A Streisand Sampler

This was Barbra Streisand at the age of 21, on Jan. 16, 1964, in rehearsal for the Broadway musical "Funny Girl." When the show opened on March 26, 1964, The New York Times raved: "Barbra Streisand sets an entire theater ablaze." She's been setting the world of showbiz on fire ever since.

For Streisand, there was success before "Funny Girl." Besides doing shtick with Bob Hope (as shown here in 1963), she made waves with her performance in "I Can Get It For You Wholesale," a Broadway show that opened two years before "Funny Girl." And before "Funny Girl" ever opened, her first two record albums were unqualified hits.

Streisand and jazz legend Louis Armstrong looked awfully happy at the 7th annual Grammy Awards on April 13, 1965. That's probably because Streisand won Best Vocal Performance, Female, for "People," and Armstrong won Best Vocal Performance, Male, for "Hello Dolly!" (Four years later, in 1969, she would star in the film version of "Hello Dolly!" in which Satchmo would make a guest appearance.)

French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent was among many celebrities who paid court to Streisand backstage at the Winter Garden. She greeted him on Nov. 12, 1965, with her poodle, Sadie, in her arms. Just six weeks later, on Dec. 26, she gave her final performance in "Funny Girl" (which also was her final performance on Broadway).

These days, Elliott Gould is known for playing Monica's dad on "Friends." But, in addition to his other professional accomplishments, he was Streisand's first husband and he is the father of her only child, Jason Emanuel Gould, who was born Dec. 29, 1966. When Gould and Streisand met, he was the star of "I Can Get It For You Wholesale." Their marriage lasted eight years, ending in a 1971 divorce.

When Streisand won her Oscar for her performance in the movie version of "Funny Girl" on April 15, 1969, she tied with Katharine Hepburn ("The Lion in Winter"). When she reached the podium and was handed her Oscar, she looked at the little guy and said, "Hello, gorgeous!" which was her opening line in "Funny Girl."

On Dec. 17, 1969, Streisand's mother, Diana Streisand Kind, posed for a picture with her daughters, Roslyn Kind, center, and Barbra. Roslyn had her own moderate success as a singer. Barbra's father, Emanuel, passed away Aug. 4, 1943, only a little over a year after Barbra was born. Diana died on March 30, 2002.

Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau briefly dated Streisand in the early 1970s. Here, they are shown walking together at the National Arts Center in Ottawa, Canada, on Jan. 28, 1970. After Trudeau's death at age 80 on Sept. 28, 2000, Streisand remembered him as "very unusual, an athlete with a poetic soul. His love and dedication to his country were inspiring. He had extraordinary charm and grace and style."

Streisand and Robert Redford scored a huge hit in 1973 with "The Way We Were," a bittersweet love story about Katie and Hubbell, opposites who were attracted to each other. The movie's theme also provided yet another recording triumph for Streisand.

Streisand offers a cup of coffee to Prince Charles of Great Britain as they chatted on a set at Warner Bros. studio in Los Angeles March 19, 1974. Throughout her career, Streisand has rubbed elbows with world leaders with apparent ease, bringing her set of credentials -- albeit in the world of showbiz -- to the table.

Kris Kristofferson was Streisand's leading man in the 1977 remake of "A Star Is Born." At the time, Streisand was in the middle of a long-term relationship with movie producer and former hairdresser Jon Peters, whom she had met when he styled a wig for her. Over the years, Streisand also was romantically linked with Ryan O'Neal and Don Johnson.

Paul Williams and Streisand won Oscars on March 28, 1977, for best original song, "Evergreen," from "A Star is Born." And look who is at right: Neil Diamond, who presented the award. The following year, in 1978, Diamond and Streisand would duet on the hit "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." (Bit of trivia: Both Diamond and Streisand are graduates of Brooklyn's Erasmus High School.)

Throughout the '80s, Streisand evolved into a movie director, even winning the Golden Globe for directing "Yentl" (1984). But, in 1992, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences neglected to nominate her as best director for "The Prince of Tides," even while nominating the movie as best picture, many Streisand supporters cried foul. On March 30, 1992, she showed up at the Oscars anyway.

All she wanted to do was watch good friend and tennis champ Andre Agassi play a match with Carlos Costa at the U.S. Open in New York City, Sept. 7, 1992. But she could not shake the attention of the media. It was then that she brought forth that famous quote: "He plays like a Zen master. He's very in the moment."

From the start of his campaign for president, Bill Clinton found an avid supporter in Streisand, who bolstered his candidacy with her pocketbook and her own celebrity. On the eve of his first inauguration, on Jan. 19, 1993, President-elect Clinton received the microphone from Streisand after being introduced on stage at the Presidential Gala at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md.

Streisand holds her two Emmys during the 47th annual Primetime Emmy Awards Sept. 10, 1995. Streisand won the two awards for her work on "Barbra Streisand The Concert." Winning Emmys was nothing new to her. In 1965, she picked up a trophy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Entertainment for her first TV special, "My Name Is Barbra."

He calls her "Beezer." She sang to him at their wedding reception. They had their first date on July 1, 1996. They were married exactly two years later at her home. Only a few months before that, on Feb. 5, 1998, James Brolin escorted his fiancee to a White House dinner in honor of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Streisand, facing away from camera, is enthusiastically embraced by presenter Shirley MacLaine after Steisand was honored with the Cecil B. deMille Award at the 57th Golden Globe Awards Jan. 23, 2000.

To a stunned nation, Streisand, center, sang "You'll Never Walk Alone" during a tribute to those slain in the Sept. 11 attacks at the conclusion of the 53rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001.

In a nod to their staying power as celluloid couple Katie and Hubbell, Barbra Streisand presented Robert Redford with his honorary Oscar during the 74th annual Academy Awards March 24, 2002. A month later, Streisand turned 60.