Early life, family, educational background
American singer, filmmaker, and actor Jason Emanuel Gould was born on 29 December 1966, in New York City, USA, to his American actress and singer Barbra Joan Streisand, American actor father Elliott Goldstein, professionally Elliott Gould; he’s their only child together. Jason is also related to singer and actress Roslyn Kind, who is Barbra’s half-sister. Elliott and Barbra separated in 1969, and their divorce was finalized on 9 July 1971.
Jason’s fame undoubtedly came from his famous parents, but he has also worked hard to pave his own career in the entertainment industry. Jason has sung and performed with his mother, and appeared in films such as “The Big Picture,” “Listen to Me” and “The Prince of Tides.”
Career
Jason’s first time on screen was as a young boy in 1972’s fantasy drama “Up the Sandbox,” but he wasn’t credited at the end of the film. Jason was only a toddler at the time, so he has very little to no memory of the filming. Barbra was the lead, playing frustrated housewife Margaret Reynolds. Her co-star was David Selby, who played her husband, Paul Reynolds.
16 years later, Jason played Henry in an episode of the high school television drama series “The Bronx Zoo”, and in the following year portrayed Mike Cameron in “Say Anything,” a rom-com film. That same year, he appeared in two more films, playing Carl Manknik in Kevin Bacon’s comedy “The Big Picture”, and Hinkelstein in Kirk Cameron’s college debate drama “Listen to Me.” In 1991, Barbra starred in and directed the film “The Prince of Tides,” a romantic in which Jason appeared as Bernard Woodruff. In 1996 he played Alfred “Alfie” Slade in “Subterfuge”, one of Jason’s last times working in front of the camera.
His West End début in 1997 was the only time Jason appeared on stage, at the Arts Theatre in London as theatre-designer David in the drama production “The Twilight of the Golds,” written by Jonathan Tolins. Later that year, Jason wrote, directed, produced and acted in “Inside Out,” a short, 27-minute comedy film about the struggles of being the child of celebrities. Jason portrayed Aaron, the son of two celebrities whose existence was a secret at first, but the media leaked who he is. The plot closely follows Jason’s own life, with his character also having been falsely reported to have married a man. He told SFGate, ‘I knew I was being provocative. I liked walking that line… I’m the inspiration, I guess but the character is not named Jason. And when I see it, I see a character, a story. I don’t see a re-creation of my life because it’s not that.’ Jason’s father, Elliott played Aaron’s father, and his real-life half-brother, Sam Gould played Aaron’s brother. In 2000, the short film was added to an LGBTQ+ compilation film entitled “Boys Life 3.” At the time, Jason shared ‘When I made it I didn’t really realize what I was communicating through the film… It’s taken me a little bit of time and depth perception to see that it really is about self-acceptance.’
Jason told “The Advocate” in 2001, ‘I still act. I haven’t pursued it with the intensity of some young actors, probably because I grew up around the business.’
Jason’s career shifted gears in 2012 when he dabbled in singing. He released his self-titled EP that year, and in 2013 released “Morning Prayer/Groove” as a single, but it was also originally featured on the EP. During Barbra’s North American tour in 2012 and European tour in 2013, Jason had the opportunity to sing and perform with his mother; in Barbra’s 2014 “Partners” album, Jason could be heard in the song “How Deep is the Ocean.” A few weeks after one of their performances, Jason spoke to USA Today, ‘I did not know if my knees would buckle. I did not know if I could do it… I cannot believe I sang in front of thousands of people at the Hollywood Bowl. I don’t know who that person is.’
American record producer Quincy Jones heard Jason’s rendition of “Nature Boy,” and said they’re going to make an album together. His début album “Dangerous Man” was released in 2017 – some of the songs were self-written, and others were covers of famous songs, including Donny Hathaway’s “For All We Know,” Fred Astaire’s “The Way You Look Tonight”, and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. Interviewed by Billboard, Jason said that songwriting is part of his DNA, ‘That’s really how this journey all began for me. I was a kid who came up with melodies. I would sit at the piano and work out chord progressions I liked, but I never had the confidence to complete a song.’
Personal life
When Barbra was still pregnant with Jason, the media dubbed him the ‘Million Dollar Baby.’ According to “The Barbra Streisand Scrapbook,” the media chose that nickname because in 1966, Barbra scheduled, ‘… a twenty-city concert tour (in stadiums) which was projected to earn her well over $1 million – a staggering sum for that time.’ However, when she fell pregnant that spring, she had to cancel the shows. Barbra found the term ‘Million Dollar Baby’ to be ‘very offensive and crass’ – as she said in an interview with the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, she didn’t mind missing the shows and not receiving the money, because she was so happy being pregnant. ‘A stage performance is different; you do it and it’s gone forever. It’s not a tangible thing, is it? Having a baby. That’s a tangible success.’
Jason was four-years-old when his parents separated, and divorced in 1971 when he was five years old. As their only child together, Jason prioritized spending time with both parents as he grew up, and still maintains a healthy relationship with his mother and father equally.
He was 13 years old in 1980 when he had his Bar Mitzvah celebration, as he has a Jewish background from his mother’s side.
When Jason was 21 years old, he announced to his parents that he’s gay – they were very welcoming of his sexuality. In 1991, while filming “The Prince of Tides,” the tabloids got hold of the news and outed him publicly, without his consent. They also claimed that Jason had married, but that wasn’t true. On 17 August 1999, “The Advocate” published their interview with Barbra, in which she spoke about her son’s sexual orientation, ‘I would never wish for my son to be anything but what he is,’ she expressed, ‘He is bright, kind, sensitive, caring, and a very conscientious and good person… What more could a parent ask for in their child? I have been truly blessed.’
In 2000, Jason told SFGate his side about the tabloids leaking his news, ‘It was just so grotesque to me that they could make up a story like that, and claim they had seen pictures of my wedding to a man… I never was hiding the fact that I was gay. I never felt like I needed to come out… I’m comfortable with my sexuality.’ He also elaborated on how the news stories impacted his career. He felt that because the news of his sexuality came out when he was filming “The Prince of Tides,” that was the main reason he garnered so much attention after the film. He also expressed that Hollywood now wanted to typecast him, ‘… the only roles I would be offered were gay roles. And most of those were stereotypical gay roles, which I had no interest in playing.’
In “The Advocate” interview with Jason in 2001, he addressed his mother’s political side, and said he would never make his political standings public. He feels that doing so creates a separation between people and ‘it’s not realistic because although people may have different political differences, they are not all that different.’ Jason said the same can go for people who are gay or straight.
He also said that even though he has been in the spotlight since before he was born, because of who his parents are, he has never got used to the paparazzi, or the idea of fame. Jason couldn’t go anywhere as a child without the paparazzi following him, and since then he’s hated cameras being shoved in his face, comparing it to being attacked and violated. One of Jason’s main reasons for leaving acting was because of the fame that comes with it. When he was younger, he found his mother’s fame to be uncomfortable, as he would often wonder if people were nice to him because they genuinely liked him, or because they wanted to get closer to his mom.
Elliott’s interview with “Closer” was published in 2017, in which he took the opportunity to gush about his son when asked who he is more alike – ‘Both of us. He’s got my eyes. And he’s brilliant. He sings. He’s artistic. In some ways, he and Barbra look alike.’ In another interview with the same magazine, Elliott credited Jason for keeping his relationship with Barbra civil and loving, ‘Barbra is a very significant part of my life, no less significant than the rest of my family. Jason is the light of our lives,’ he expressed, ‘Barbra adores him. So we have contact.’
That same year, Billboard interviewed Jason, and touched upon his love life – he’s never been in a public relationship, and his marital status is unknown. In the interview, he spoke about dating, describing it as ‘challenging,’ no matter the person’s sexuality. ‘It’s hard to tell what other people may know or not know, or project, or assume about you. All I can do is be myself.’ Jason clearly values privacy in his personal life. Jason was asked what his favorite song on “Dangerous Man” is, and he answered that it is a difficult choice, but it would probably have to be the titular track, explaining that the song was inspired by the 12 steps discussed in his Al-Anon meetings.
Barbra is known for being a diva, but in a 2018 interview with HuffPost, Jason was complimented for seeming humble and he replied, ‘I mean, I’ve never been an arrogant prick. As I’ve done more and more work on myself, I know who I am, and that’s a quality [humility] that I like in myself and others.’ He appears to pride himself on being humble. Jason also shared what he enjoys in life. He prefers spending time with his friends, playing games, and watching movies more than going to clubs or smoking and drinking. He also has a dog which he loves a lot. In that interview, he also shared his feminist views. When asked if a genie were to grant him three wishes, Jason chose the first to be, ‘I’d love for more women to step into positions of power in terms of politics’; his second wish would be for ‘a change in the administration’s attitude toward the environment.’ He couldn’t think of a third wish.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYFYP4CODPX/
In 2020, Jason’s opinions on sharing political views changed drastically. He now posts quotes from the Obamas, Martin Luther King and Ruth Bader Ginsburg to his social media accounts. He also posts unflattering and offensive cartoons of Donald Trump, along with other anti-Republican media. That November when Joe Biden won the 2020 American election, he posted a drawing of Joe and Kamala Harris with the caption, ‘I hope America can heal from the divisiveness and dishonesty of these past years.’ Barbra is also a supporter of Joe Biden and performed during a virtual fundraiser for the campaign.
Family’s personal life
Jason’s father Elliott Gould was born on 29 August 1938, in Brooklyn, New York City. Elliott has been nominated for Academy Awards for his work. In the early 1970s he appeared in Robert Altman films and in the 1990s he appeared in “Friends” as Jack Geller, Monica, and Ross’ father.
His mother, Barbra Joan Streisand was born on 24 April 1942, in New York City. She’s famous for her musical “Broadway”, and wider acting career. She is also a rare recipient of an EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards. Barbra portrayed the lead role of “Funny Girl” at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London from 13 April to 16 July 1966 as a special West End season, having originally played in “Funny Girl” on Broadway from 1964 to 1965, receiving a Tony Nomination, then in 1968, she starred in the film adaptation of “Funny Girl”. A few other notable film mentions are “Hello, Dolly!” and “The Mirror Has Two Faces.” Of course, she is also well-known for her singing career, and albums such as 2005’s “Guilty Pleasures” and 2018’s “Walls.”
Barbra had kickstarted her career in the early 1960s, at the popular Greenwich Village gay joint, The Lion, since when she’s been a vocal advocate supporting LGBTQ+ rights. In an interview following Jason coming out, she stated, ‘I have a wonderful son. My only wish for my son, Jason, is that he continues to experience a rich life of love, happiness, joy, and fulfillment, both creatively and personally.’
25 years ago The Prince of Tides was nominated for best picture… pic.twitter.com/QCWvBjuGc9
— Jason Gould (@JasonGouldMusic) February 18, 2017
Appearance
Jason stands 5ft 8ins (173cm) tall, weighs about 170lbs (77kgs), and has an average build. He has brown hair and dark brown eyes.
Net worth and salary
As of August 2022, Jason’s net worth is estimated at close to $15 million, accumulated through his career in the entertainment industry, and possibly from parental support.
