Picture this: A 19-year-old Barbra Streisand, who was still relatively unknown at the time, walks into an audition for the role of spinster secretary Miss Marmelstein in I Can Get It for You Wholesale. She wasn’t just any auditioner; she sang three songs and then boldly handed over her phone number to the casting panel. Can you imagine that kind of confidence? “I remembered it and I called her,” recalls Elliott Gould, who was just 23 and had the lead role in the show.

A Love That Began on Broadway

That phone call was the start of something beautiful. Barbra and Elliott’s friendship blossomed into love, and eventually, they tied the knot. Fast forward nearly 50 years after their divorce, Elliott, now 82, looks back on their time together with a lot of fondness. “We got married, had a son, and had a great life,” he says with a smile in his voice.

Through Thick and Thin: A Lasting Friendship

Even though they parted ways in 1971, the former couple managed to stay friends. They co-parented their son, singer Jason Gould, who’s now 53. Elliott shares a touching story about a conversation he had with Barbra. “She asked me once, because she’s still working on her autobiography, ‘Why did we grow apart?’” he explains. “The honest answer is that we didn’t grow together. Life took us in different directions, but we still have a special bond.”

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Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould — Snap/Shutterstock

Barbra’s Rise to Stardom

Barbra’s Broadway debut in Wholesale was nothing short of spectacular. Overnight, she became a star. She earned a Tony nomination, a New York Drama Critics award, made appearances on The Tonight Show, and within a year, released her first solo recording, The Barbra Streisand Album. In no time, she became the country’s top-selling female vocalist. Her talent was undeniable, and her rise was meteoric.

Her personal life moved just as quickly. In September 1963, while Barbra was opening for Liberace in Carson City, Nevada, she and Elliott were secretly married by a justice of the peace. Their son, Jason, was born in 1966, but unfortunately, their careers began to take them in different directions. “We didn’t grow together because she became more important than us,” Elliott admits. “But I also said to her, ‘We did great. We made it very fast and nobody has what we have. There’s you and me and our kid.’”

For more on this incredible story, check out the latest issue of Closer, available on newsstands now.