| # | Fact |
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| 1 | Presented John Wayne with his only Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards. |
| 2 | In 1966, she recorded an American version of the French song "C'est si bon" which was written in 1947 by Henri Betti (music) and André Hornez (lyrics). The musical arrangements were done by Michel Legrand and the English lyrics were written by Jerry Seelen in 1950. |
| 3 | Is allergic to horses. |
| 4 | Is one of 22 Oscar-winning actresses to have been born in the state of New York. The others are Alice Brady, Teresa Wright, Anne Revere, Celeste Holm, Claire Trevor, Judy Holliday, Shirley Booth, Susan Hayward, Patty Duke, Anne Bancroft, Jane Fonda, Lee Grant, Beatrice Straight, Whoopi Goldberg, Mercedes Ruehl, Marisa Tomei, Mira Sorvino, Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Connelly, Melissa Leo and Anne Hathaway. |
| 5 | She is the godmother of Sarah Wald. |
| 6 | Is one of 20 actresses who did not receive an Oscar nomination for their Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical Golden Globe-winning performance; hers being for A Star Is Born (1976). The others, in chronological order, are: June Allyson for Too Young to Kiss (1951), Ethel Merman for Call Me Madam (1953), Jean Simmons for Guys and Dolls (1955), Taina Elg and Kay Kendall for Les Girls (1957), Marilyn Monroe for Some Like It Hot (1959), Rosalind Russell for A Majority of One (1961) and Gypsy (1962), Patty Duke for Me, Natalie (1969), Twiggy for The Boy Friend (1971), Raquel Welch for The Three Musketeers (1973), Bernadette Peters for Pennies from Heaven (1981), Kathleen Turner for Romancing the Stone (1984) and Prizzi's Honor (1985), Miranda Richardson for Enchanted April (1991), Jamie Lee Curtis for True Lies (1994), Nicole Kidman for To Die For (1995), Madonna for Evita (1996), Renée Zellweger for Nurse Betty (2000), Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), and Amy Adams for Big Eyes (2014). |
| 7 | Is one of 14 actresses to have won both the Best Actress Academy Award and the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical Golden Globe for the same performance; hers being for Funny Girl (1968). The others, in chronological order, are: Judy Holliday for Born Yesterday (1950), Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins (1964), Liza Minnelli for Cabaret (1972), Glenda Jackson for A Touch of Class (1973), Diane Keaton for Annie Hall (1977), Sissy Spacek for Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Cher for Moonstruck (1987), 'Jessica Tandy for Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Helen Hunt for As Good as It Gets (1997), Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love (1998), Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line (2005), Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose (2007), and Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook (2012). |
| 8 | Is one of 26 actresses to have received an Academy Award nomination for their performance in a musical; hers being Funny Girl (1968). The others, in chronological order, are: Bessie Love (The Broadway Melody (1929)), Grace Moore (One Night of Love (1934)), Jean Hagen (Singin' in the Rain (1952)), Marjorie Rambeau (Torch Song (1953)), Dorothy Dandridge (Carmen Jones (1954)), Deborah Kerr (The King and I (1956)), Rita Moreno (West Side Story (1961)), Gladys Cooper (My Fair Lady (1964)), Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), and Victor Victoria (1982)), Debbie Reynolds (The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)), Peggy Wood (The Sound of Music (1965)), Carol Channing (Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)), Kay Medford (Funny Girl (1968)), Liza Minnelli (Cabaret (1972)), Ronee Blakley (Nashville (1975)), Lily Tomlin (Nashville (1975)), Ann-Margret (Tommy (1975)), Lesley Ann Warren (Victor Victoria (1982)), Amy Irving (Yentl (1983)), Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge! (2001)), Queen Latifah (Chicago (2002)), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago (2002)), Renée Zellweger (Chicago (2002)), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls (2006)), Penelope Cruz (Nine (2009)), Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables (2012)), and Meryl Streep (Into the Woods (2014)). |
| 9 | Is one of four actresses to win the Best Actress Oscar for her film debut (Funny Girl (1968)). The others are Shirley Booth (for Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)), Julie Andrews (for Mary Poppins (1964)), and Marlee Matlin (for Children of a Lesser God (1986)). |
| 10 | According to a 1980 interview with her mother Diana Kind, Barbra's maternal grandfather was a cantor with "a terrific voice". |
| 11 | Was considered for the role of "Sandy Olsson" in Grease (1978). |
| 12 | Was the 66th actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for Funny Girl (1968) at The 41st Annual Academy Awards (1969) on April 14, 1969. |
| 13 | She was the first woman to ever win a Golden Globe as Best Director. As of 2013, she still remains as sole winner. |
| 14 | Her paternal grandparents, Isaac Streisand and Anna Kesten, were Austrian Jewish immigrants (from Galicia). Her maternal grandparents, Louis Rosen and Ida Friedland, were Russian Jews. |
| 15 | Preparing for a 24-city tour which will begin on Ocotber 4, 2006. [August 2006] |
| 16 | Release of the book, "Barbra: The Way She Is" by Christopher Andersen. [2006] |
| 17 | Is planning to produce and direct a musical version of All About Eve (1950). [January 2004] |
| 18 | Uncharacteristically for her, when she recorded the Leonard Bernstein / Stephen Sondheim song "Somewhere" for "The Broadway Album" (1985), the entire backing score was generated on synthesizers under the supervision of producer David Foster. No orchestra whatsoever. |
| 19 | Asked if she had any regrets looking back over her career, Barbra stated during an "Extra" interview (she was promoting The Guilt Trip (2012)) that she wished she had appeared in more films. She kiddingly said she gave Jane Fonda her award-winning career by turning down They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), Klute (1971) and Julia (1977). |
| 20 | At Erasmus High School she said she had an unrequited crush on a schoolmate who also would achieve international renown--chess genius Bobby Fischer. |
| 21 | Former stepmother-in-law of Diane Lane. |
| 22 | Discovered that she was pregnant with her son Jason Gould when she was starring in the London production of "Funny Girl". |
| 23 | Returned to work six months after giving birth to her son Jason Gould in order to begin recording her 11th album, "A Christmas Album". |
| 24 | Is one of the only 12 people who are an EGOT--one who has 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 Minnelli won a Special Grammy. |
| 25 | She studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City. |
| 26 | Her favorite modern actress is Meryl Streep. |
| 27 | Has had the same assistant--a woman called Renata--for 37 years. |
| 28 | Was considered for the role of Liliane La Fleur in Nine (2009), but the part was eventually given to Judi Dench. |
| 29 | Was the first choice for Sally Bowles in Cabaret (1972), but 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. |
| 30 | Is good friends with Shirley MacLaine and Donna Karan. |
| 31 | Has a great fear of performing live. |
| 32 | During the filming of Hello, Dolly! (1969), she 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 her that she "had no more talent than a butterfly's fart". Interestingly, he is clearly seen in the audience at her One Voice (1986) concert at her Malibu ranch, where invitation-only guests paid $5,000 per couple to help establish the Barbra Streisand Foundation, which supports numerous charitable organizations. Apparently, he did not hold grudges. |
| 33 | 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". |
| 34 | (July 14, 2007) Played her first ever concert in Ireland in the palatial grounds of Castletown House, County Kildare. |
| 35 | In 2006 she donated $11,750,000 to the Barbra Streisand Foundation, numerous civil liberties, environmental and civil rights organizations "dedicated to democratic values". |
| 36 | Was considered for the part of Dwan in King Kong (1976). |
| 37 | Is close friends with Dustin Hoffman and Dick Van Dyke. |
| 38 | Has sold 71.5 million albums in the US. |
| 39 | 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. |
| 40 | Directed four different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Amy Irving, Nick Nolte, Kate Nelligan and Lauren Bacall. |
| 41 | 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 (Hello, Dolly! (1969)). |
| 42 | Is one of only five actors/actresses to have both a #1 single and an Oscar for best actor/actress. The others are 'Frank Sinatra' (Best Supporting Actor), Jamie Foxx, Cher and Bing Crosby. |
| 43 | 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. |
| 44 | [June 8, 2005] Manager Martin Erlichman announced 2006 20 City Fall Charity Tour. |
| 45 | She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 2000 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C. |
| 46 | 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. |
| 47 | One of the elite actors who have nabbed an Oscar for their first film role. |
| 48 | Film output toned down considerably after The Main Event (1979). She's only acted in six films since. |
| 49 | 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. |
| 50 | Columbia Pictures 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 was considering Frank Sinatra for the role of Nicky Arnstein, which she vetoed because she didn't like him. The final musical number, "My Man", was filmed "live" to both 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. |
| 51 | Stepmother of Josh Brolin, J. Brolin and Molly Brolin. |
| 52 | Both of her husbands, Elliott Gould and James Brolin, starred in Capricorn One (1977). |
| 53 | Godmother of Caleigh Peters |
| 54 | 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). |
| 55 | She was voted the 54th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. |
| 56 | Ranked #31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll |
| 57 | 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. |
| 58 | Graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn. |
| 59 | Was once a switchboard operator. |
| 60 | Turned down the role of call girl Bree Daniels in Klute (1971), which won Jane Fonda an Oscar. |
| 61 | Only Oscar recipient for both acting and songwriting. |
| 62 | Only artist to receive Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, CableACE and Peabody awards. |
| 63 | Artist with Grammy nominations in the most categories -- 9. |
| 64 | First woman since the silent era to direct, produce, write and star in a feature film; she also sings (Yentl (1983)). |
| 65 | 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). |
| 66 | Highest grossing single concert, with $14,694,750, MGM Grand Garden Arena, December 31, 1999. |
| 67 | Fifth top Billboard-charting artist {#1: Elvis Presley}. |
| 68 | Fourth most #1 albums (8) {#1: The Beatles}. |
| 69 | Fourth most top 10 albums (26) {#1: Frank Sinatra}. |
| 70 | Third most top 40 albums (45) {#1: Frank Sinatra}. |
| 71 | Second most gold album certifications (47) {#1: Elvis Presley}. |
| 72 | 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]). |
| 73 | Solo artist with longest time span between first #1 and latest #1 albums (45 years between "People" and "Love Is The Answer"). |
| 74 | Only person to achieve Billboard #1 albums in each of the past six decades. 1964 "People", 1974 "The Way We Were", 1976 "Greatest Hits Vol. 2", 1978 "A Star Is Born", 1980 "Guilty", 1985 "The Broadway Album", 1993 "Back To Broadway", 1997 "Higher Ground", 2009 "Love Is The Answer", 2014 "Partners". |
| 75 | Female artist with most albums sold in US. |
| 76 | 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. |
| 77 | 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. |
| 78 | Born at 5:08 AM EST |
| 79 | Spoke out against the nomination of former Missouri Senator John Ashcroft for Attorney General. [2001] |
| 80 | Is a staunch Democrat. |
| 81 | Supported Al Gore's bid for the presidency. [2000] |
| 82 | 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. |
| 83 | Older half-sister of Roslyn Kind. |
| 84 | Mother, with Elliott Gould, of actor Jason Gould. |
| 85 | Singer/actress/director. |
| 86 | Has an older brother, Sheldon Streisand. |
| 87 | Daughter of Diana Rosen and Emmanuel Streisand. |
| 88 | Attended Bais Yakov School in Brooklyn, New York as a child. |
| 89 | Announced engagement to James Brolin. [May 1997] |
| 90 | She and Shirley MacLaine celebrate their joint birthday together every year. |
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