Barbra Streisand may be one of a kind as a musician, but she says in her 2023 memoir, My Name Is Barbra, that “all I ever wanted to be was an actress.” Mission accomplished: She won an Oscar for her stunning film debut in 1968’s Funny Girl, and got a second nomination for her role in the 1973 tearjerker The Way We Were.

These movies will surely be among the Streisand classics mentioned at the Cannes Film Festival’s closing ceremony on May 23, when she receives an honorary Palme d’Or—remotely. But there are plenty of lesser-known Streisand performances from her less famous films—five are highlighted below—that, while unlikely to get attention on the Croisette, are worth watching.

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), directed by Vincente Minnelli
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

In this lavish film based on a Broadway musical Streisand didn’t star in (that was Barbara Harris), she plays two roles: Lady Melinda Winifred Waine Tentrees, an English courtesan from the early 1800s, and Daisy Gamble, a modern-day New Yorker who, under hypnosis by a psychiatrist (Yves Montand), turns out to be the reincarnation of Lady Tentrees. (In her memoir, Streisand says it was her idea to hire two designers for On a Clear Day, one for each era: Arnold Scaasi dressed Daisy, and Cecil Beaton dressed Lady Tentrees.) What stands out here is Streisand’s range—Daisy has a thick Brooklyn accent, while the low-born Lady Tentrees switches between posh English and Eliza Doolittle—and her talent for physical comedy, especially when she frantically dances on her apartment roof to avoid a hypnotic episode.

Up the Sandbox (1972), directed by Irvin Kershner
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

Released during the women’s liberation movement, Up the Sandbox features Streisand as Margaret Reynolds, a Manhattan housewife and mother who feels stuck in her life and daydreams about being someone important—in one scene, she rubs elbows with Fidel Castro. But the film’s best moments show Margaret quietly struggling to be a good mother while also finding personal fulfillment. Streisand admits in My Name Is Barbra that she related to this, which likely gave her performance such raw honesty. In her memoir, she recalls being disappointed when audiences didn’t show up for this movie, which she’s still very proud of: “Would they only accept me in musicals or comedies?” The response to her next film, The Way We Were—which is neither a musical nor a comedy—would answer that question.

The Main Event (1979), directed by Howard Zieff
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

Remember how adorable Streisand and Ryan O’Neal were in 1972’s What’s Up, Doc? Well, they teamed up again just as charmingly in The Main Event. Streisand plays Hillary Kramer, a Beverly Hills executive who runs a perfume company and finds out her business manager has stolen all her money. Left with nothing but a contract for a boxer (O’Neal), Hillary becomes his manager. Throughout the film, Streisand has a short, curly red hairstyle that reminded me of Little Orphan Annie—until I realized I was thinking of the wrong famous redhead: Hillary could be the West Coast niece of I Love Lucy‘s Lucy Ricardo, especially when she’s at ringside, testing O’Neal’s character’s patience as she tries (and fails) to be helpful. Streisand has said the movie aimed for a screwball-comedy feel, but beneath the will-they-won’t-they jokes and disco-era short shorts, she was clearly showing a woman holding her own in a man’s world.

All Night Long (1981), directed by Jean-Claude Tramont
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

Streisand writes in her memoir that she agreed to do All Night Long reluctantly: she had “no particular urge to play a ditzy blond subuShe was an “urban housewife.” But she also realized she had never played a character like Cheryl Gibbons before. Cheryl is a worn-down wife with two goals: to win over a married man going through a midlife crisis (played by Gene Hackman), and to become a singer-songwriter, not realizing she lacks talent. In one painfully funny scene, Cheryl plays the piano and sings one of her corny country songs in a flat, emotionless voice.

Okay, that makes this movie sound like over-the-top comedy—and Streisand does deliver her lines in a slightly breathy Marilyn Monroe voice—but her performance is beautifully subtle. Streisand completely becomes Cheryl, and not just because she spends much of the film wearing what looks like a late-period Debbie Reynolds wig and outfits like a lilac jumpsuit with matching eye shadow.

The Guilt Trip (2012), directed by Anne Fletcher
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

“There was a director, Anne Fletcher, who had been chasing me for a year to play a Jewish mother,” Streisand writes in My Name Is Barbra. “And she wouldn’t take no for an answer… Plus it was a leading role, which I hadn’t done in a long time.” In The Guilt Trip, Streisand plays Joyce Brewster, a widow from New Jersey who drives across the country with her son, played by Seth Rogen, who essentially acts as Streisand’s straight man. Streisand had played flustered chatterboxes before, but Joyce is nosy, oversharing, and a bit small-town; she collects frog trinkets and gets hooked on Las Vegas slot machines. The movie didn’t set the box office on fire, but Streisand’s chemistry with Rogen should have: they’re hilarious together, especially when she’s getting on his nerves.

As of now, The Guilt Trip is the last movie Streisand has made. In 2023, when Howard Stern asked if she would do more films, she said she wanted to direct again, but “I wouldn’t star in another movie. Too much of a pain in the ass, you know? To get your hair done, your makeup…” In her memoir, though, Streisand looks back on her screen career with some regret: “I haven’t been in that many movies… only nineteen… while other actresses who came up at the same time have done fifty or more… Looking back, I feel like I didn’t live up to my potential.” Well, there’s a Palme d’Or that says otherwise.

Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about Barbra Streisands lesserknown screen performances in a natural conversational tone

1 What exactly is the honorary Palme dOr and why did Barbra Streisand get one
The honorary Palme dOr is a lifetime achievement award given by the Cannes Film Festival Streisand received it in 2024 for her incredible impact on cinema as an actress director producer and writer

2 The article says these are performances youve probably never seen Does that mean they are bad movies
No not at all It means they are hidden gems or supporting roles that didnt get as much attention as her blockbusters like Funny Girl or The Way We Were They show off her range as a serious dramatic actress

3 Whats one of the most surprising roles she played that people forget about
Her role in The Owl and the Pussycat is a big surprise She plays a loud brash and funny sex workera total opposite of her usual glamorous characters Its a sharp fasttalking comedy

4 Ive never heard of Up the Sandbox What is it about and why should I watch it
Its a 1972 film where she plays a bored New York housewife who escapes into wild surreal fantasies Its a very experimental feminist film that challenges the idea of the perfect wife Its a mustsee if you want to see her take a risk

5 Are any of these movies directed by Barbra Streisand herself
Yes but the article focuses on her acting However her directorial debut Yentl is a masterpiece where she also stars Its often overlooked as just a musical but its a powerful story about a woman disguising herself as a man to study

6 What is The Main Event about and is it a good entry point for a new fan
Its a 1979 romantic comedy where she plays a bankrupt perfume exec who manages a washedup boxer Its light fun and very 70s Its a great starting point if you want something easy and charming