Being a personal assistant for a major star like Barbra Streisand might sound like a dream come true for some, but how she got the job in the first place would be a nightmare for most. Renata Buser has worked as Streisand’s assistant for over five decades, which is quite the feat in the ever-fickle entertainment industry.
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Still, we’d argue the way Buser landed the gig is even more impressive.
Barbra Streisand on Why She Hired Her Personal Assistant
Singer, actor, producer, and director Barbra Streisand has enjoyed a prolific, decades-long career as an EGOT recipient and a beloved icon in pop culture. But as anyone who knows the entertainment business knows, behind every great star is a loyal and highly dedicated assistant. These employees work behind the scenes to make sure the artist has whatever they need or want, see that their schedules and affairs are in order, and ensure the star’s narrative in the press remains consistent and flattering. Renata Buser has been that person for Streisand for upwards of 50 years.
During a 2024 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Streisand recalled the first time she ever met Buser. “I saw she had two X’s on her arm,” Streisand said. “I asked her, ‘What is that from?’ Where we lived in the country here, it was a rattlesnake bite. She had sucked it out herself. She made the cut.”
Slicing a venomous snake bite to suck out the venom with one’s mouth is pretty hardcore, and Streisand obviously agreed. While we’re sure Buser had other qualifications on her resumé that made her a good fit for Streisand’s PA, the rattlesnake story undoubtedly showed the multi-hyphenate businesswoman that Buser was fearless, resourceful, and edgy.
Streisand told Colbert she had a great respect for snakes, which we don’t doubt played into her admiration for Buser’s reaction to the rattlesnake bite. “I appreciate its beauty but despise its venom,” Streisand told Colbert, listing snakes as her “scariest animal” pick.
The Star Says Her Pa Is Almost Like a Mother (And Sister) to Her
From the moment Barbra Streisand heard Renata Buser talk about sucking rattlesnake venom out of her arm in Malibu, she knew that she wanted to keep a woman like that close. In her memoir My Name is Barbra, Streisand shares her appreciation for her personal assistant of 50 years. “There’s no way I could have done…much of anything…without Renata,” Streisand wrote.
“She organizes everything…food, clothing, jewelry, dogs, packing and unpacking, setting up the hotel room…and she runs the entire household when we’re home and cooks the most amazing meals. She’s like a mother, a sister, and the absolute greatest assistant because she can do anything. As she says, ‘Just tell me what you want, and I’ll get it for you.’ She’s been with me going on fifty years, and she doesn’t even look forty.”
“We’ve been together so long that she often knows what I need before I do,” Streisand continued. “For example, just at the moment when I notice my throat hurts a little, she’s there with a cup of tea and honey, reading my mind. She has a rare sensitivity, the greatest taste, and she makes the best chicken soup. In addition to that, she’s brilliant, kind, utterly loyal, and the one person I can trust to handle things. It’s unbelievable how much she does, and what’s even more remarkable is that she does it all with so much love. I can only think that my father must have sent her to me. I am blessed to have Renata in my life, and as I’ve told her many times, I couldn’t imagine life without her.”
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
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