Barbra Streisand was born Barbara Joan Streisand on April 24, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother was a singer, but she earned her income as a school secretary. Meanwhile, her father was a high school teacher. He died from complications of an epileptic seizure when Streisand was only 15 months old. After Mr. Streisand died, the family barely survived on the brink of poverty. They moved in with Barbra's grandparents to help make ends meet.