Streisand last performed at the Oscars in 2013. She sang “The Way We Were” to honor late composer Marvin Hamlisch, also a part of the In Memoriam.
To cap off the tribute, Barbra Streisand read a tender essay about her former co-star Robert Redford and gave a rare vocal performance, singing “The Way We Were” from their 1973 movie of the same name. While she sang the sentimental ballad, photos of the late actor flashed behind her, including a black-and-white shot of the duo.
Barbra Streisand pays tribute to Robert Redford and sings “The Way We Were” #Oscars pic.twitter.com/jDuhhDQXx2
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) March 16, 2026
This year’s in memoriam tribute featured a notably emotional and personalized set of remembrances, beginning with a passionate introduction of the late director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, by longtime collaborator Billy Crystal. After the touching speech, a curtain rose to reveal over a dozen cast members from some of his biggest films—When Harry Met Sally, This Is Spinal Tap, Misery, Stand by Me—while the theme from The Princess Bride played. They stood in a line, arms around one another, and turned to watch a highlight reel of Reiner’s work.
Redford died in September at age 89. At the time, Streisand remembered him in an Instagram post. “Every day on the set of ‘The Way We Were’ was exciting, intense and pure joy,” she wrote. “We were such opposites: he was from the world of horses; I was allergic to them! Yes, we kept trying to find out more about each other, just like the characters in the movie. Bob was charismatic, intelligent, intense, always interesting — and one of the finest actors ever.
“The last time I saw him, when he came to lunch, we discussed art and decided to send each other our first drawings,” Streisand continued. “He was one of a kind and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.”
The 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The ceremony will be televised live by ABC and streamed on Hulu.
Jessie Ware sang a moving version of Barbra Streisand’s ‘The Way We Were’ during the In Memoriam segment of the BAFTAs
Jessie Ware performing "The Way We Were" during 'In Memoriam' segment.#EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/E2CYnG4f2x
— Enjoy The Music (@EnjoyTheMusic9) February 22, 2026
The biggest night of the year in British cinema went down at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday night (February 22), with Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another being the ceremony’s biggest winner, taking home six gongs, including Best Picture and Best Director.
This time, Jessie Ware played an emotional version of ‘The Way We Were’, an especially poignant choice as the song was written for the 1973 romantic drama film of the same name, the male lead of which was Robert Redford, who featured as the final name honoured in the In Memoriam montage.
