Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand is recognized as one of the most accomplished and multifaceted entertainers in the history of show business. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Streisand has achieved success in the entertainment industry with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards. She began performing in the early 1960s in nightclubs and on Broadway, which led to guest appearances on various television shows. Her first Broadway appearance, in "I Can Get It for You Wholesale," earned her a New York Drama Critics Circle Award and a Tony nomination. Her debut album, "The Barbra Streisand Album," won two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, making her at that time the youngest artist to receive that honor. Streisand returned to Broadway with a performance as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" at the Winter Garden Theatre, a role that defined her early stardom and launched her enduring career in entertainment.

Streisand's transition to film included her first motion picture, "Funny Girl," for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, the first of two Oscars. Her other films include "The Owl and the Pussycat," "The Way We Were," and "A Star Is Born," for which she received her second Academy Award, composing the music for the love theme "Evergreen"—the first woman to be honored as a composer. With "Yentl," her first film as a director, Streisand became the first woman to produce, direct, write, and star in a major motion picture. The film earned five Oscar nominations and Golden Globes for both Best Director and Best Picture. "The Prince of Tides," her next directorial feature, was the first motion picture directed by its female star to receive a Best Director nomination from the Directors Guild of America, as well as seven Academy Award nominations. As a Jewish actress, Streisand redefined female stardom in the 1960s and 1970s with her portrayal of ethnic urban characters.

As a recording artist, Streisand is among the best-selling female recording artists of all time and one of the best-selling recording artists overall, with more than 150 million records sold worldwide. She is the only recording artist to have a number-one charting album in all six decades since the 1960s. Streisand has amassed 31 RIAA platinum-certified albums, including "People," "The Way We Were," "Guilty," "The Broadway Album," and "Higher Ground." Her first television special, "My Name Is Barbra," revitalized the genre, earning five Emmys and the Peabody Award. In addition to her artistic achievements, Streisand founded the Streisand Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting causes such as AIDS research, women's health programs, and voting rights. She contributed $10 million and raised an additional $12 million for the Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which was renamed The Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center in her honor.

Streisand is the only person to receive all of the following: Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cable Ace, National Endowment for the Arts, and Peabody awards, as well as the Kennedy Center Honor, the American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement honor, and the Film Society of Lincoln Center Chaplin Award. She has also received the National Medal of Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and France's Légion d'Honneur. Streisand received the Life Achievement Award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, an honor given to select members of the film industry.

In addition to her performing legacy, Streisand is a published author. Her memoir, "My Name Is Barbra," and its audiobook have received recognition, including Audie Awards for Audiobook of the Year and for Autobiography/Memoir. Streisand's influence spans music, film, Broadway, and philanthropy, shaping the landscape of American entertainment.