Before Barbra Streisand became the multi-faceted entertainer that she is, she lived a tough life. The actress did not have her 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 worked as a high school teacher. Unfortunately, he died when Streisand was 15 months old from an epileptic seizure.
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 their apartment was $40,00 a month. It was a small one bedroom, and she and her mother would sleep on the same bed while her brother slept in a foldaway cot in the same room.
Streisand lived in Williamsburg till she was seven, then the family moved to the projects where they paid $104,00 rent. At the time, it was the ultimate upgrade for her.
Things might have been difficult for Streisand, but she appreciated not growing up with money. She loved how creative she was with making any toy she wanted.
She remembered a time she made a doll 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.
Barbra Streisand photographed in 1970 | Source: Getty Images
Streisand had an interview with Zane Lowe to speak about her new album, “Release Me 2” and the singer looked back at the beginnings of her career.
She grew up being known as the girl who could sing but 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.
Nonetheless, 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 and said she wanted fulfilment and happiness. She longed to have the kind of family that sat down to have dinner together.
Therefore, to fill in the void of her childhood, the actress strived to be the best at everything she was doing. Streisand entered singing competitions and won them until she reached her goal of being an actress.
What gave Streisand her ambition is 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 make her life even better.
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.
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 for how she looked. People acknowledged her talent but called her ugly for being thin. 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 the longest-standing careers spanning over six decades.
She has performed on broadway and in many other movies. Streisand was once one the best-selling recording artists, and to prove it, she is one the few artists to have at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
Barbra Streisand and James Brolin in Los Angeles, California, in 1998 | Source: Getty Images
Streisand reportedly has a net worth of $425 million. She broke the record and became the first artist to have a number-one album for six consecutive decades. To top it off, her concerts have made hundreds of millions.
The actress was not only blessed with a record breaking career, but 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 the couple is only getting stronger. They met in 1996 on a blind date. Streisand was 54 and Brolin 56 and they both have children from their previous marriages.
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 believed counseling was the answer for any couple with problems. He explained that having a neutral third party to help people communicate better can 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.
Additionally, Brolin looked back at when they were cooped up in the house during the pandemic. He noted that many couples failed during the several months people spent indoors, but he experienced the opposite in his marriage.
He said he fell deeper in love with Streisand. After all, they had mastered their communication skills, so much that none of them has ever walked out the door after an argument, because they make sure to talk everything out.
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 to hurry home and find something sweet and thoughtful waiting for him.
Brolin also tried to reciprocate his wife’s efforts. But with the beauty of their home, it is no surprise that the couple has had a paradise marriage for over two decades.
Living in Their Lake House
Streisand and Brolin’s Malibu mansion was reportedly purchased for just under $20 million but is now worth about $80 million.
The actress has a big enough fortune to maintain her beautiful property. Streisand has revamped her home with unique flowers and decorated it with the finest art.
Brolin and his wife have owned the home since the 1990s and the couple only had to add a little to their home as it already had many amenities.
The home is equipped with a barn, a mill house, and what they called ‘grandma’s home”. Despite Streisand’s huge amount of space in her home, she is very organized and has a rule of not keeping anything she does not need.
Streisand believes if something does not 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, so 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. But other prestigious items that fill her home are her accolades.
The actress has eight Grammys, two Oscars, eight Golden Globes, and three Primetime Emmy Awards on display. The inside of the home 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 Barbra 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. It is decked with red and white furniture pieces that match the colorful flowers surrounding the property.
Streisand’s home is 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 bought and 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 had 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.