Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand (born April 24, 1942) is an iconic Jewish American singer and film actress, producer, and director.

Early years

She was born Barbara Joan Streisand in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York then moved to another area in Brooklyn where she was educated at Beis Yakov School and Erasmus Hall High School. Her father died when she was only 15 months old, and she had a lifelong turbulent relationship with her stepfather.

Related Topics:
Williamsburg, Brooklyn - New York - Brooklyn - Beis Yakov School - Erasmus Hall High School - Stepfather

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Following a music competition, she became a nightclub singer in her teens. She originally had wanted to be an actress, and appeared in a number of off-off-Broadway productions, including one with then-aspiring actress Joan Rivers, but when her boyfriend Barry Dennen helped her shape a club act — first performed in a gay bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village in 1960 — she became a big success as a singer. It was also at this time that she shortened her first name to make it more distinctive.

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Joan Rivers - Gay bar - Manhattan - Greenwich Village - 1960 - First name

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She signed with Columbia Records in 1962 and her first album, The Barbra Streisand Album, won two Grammy Awards in 1963. At one time, Streisand's first three albums appeared simultaneously on Billboard's Top Ten - an amazing feat considering it was at a time when Rock and Roll and The Beatles dominated the charts. Streisand also appeared on Broadway, first in the musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale and then as Fanny Brice in Jule Styne's and Bob Merrill's Funny Girl (1964). After some notable TV guest appearances, Streisand built on her success with a number of television specials for CBS.

Related Topics:
Columbia Records - 1962 - Grammy Award - 1963 - Rock and Roll - The Beatles - Broadway - I Can Get It For You Wholesale - Fanny Brice - Jule Styne - Bob Merrill - Funny Girl - 1964 - CBS

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