A superstar performer of stage, TV, films, and recordings, Barbra Streisand is one of the chosen few who can boast of having a Grammy, Oscar, Tony and Emmy to her name. Born April 24, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York, Streisand harbored show business ambitions from childhood. In 1960, when she was 18, Streisand won a talent contest at The Lion, a Greenwich Village nightclub; she went on to gain some recognition on the nightclub circuit and appeared in an off-Broadway revue. In 1962 the singer made her Broadway debut in a supporting role in I Can Get It For You Wholesale; the musical wasn't very successful, but she stole the show with her singing and comedic skills, leading to a New York Critics Award and instant stardom. Barbra Streisand's status as one of the most successful singers of her generation is all the more remarkable not only because her popularity has been achieved in the face of a dominant musical trend -- rock & roll -- which she did not follow, but also because, despite an amazing singing voice that has enthralled practically anyone who has heard it, she has always used singing as a mere stepping stone to other careers, as a stage and film actress and as a film director.