Barbra Streisand is ready to tell her life story.
Aug. 20 2023, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
After years of letting others tell her story, superstar Barbra Streisand is finally ready to set the record straight.
In an intimate portrait, RadarOnline.com can reveal the truth about Barbra’s journey from humble beginnings in Brooklyn, what everyone misunderstands about her, plus her feelings about the men she’s loved — as she prepares to tell all in her tome My Name is Barbra which is due on November 7.
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“She’s an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner, as well as being the best-selling female recording artist of all time,” said a source. “Now Barbra’s going to tell her story, her way!”
In her upcoming memoir, the 81-year-old diva will open up about her often-strained relationship with her mother, Diana, a semi-professional opera singer who wanted her daughter to go to secretarial school.
Instead, Barbra — determined to follow her showbiz dream — grew out her nails so she wouldn’t be expected to use a typewriter.
“Hard work, heart, taking chances — that was always my philosophy,” Barbra once said.
It took Barbra at least five years to write her autobiography, we’re told.
“I find it hard to look back,” she admitted. “I write in longhand with a soft pencil. I like to erase. I can rewrite.”
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She’s ready to spill all about her personal life and time in the spotlight.
Said a friend, “She’s a well-known perfectionist and she is on her own schedule. She believes she’s earned that and she feels obligated to do the best for her fans.”
In the book, Barbra plans to clear up a lot of the misconceptions about her, including one that she is a diva.
She insists she never makes unreasonable demands and is so down to earth that most of the time, she spends her days in sneakers and sweatpants!
“They all want to see me as this otherworldly person,” she has said, “which I’m not.”
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There’s no argument, though, that Barbra is one special lady with a gift like no other. In 1965, she starred in her first TV special, My Name Is Barbra, and then won a best actress Academy Award for 1968’s Funny Girl.
But Barbra has insisted directing — not acting — has been her greatest professional accomplishment.
“I don’t like acting. I don’t like make-believe. I like real life,” explained Barbra, who co-wrote, directed, and starred in 1983’s Yentl.
She dated tennis star Andre Agassi in the early ’90s, grabbing attention over the 28-year age gap.
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The book will doubtless also touch on Barbra’s many romances, including her failed first marriage to M*A*S*H movie star Elliott Gould.
She reportedly dated Warren Beatty in 1969 and they’ve remained lifelong friends, sharing a passion for politics and filmmaking.
Barbra spent a decade with hairdresser turned film mogul Jon Peters starting in 1973.
In 1988, she was frequently seen with Miami Vice stud Don Johnson, but she claims the pair never got serious.
Barbra and tennis ace Andre Agassi were a love match in the early 1990s, despite an age gap of 28 years. “The public outcry only added spice,” Andre said.
And Barbra wasn’t afraid to put aside work for a great relationship!
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“On the one hand, I am — or I was — ambitious,” she confessed previously. “On the other hand, if I was having a great love affair or something, I’d say, ‘I don’t want to do anything else.’ Searching for personal happiness was more important.”
Onscreen, Barbra has acted opposite some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Jeff Bridges, Nick Nolte, and Kris Kristofferson.
But her chemistry with Robert Redford in 1973’s The Way We Were — a tear-jerker about an outspoken activist’s ill-fated love for a gorgeous golden boy — was electrifying.
At a 2015 event in New York City, the actress said she was “thrilled” to have been his leading lady.
“I’d like to say, ‘Dear Bob, it was such fun being married to you for a while. Too bad it didn’t work out,’” Barbra gushed while presenting him with the Chaplin Award.
“But we made something that’ll last much longer than many real marriages. I’m so proud of the work we did together.”
She worked with the legendary Kristofferson in A Star Is Born in 1976, and the two are still friends to this day.
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Streisand and Kristofferson are still pals to this day.
Asked if Barbra was difficult, he has said: “You bet your butt, but it’s exciting to work with someone who has that much talent. I felt that we had a very good chemistry. We battled a lot before the film started, but once we were into it, I think we trusted each other’s instincts.
“The bathtub scene was probably the sexiest scene that I did in any of my films. I’ve been in a lot of films, but that’s one that always brings a smile to my face. I think of it often.”
Barbra will also write about her husband, James Brolin, and how she never expected to find the love of her life at age 54, RadarOnline.com has been told.
The two wed in July 1998 — exactly two years after being set up at a dinner party.
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Barbra and her husband recently celebrated their 15-year anniversary.
“It’s every woman’s dream to be some man’s dream woman,” said Barbra, who added the actor completes her. “He fills a void in my life. He makes me feel very safe.”
But their marriage isn’t always a bed of roses. “One day I fall in love with my husband again, the next day I’m mad at him,” she shrugged once.
The new role Barbra relishes most is being a grandmother to baby Westlyn, the daughter of stepson Josh Brolin and his wife, Kathryn Boyd.
“Barbra spoils the baby completely. She absolutely treasures Westlyn,” revealed an insider.
Josh has said: “My wife got Barbra a bracelet that said ‘Grandma’ on it and she started crying. She’s really into it, and I love that she’s into it. I mean, it’s like a very typical Jewish grandmother who’s saturated by this event. It’s awesome.”
She became a grandma to a second little one in 2020.