Barbra Streisand to Receive SAG Life Achievement Award at 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards

Award-winning actor, singer, producer, writer, and director Barbra Streisand is about to add another to her legendary trophy room as this morning it was announced that she will be the 59th recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievements and humanitarian accomplishments. Streisand will be presented the performers union’s top accolade at the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will stream live on Netflix Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall.

The news comes just over a month after the end of the longest strike in SAG-AFTRA history, 118 days between July 14-November 9 of this year. On December 5, the SAG-AFTRA union membership officially ratified the contract with over 78% of members voting in favor of it.

“Ever since I was a young girl sitting in the Loew’s Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, I dreamed of being one of those actresses I saw on the screen,” said Streisand. “The movies were a portal to a world I could only imagine. Even though I was an unlikely candidate, somehow my dream came true. This award is especially meaningful to me because it comes from my fellow actors, whom I so admire.”

Remarked SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, “Barbra Streisand is an icon and unparalleled talent, a force of nature who has seamlessly woven her brilliance through the fabric of our industry. From her earliest days captivating audiences on Broadway to her unforgettable roles in cinematic classics like Funny Girl, The Way We Were, and A Star Is Born, Barbra’s ability to inhabit her characters with authenticity is nothing short of extraordinary.”

“Her enduring career is a testament to her genuine performances, connecting with audiences on a profound level. She is a colossal icon with a relentless work ethic, evolving with each stage of her remarkable journey. We celebrate Barbra Streisand not just for her achievements but for the enduring legacy she has carved.”

With a career spanning over six-decades and eighty albums, Streisand has influenced generations of musicians who continue to draw inspiration from her unparalleled vocal range and emotive delivery. Her debut, The Barbra Streisand Album, released in 1963, established her as a vocal powerhouse, earning her two Grammy Awards for Best Female Vocalist and Album of the Year. It established her penchant for interpreting her lyrics as an actor would approach a script. Always experimenting, Streisand’s repertoire spans a mix of genres, from Broadway standards to pop, jazz, and even classical music. The self-described “actress who sings” is the only recording artist to achieve a #1 album in each of the last six decades.

Streisand’s foray into acting began with the musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale in 1962, where her stage presence garnered immediate attention, earning her a New York Drama Critic’s prize and Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

In 1964, she returned to the stage with Funny Girl, earning critical acclaim for her portrayal of Fanny Brice, a role that has become synonymous with her name. Her first film was a reprisal of her breakthrough role in Funny Girl, for which she earned an Academy Award for Best Actress.

With her directorial debut, Yentl, which earned five Academy Award nominations, Streisand became the first woman to direct, produce, write, and star in a major motion picture, and the first woman to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Her second directorial feature, The Prince of Tides, was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Her third directorial feature, The Mirror Has Two Faces, was also nominated for two Oscars.

Streisand recently released her memoir, My Name is Barbra, which immediately became a New York Times best seller. The book captures her extraordinary life and career in her own words.

Over the years, Streisand has demonstrated a deep commitment to various causes. In 1986 she established The Streisand Foundation, which has been a force for positive change, supporting a wide array of critical issues, including the environment, women’s rights, civil liberties, and nuclear disarmament.

Her dedication to women’s cardiovascular health is evident in the establishment of the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. In response to an invitation from the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Streisand became an ambassador for the UNITED24 platform in September 2022 and played a vital role raising funds for medical care.

Recently, she endowed the Barbra Streisand Institute at UCLA to examine the critical issues of our time such as Truth in the Public Sphere, the Impact of Climate Change, the Dynamics of Intimacy and Power between Women and Men, and the Impact of Art on the Culture.

Nominated and voted on by members of the SAG-AFTRA National Honors and Tributes Committee, the award is given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession.” The SAG Life Achievement Award will be the latest of Streisand’s esteemed catalog of international industry and public distinctions recognizing her masterful performances on screen and the stage. Throughout her career, she has received numerous honors including two Academy Awards, ten Grammys including the Grammy Legend and Lifetime Achievement Awards, five Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, a Special Tony Award, and numerous other accolades.

Nominated and voted on by members of the SAG-AFTRA National Honors and Tributes Committee, the Life Achievement Award is bestowed for outstanding achievement in fostering the best ideals of the acting profession. The recipient of this award is a well-established performer who has contributed to improving the image of the acting profession and has a history of active involvement in humanitarian and public service endeavors.

In May of this year SAG-AFTRA announced that after 25+ years of airing the SAG Awards on TNT and TBS, in the wake of the Discovery buyout of Warner Bros (which owns TNT), they would no longer be airing the awards ), and that the show would stream on Netflix’s YouTube channel and then begin a partnership in 2024 to stream on live on Netflix.