The Babs

Born April 24, 1942 to Diana Rosen, a school secretary and Emmanuel Streisand, an English teacher - the woman who would become one of the most recorded voices and impactful entertainers in America, and arguably the world, began as a middle class Jewish Brooklyn girl. Shortly after her birth, however, her father passed away. This set Barbra's life on a very different course. Her mother, now a single parent, struggled to make ends meet and perhaps because of that became a less than caring parent to her two children, Barbra and her older brother Sheldon. The contentious relationship Barbra had with her mother and, later her step-father Louis Kind, would be the topic of much discussion throughout her life and career. Still, she cites her mother as the first spark of inspiration to become a singer. Her mother also sang and the two once recorded songs together on a summer vacation - in this moment, she knew she wanted to be a star. As she went through school she sung in the choir, and at school events. When she was 19, she began singing in night clubs and booked a regular appearance at the Bon Soir for $125 a week. It was in the night club circut that she met playwright and producer Arthur Laurents, who insisted she audition for his play I Can Get it For You Wholesale. She booked the part and became an overnight sensation on Broadway. The dreams of the poor, little girl from Brooklyn began to become a reality.

Barbra is known for having had several high profile relationships with some of Hollywood's biggest names including Richard Gere, Kris Kristopherson, Liam Neeson and even (rumored) Bill Clinton. Even from her first marriage, she had a pattern for falling for the men she works with. She met her first husband Elliot Gould when the both of them were starring in 1962 I Can Get it For Your Wholesale on Broadway. The couple stayed married for 8 years and had one son together - actor Jason Gould.

In 1967, while filming Funny Girl, an affair between Streisand and her costar Omar Sharif generated quite the international buzz. Sharif's exile from Egypt had already cost him his marriage and this affair nearly cost him his citizenship. Streisand's Jewish hertiage and support of Israel troubled the Egyptian government.

In 1969 she began dating Candaian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau but the relationship didn't last long.

For several months in 1988, Streisand had a relationship with Miami Vice actor Don Johnson who was known for his unusual and problematic romantic entanglements.

In the early 90s she began a high profile relationship with arguably the world's greatest tennis player Andre Agassi, who was 28 years her junior. Agassi, who was at the height of his career, made no apologies saying "Dating Barbra is like wearing Hot Lava".

In 1996 Babra met actor James Brolin through mutual friends. The couple began dating shortly after and announced their engagement in 1997. They were married July 1, 1998 and remain married to this day. They have no children together but James is father to acclaimed actor Josh Brolin.

Barbra Streisand is one of the most decorated entertainers in American Culture. She has won every major award given to a performer. Below is a list of her achievements.

GRAMMYS

She has been nominated a total of 44 times

1963 - Album of the Year (The Barbra Streisand Album)

1963 - Best Female Vocal Performance (The Barbra Streisand Album)

1964 - Best Female Vocal Performance (People)

1965 - Best Female Vocal Performance (My Name is Barbra)

1977 - Song of the Year (Love Theme from A Star Is Born - Evergreen)

1977 - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (Love Theme from A Star is Born - Evergreen)

1980 - Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Guilty)

1986 - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (The Broadway Album)

1992 - GRAMMY Legend Award

1995 - Lifetime Achievement Award

ACADEMY AWARDS

1968 - Best Actress (Funny Girl)

1973 - Nominated for Best Actress (The Way We Were)

1976 - Best Original Song (Love Theme From A Star Is Born - Evergreen)

1991 - Nominated for Best Picture (The Prince of Tides)

1996 - Nominated for Best Original Song (I Finally Found Someone from The Mirror Has Two Faces)

TONYS

1962 - Nominated Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (I Can Get it For You Wholesale)

1964 - Nominated Best Leading Actress in a Musical (Funny Girl)

1970 - Special Tony Award Honoree

GOLDEN GLOBES

1969 - Actress in a Leading Role Musical or Comedy (Funny Girl)

1970 - Henrietta Award

1971 - Henrietta Award

1975 - Henrietta Award

1977 - Best Performance of an Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (A Star is Born)

1978 - Henrietta Award

1984 - Best Director (Yentl)

2000 - Cecil B. Demille Lifetime Achievement Award

EMMYS

1965 - Outstanding Individual Achievement in Entertainment Actors & Performers (My Name is Barbra CBS)

1995 - Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program (Barbra Streisand in Concert HBO)

2001 - Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Program (Barbra Streisand: Timeless FOX)

SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS

1976 - Hollywood Walk of Fame

1994 - Directors Guild Award Variety/Musical Program (Barbra Streisand: The Concert)

1996 - Peabody Award

2000- National Medal of Arts

2000 - AFI Lifetime Achievement Award

2007 - Légion d’Honneur

2007 - Kennedy Center Honors

2015 - Presidential Medal of Freedom

All-Time Top 10 Best Selling Artists

34 Albums on the Top 10 on the U.S. charts (second only to The Rolling Stones)

11 #1 Albums (Tied for 3rd place with Bruce Springsteen)

52 Gold Albums

31 Platinum Albums

18 Multi-Platinum Albums