On September 19th, 1968, the world was introduced to one of the greatest stars of all time: Barbra Streisand. Funny Girl, Streisand’s Academy award-winning film debut, premiered in theatres and changed what the world thought of talent, beauty, and singing. Fast forward 50 years later, and she still keeps audiences in awe of her-including myself. Here are five reasons why you should be a fan of her too:
5. Barbra Streisand has some major bops!
You may be thinking that Barbra would only appeal to your parents, or heck, even your grandparent’s generation, but there’s a reason why Ms. Streisand has a total of ten Grammy Awards! Barbra is typically known for her Broadway showstoppers including “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “People”. Outside of Broadway, though, Ms. Streisand has several Billboard hits including “Evergreen” from her film, A Star is Born, and the title song from “The Way We Were”. Although she has no problem commanding a stage, this diva has no problem in sharing it as well. In 1963, the iconic duet between Streisand and Judy Garland, “Happy Days/Get Happy”, occurred on The Judy Garland Show and still remains a highly-regarded performance. Barbra’s music has even further reached audiences, thanks to the filming of several television music specials and concert films which add up to be a total of 17! Some of which can be viewed on Netflix. Streisand’s last album, Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, was released back in 2016, but she recently posted a teaser on her Twitter page that she is returning to the recording, so expect more bops in the future!
4. She’s hilarious!
We love a queen with a killer sense of humor! Barbra first started to show off her comedic talents in Funny Girl and her talents continued to blossom over the years with even more film roles. She has made audiences laugh in Meet the Fockers and The Guilt Trip. On the 1992 season of Saturday Night Live, Barbra made a surprise appearance on the Mike Meyer’s sketch segment “Coffee Talk with Linda Richman”. Meyers played Linda, a Jewish talk show host who constantly sang praises for Streisand. During one episode, Streisand pops in towards the end of the segment and surprises Mike Myers and his special guests, Roseanne and Madonna. This sketch proved the power of a Babs appearance due to her leaving Myers, Roseanne, and Madonna off their A-game.
3. She’s just as talented off-screen as she is on screen
Barbra is known for her memorable performances as an actress, but she also has had great acclaim when it comes to her work behind the scenes. She has her own production company called Barwood Films, which she established in 1972. Her first film, Yentl, which was a major passion product for her, was released in 1983 and gave her acting, directing, producing and writing credits. Unfortunately, the Academy did not recognize this huge feat when dishing out nominations for that year. Yentl did not receive any nominations in the big categories of Best Actress, Director, or Film. That didn’t stop Barbra though! She won Best Director at the Golden Globes that year and still remains the only female director to do so. In 1991, Barbra took on the best-selling novel, The Prince of Tides, and held the same roles she did for Yentl. The Prince of Tides gathered even more nominations from the Academy the year of its release but missed out on the directing award again. Ms. Streisand truly exemplifies that women can do anything and awards aren’t always everything.
2. She breaks the mold
In a time when Hollywood was looking for the next Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn, there was Barbra, a young, Jewish girl that looked nothing like these classic beauties. That is exactly what made her successful! Barbra learned how to hone her crafts of acting and singing and also learned how to make a new kind of beauty. Thanks to her great ambition to become a performer, Barbra never gave up on her dreams and persisted when others commented on her nose or other looks. In fact, she refused to get a nose job after many Broadway producers thought she needed one. This persistence and self-confidence lead her to the stage and her breakout role as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.
1. She is quite possibly the greatest star of all
There are legends and then there is Barbra Streisand. How many members of Hollywood have slipped into as many roles as her? How many have received the great acclaim that she has for these roles? How many have had their dog cloned? Not many that’s for sure! Her star power has become such a high standard and is the main reason as to why Funny Girl has yet to see a Broadway revival or movie remake. It’s impossible to match (sorry, Rachel Berry!). Pat Conroy, the screenwriter, and author of The Prince of Tides once said that Barbra is “a goddess who walks upon the earth.” A truer statement has never been said. Here’s to you, Barbra!