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Barbra Streisand shaped by dad's death

Barbra Streisand believes she was shaped by her father's death when she was just 15 years old.

Barbra Streisand shaped by dad's death

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Barbra Streisand believes she was shaped by her father's death.

The 76-year-old star was just 15 months old when Emanuel Streisand passed away after suffering a seizure at the age of 34 and she admitted one of her motivations for writing and directing 1983 movie 'Yentl' - which centres on a young Jewish woman who disguises herself as a man to study the Talmud after her dad dies - was to explore the father and daughter relationship that she never got the chance to have.

Speaking at a Q & A session and a screening of the movie at the ArcLight Hollywood earlier this week, she said: "I think my father's death had a lot to do with who I am today.

"It just meant a lot to me to be able to make a story where I could create a father, a father I never had because he died when I was 15 months old. I was so intrigued by that relationship and also the great tradition in Judaism is knowledge, learning and my father was a teacher."

Barbra never intended to direct the movie herself and admitted she was "afraid" when late filmmaker Milos Forman suggested she took the reins when she pitched it to him first.

According to the Hollywood Reporter recalled: "Milos Forman when I was discussing it and sharing my vision of it he said to me 'Why don't you direct it yourself? You have it all in your head.' And I thought 'Oh my gosh, really?' I was afraid. I was afraid to do that."

After receiving a backlash for her performance in 'A Star is Born', Barbra didn't even put her name on the early script drafts for 'Yentl'.

She admitted: "I didn't put my name on it because I was afraid after being so attacked in 'A Star is Born' in 1976 and when I did these versions of 'Yentl'.

"I was so afraid of being attacked or people not personally liking me that I just didn't even put my name on it."

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