bree Daniels in Klute (1971), which won Jane Fonda an Oscar.
• Was once a switchboard operator.
• Graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn.
• 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.
• Ranked #31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll
• She was voted the 54th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
• 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).
• Godmother of Caleigh Peters
• Both of her husbands, Elliott Gould and James Brolin, starred in Capricorn One (1977).
• Stepmother of Josh Brolin
• 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.
• While a struggling artist in the early 1960s, she lived at 1157 Third Avenue in Manhattan over Oscar's Salt of the Sea Restaurant. She shared the tiny $62- per-month apartment with Elliott Gould who would later become her husband
• Film output toned down considerably after The Main Event (1979). She's only acted in six films since.
• One of the elite actors who have nabbed an Oscar for their first film role.
• 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.
• She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 2000 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
• [June 8, 2005] Manager Martin Erlichman announced 2006 20 City Fall Charity Tour.
• 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 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.
• 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).
• Directed 4 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Amy Irving, Nick Nolte, Kate Nelligan and Lauren Bacall.
• Turned down the role of Eva Peron in Evita (1996). She was the first choice of Ken Russell, who was the first director attached to the film.
• Has sold 70 million records worldwide.
• Is close friends with Dustin Hoffman and Dick Van Dyke.
• Was considered for the part of Dwan in King Kong (1976).
• In 2006, she donated $11,750,000 to the Barbra Streisand Foundation, numerous civil liberties, environmental, and civil rights organizations "dedicated to democratic values".
• Played her first ever concert in Ireland in the palatial grounds of Castletown House, County Kildare. [July 14, 2007]
• While attending the funeral for President Bill Clinton's mother, she heard a Church choir sing a song titled "On Holy Ground". The song was written by the choir director, Geron Davis. Upon hearing it, she was so moved that she wanted to record it. The song appeared on her album "Higher Ground".
• 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.
• Has a great fear of performing live.
• Is good friends with Shirley MacLaine and Donna Karan.
• Was the first choice for Sally Bowles in Cabaret (1972) but Streisand turned it down because she wanted to move away from musicals. As a result the part was given to second choice Liza Minnelli, who went on to win an Academy Award for her performance.
• Was considered for the role of Liliane La Fleur in Nine (2009), but the part was eventually given to Judi Dench.
• Has had the same assistant - a woman called Renata - for thirty-seven years.
• Her favorite modern actress is Meryl Streep.
• She studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.
• 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.
• 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".
• Discovered that she was pregnant with her son Jason Gould when she was starring in the London production of "Funny Girl".

Personal Quotes

• Oh God, don't envy me, I have my own pains.
• The audience is the barometer of the truth.
• I am simple, complex, generous, selfish, unattractive, beautiful, lazy, and driven.
• "I hate tooting my own horn, but after Steven Spielberg saw Yentl (1983), he said, 'I wish I could tell you how to fix your picture, but I can't. It's the best film I've seen since Citizen Kane (1941)'".
• "One thing's for sure: now when I look at Funny Girl (1968), I think I was gorgeous. I was too beautiful to play Fanny Brice".
• I arrived in Hollywood without having my nose fixed, my teeth capped, or my name changed. That is very gratifying to me.
• On connecting: What is exciting is not for one person to be stronger than the other...but for two people to have met their match and yet that are equally as stubborn, as obstinate, as passionate, as crazy as the other.
• My niece saw Funny Girl sand said, 'How come you're singing so many songs from Glee?'
• [on a disappointing Academy recognition of 'Yentl']In Hollywood, a woman can be an actress, a singer, a dancer. But don't let her be too much more.

Salary

• Funny Girl (1968) $200,000
• Hello, Dolly! (1969) $750,000
• On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) $350,000
• The Owl and the Pussycat (1970) $1,000,000
• A Star Is Born (1976) $15,000,000 (including %)
• All Night Long (1981) $4,000,000
• The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) $20,000,000plus percentage of profits

Where Are They Now

• (January 2004) Is planning to produce and direct a musical version of All About Eve (1950).
• (August 2006) Preparing for a twenty-four city tour which will begin on Ocotber 4, 2006.
• (2006) Release of the book, "Barbra: The Way She Is" by Christopher Andersen.

Source: IMDB