Before Barbra Streisand became the multi-faceted entertainer that she is, she lived a tough life. The actress did not have her own room until she was 13. But in order to make her dreams a reality, she had to go against her mother’s wishes.
Barbra Streisand is a multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, and director, but before becoming the icon she is, she had to overcome some difficult obstacles.
Streisand was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to Diana Rosen and Emanuel Streisand. The actress’ father, who worked as a high school teacher, died from an epileptic seizure when the actress was just 15 months old.
After losing her husband, Rosen worked as a secretary in the New York public school system, but she still struggled to provide for Streisand and her brother Sheldon.
The actress confessed that they lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment worth $40, where she and her mother would sleep on the same bed while her brother slept in a foldaway cot.
Streisand lived in Williamsburg until she was seven when the family moved to the projects where they paid $104 rent. At the time, it was the ultimate upgrade for her.
Things might have been difficult for Streisand, but she appreciated growing up without money. She loved how creative she was with making any toy she wanted, like the doll she made out of a hot water bottle. “When you don’t have things, you use your imagination,” she said.
One woman who used to care for Streisand even knitted a sweater and hat for her water bottle doll and as she told her story to talk show host Oprah Winfrey, she was so moved and said Streisand was poorer than her.
In an interview with Zane Lowe to promote her album, “Release Me 2” the singer looked back at her humble beginnings. While she grew up being known as the girl who could sing, she had no father when everyone around had one. So, for most of her childhood, Streisand felt like she always faded into the background, and no one acknowledged her.
Singing was not Streisand’s first career choice, but since she was praised for her excellent voice, she used it to become what she truly wanted to be—an actress.
However, Streisand’s mother wanted something more stable for her, like being a teacher or working in the school system as her parents did. She believed a secure job with paid vacation would give her daughter the peace of mind she needed.
The actress does not blame her mother for never pushing her to follow her dreams. She understood that her perspective was influenced by the difficult life they lived.
However, Streisand refused her mother’s advice, wanting to seek her own fulfillment and happiness. For instance, she longed to have the kind of family that sat down to have dinner together, something that was foreign to her.
Therefore, to fill the void in her childhood, the actress strived to be the best at everything she did. She entered singing competitions and won them until she reached her goal of being an actress.
What motivated Streisand with her ambitions were the movie magazines she read in her room as a child. It was not until she was 13 that she got her own room, so that was also more motivation to aim for a better life.
However, when Streisand started landing roles, she realized how much she lacked civility. She confessed that she never expressed gratitude whenever she was given a role and she ate with her feet on the table because that was what she grew up doing. She would see her mother eating out of a pot, so she never learned basic table manners like putting a napkin on her lap.
Streisand did not only have a tough time at home but she was also bullied in school for how she looked. Her classmates would make fun of her nose, labeling it a “big beak,” and the severe acne she tried to hide under heavy makeup.
As she got older, the singer received the same awful treatment. People acknowledged her talent but called her ugly for being thin and cross-eyed. When she entered the entertainment industry, one theatre owner told her, “She’s very talented, but God, she’s so ugly. What are we going to do with her?” And even though she was a hard worker, she was still described as distrustful and self-absorbed.
Despite the fact that she survived many difficult situations and the hurtful words said about her, Streisand has one of the longest-standing careers in entertainment, spanning over six decades.
The star has performed on Broadway and in many other movies. As a singer, she was once one of the best-selling recording artists and broke records by becoming the first artist to have a number-one album for six consecutive decades. To top it off, her concerts have made hundreds of millions.
Streisand, who reportedly has a net worth of $425 million, aced both careers as an actress and singer that she is one of very few artists to have at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
But the actress was not only blessed with a record breaking career. She was also lucky enough to find the right person to spend the rest of her life with.
Showered with Love by Her Husband
Streisand has been married to her husband, James Brolin, for over 25 years, and their union is only getting stronger. They met in 1996 on a blind date when Streisand was 54 and Brolin, 56. Both already had children from previous marriages at the time.
Streisand and Brolin tied the knot after two years of dating and had a beautiful wedding in the backyard of their Malibu home.
After the ceremony, Brolin was overjoyed and expressed how lucky he was to be blessed with a loving partner at his age. “Every night is a new adventure. Sleeping is a waste of time. I can’t wait to see her again in the morning,” he gushed.
With over two decades of marriage, Brolin said he takes it day by day, but his ultimate advice for a long-lasting union is counseling.
Brolin believes counseling is the answer for any couple with problems. He explained that having a neutral third party can help with communication and resolve many marital problems.
When it comes to the dynamic between him and his wife, Brolin said he loved that Streisand was a woman who was not afraid to say her peace. He is calmer in their union but appreciates his wife for pushing him to do things he never thought possible.
Brolin is also proud of how their marriage stood the test of the recent pandemic and even exceeded expectations. While many couples suffered after being cooped up indoors for months, their marriage thrived.
Brolin admitted he fell deeper in love with Streisand. After all, they had mastered their communication skills making sure neither of them walked out the door after an argument but talk about it instead.
They also keep things interesting by making each other feel special, and Streisand is good at finding creative ways to remind her husband how much she loves him. Brolin said sometimes he would get texts from her to hurry home and would find something sweet and thoughtful waiting for him there. Brolin also revealed he tries to reciprocate his wife’s efforts.
Streisand and Brolin have been enjoying their decades-long marriage in their Malibu mansion. Their abode is a sight to behold and was reportedly purchased for just under $20 million but is now worth about $80 million.
The couple has a big enough fortune to maintain their beautiful property that boasts unique flowers and the finest art.
Brolin and his wife have owned the home since the 1990s but they had little add to it because it already had many amenities. The home is equipped with a barn, a mill house, and what they call ‘grandma’s home.”
Despite the huge amount of space in her home, Streisand is very organized and has a rule of not keeping anything she doesn’t need. She believes if something doesn’t serve her anymore, it has to be given to someone who needs it and will appreciate it.
The actress has always had a knack for fine art, but her home looked different before she could afford it. “I had no money to buy art, so I would buy old picture frames and put them on white walls, just framing space, which I thought was beautiful,” she recalled.
But the more she worked hard, the more she dreamt of the art that would one day fill her home. Streisand was so particular that when she started her fine art collection, she knew exactly how and where it would be placed in her home.
Apart from art, Streisand’s home is peppered with prestigious items such as her accolades. The actress has eight Grammys, two Oscars, eight Golden Globes, and three Primetime Emmy Awards on display.
Meanwhile, the home’s interior represents everything Streisand loves and has been inspired by. The living room has a stainless steel fireplace with panels on the mantel.The bedroom was inspired by a hotel room Streisand visited in Fransisco. It looks exactly like the 1930s Bigelow original, as the actress explained.
Some of Streisand’s favorite architects include Frank Lloyd Wright, who was famous for using dresses as inspiration for furniture designs. Her bathroom is pink paradise. It has a long pink carpet in the hallway leading to her closet.
The outside is even more breathtaking. The actress has a beautiful garden decked with red and white furniture pieces that match the colorful flowers surrounding the property.
Streisand’s home is a flower heaven; her grey barn makes the beautiful plants that encircle it pop. The garden has a white-covered deck framed with roses, and on the part of the house that faces the pool.
To take it up a notch, Streisand’s home has a lake. It is a quiet sanctuary that the actress and her husband use for boating or gathering their thoughts.
The actress evidently turned her home into the house of her dreams. It is so big that you must walk through a little floral walkway before getting to the main entrance.
The cherry on top of her garden is the wishing well placed in the center of it. Just like most of the space, it has an arch of roses above and more flowers surrounding it.
Streisand’s Malibu home is the perfect oasis for her to clear her mind. It is also an everyday reminder to her younger self that she made her dreams a reality and found the happiness she longed for as a little girl.
