Born in Brooklyn, New York, Lainie Kazan made herself famous first as a sexy nightclub singer and later as an acclaimed actress. She has performed in nightclubs, theaters, on television and in films. A graduate of Hofstra University, Kazan frequently returns to New York to visit her mother, who still lives in the apartment where she grew up. Lainie Kazan gained notoriety as a young singer when she understudied for Barbra Streisand in Broadway's Funny Girl.