'60s Legend With Rare EGOT Status Turns 84
Barbra Streisand, one of Hollywood's legendary stars and a rare EGOT achiever, is celebrating another major milestone.
As the award-winning icon turns 84, here's a look back at her distinguished accomplishments over her decades-long career.
Born on April 24, 1942, she began her career as a singer in Manhattan nightclubs when she was 18, while also acting in off-Broadway and Broadway theaters in productions like The Boy Friend and I Can Get It for You Wholesale.
The 1960s were a pivotal time for the young Streisand after winning a talent contest, marking her television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Not long after her TV appearance in 1961, she signed a contract with Columbia Records, followed by the release of her debut studio album, The Barbra Streisand Album, in 1963.
The album, which features a collection of cabaret-style songs, peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and eventually earned her her first Grammy Award.
The singer won Album of the Year and Best Female Vocal Performance for The Barbra Streisand Album at the 6th Annual Grammy Awards.
While continuing her fame and success in music at full speed, she also dominated television and Broadway with her role in Funny Girl.
At the time, CBS offered the then-23-year-old the chance to have her own TV special and eventually launched My Name Is Barbra in 1965.
With the success of her first TV special and her undeniable charm, she won Outstanding Individual Achievement in Entertainment at the 17th Primetime Emmy Awards.
As for the program, My Name Is Barbra took home Outstanding Individual Achievement in Entertainment – Musicians, awarded to music director Peter Matz; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Entertainment – Choreographers, won by Joe Layton; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Entertainment – Art Directors and Set Decorators, awarded to Tom H. John and Bill Harp; and Outstanding Program Achievement in Entertainment.
While cementing her name in Hollywood, Streisand set her sights on becoming a major film star and achieved it with her 1968 debut movie, Funny Girl, the adaptation of her 1964 Broadway hit.
Her performance as Fanny Brice earned her her first Academy Award for Best Actress.
During her Oscar acceptance speech, she began by saying "Hello, gorgeous," a memorable line from the musical-turned-film.
Moreover, she expressed how honored she was to be tied, winning the same category as Katharine Hepburn, describing it as a "kind of a wild feeling."
"Sitting there tonight, I was thinking that the first script of 'Funny Girl' was written when I was only eleven years old, and thank God it took so long to get it right, you know," she said and also thanked the people who helped her with the movie.
She concluded her acceptance speech by saying, "It's like, somebody once said to me, asked me if I was happy. And I said, ‘Are you kidding? I'd be miserable if I were happy.' And I'd like to thank all the members of the Academy for making me really miserable. Thank you."
With her Emmy, Grammy and Oscar Awards under her name, Streisand finally completed her EGOT status after receiving her Tony Award.
In 1970, she was honored with a Special Tony Award as the "Star of the Decade," recognizing her massive impact on the entertainment industry across theater, music and film.
Related: 57 Years Ago Today, '60s Legend Celebrated Historic Oscar Win in Rare Tie Moment
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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 8:49 PM.