Barbra Streisand

Season 10, Episode 1003

Original Airdate: March 21, 2004

James Lipton celebrates the “Inside the Actors Studio” 10th anniversary season by welcoming Barbra Streisand to the New School stage. Streisand's presence is a fitting tribute, as Lipton has been requesting that she be a guest on “Inside the Actors Studio” since the show's inception.

One of the most accomplished performers of all-time, Streisand's numerous awards include two Oscars, seven Emmys, eight Grammys, eleven Golden Globes, an American Film Institute award and a Cecil B. DeMille Award, among others.

On this special 2-hour episode of “Inside the Actors Studio,” Streisand walks James Lipton through her early childhood in Brooklyn, New York — where she recalls that her favorite childhood toy was a hot water bottle with a knit sweater because her family was too poor to afford dolls — to her most recent projects such as The Streisand Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports national non-profits. Streisand speaks with candor and wit as she tells the audience the intimate details behind her shining public career.

Streisand got her musical start at the Beis Yakov School in Brooklyn, where she sang in the school choir. At 14, she took her first trip to Broadway to see “The Diary of Anne Frank,” and remembers feeling an affinity with the lead character, as well as a desire to perform and a confidence that she could do so. Two years later, Streisand landed her first part in a Manhattan theater in a short-lived production of “Driftwood,” but once confronted with the harsh realities of acting in Manhattan, she quickly turned to singing.

A big break came for Streisand in the form of a nightclub act at Bon Soir, a New York cabaret, and her singing career began to accelerate rapidly. Lipton and Streisand realize they have history in common when Lipton reveals to Streisand and the audience that he, too, spent some early years singing at the famous club.

In 1962, Streisand landed her first Broadway role in “I Can Get It for You Wholesale.” Lipton surprises her by reading the bio she wrote for the show's playbill, which includes the line, “Not a member of the Actors Studio.” Forty-six years after Streisand first auditioned for the Actors Studio — and was rejected because of her young age — Lipton rectifies the situation on-camera by reading a letter from Actors Studio co-president Ellen Burstyn, which stated that they made a big mistake and she is now an official member.

After “I Can Get it for You Wholesale,” Streisand went on to star as Fanny Brice, a role turned down by several actresses before her, in Broadway's “Funny Girl.” She then made a movie version of the musical in 1968, which earned her an Oscar.

After performing in the film versions of two other Broadway musicals, “Hello, Dolly!” and “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,” Streisand decided to take on straight acting parts. She discusses her experience working on films such as “The Way We Were” with Robert Redford, “A Star Was Born” which won 6 Golden Globes, “Yentl,” which she co-wrote, directed and produced, and “The Prince of Tides” in which she acted with and directed Nick Nolte.

Throughout the episode, Streisand shares with the audience her thoughts and wisdom on topics ranging from acting and directing, to spirituality and politics. She touches on many of the projects she has participated in throughout her forty-plus year career, including “My Name is Barbra,” “A Happening in Central Park,” “The Mirror Has Two Faces,” and “Timeless: Live in Concert,” as well as her most recent-and 60th-album, “The Movie Album.”

Streisand also reveals the answer to the mystery of what happened to the third “A” when “Barbara” became “Barbra.