Barbra Streisand

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Barbra's father Emmanuel was a high school teacher, and he died of a cerebral hemorrhage when Barbra was just fifteen months old. The family faced a lot of financial problems while Barbra was growing up.

The funky spelling of her first name was her creation: she was born Barbara Joan Streisand but changed her name by removing the second 'a' from her first name. When she was 18 she wanted to be unique (don't we all), but didn't want to change her name completely.

While in her teens Barbra became a nightclub singer. She also appeared in Summer Stock and in a number of Off-Off-Broadway productions. Her boyfriend, Barry Dennen, helped Streisand create a club act which propelled her success as a singer.