Justin Trudeau's Father Once Dated An Incredibly Famous Celebrity

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Justin Trudeau has followed in his late father Pierre Trudeau's footsteps in more ways than one. Though Justin had a wild career path before entering politics, he became the second Trudeau to serve as Canada's prime minister in 2015 — over three decades after his dad held the position. Just like Pierre sparked "Trudeaumania" when he first ran for office, his handsome son also generated major buzz when he became PM thanks to his boyband-worthy looks, progressive beliefs, and his dad's fame. Aside from their careers and public appeal aligning, there are also some parallels between the two men's respective love lives. 

Justin's dad and his mom Margaret, who had a massive, 29-year age gap, split while Pierre was still in office. While Justin's age difference with his own former wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau was much smaller, their union also ended in divorce during his time serving as prime minister, creating another interesting tie to Justin's dad. However, there's one thing about Pierre that Justin hasn't (yet) been able to emulate: He once dated a superstar.

Pierre was romantically involved with none other than Barbra Streisand from the late 1960s until the early 1970s. After crossing paths at the 1968 premiere of "Funny Girl," the then-newly single Hollywood star fell in love with his "great smile and cheekbones that could have been carved in marble," as Streisand detailed in her bestselling memoir, "My Name Is Barbra." Their passionate love affair involved the couple flying to each other to spend time together, with the Oscar winner even accompanying Pierre to a 1970 session of Canada's Parliament. Though it was just one fling in Streisand's extensive relationship history, it was unforgettable for the "Woman in Love" singer, who waxed poetic about Pierre in her book.

Barbra Streisand praised Pierre Trudeau extensively in the chapter of "My Name Is Barbra" dedicated to her former flame, gushing that he was "very dapper, intelligent, [and] intense" and "elegant, yet totally unpretentious and perpetually curious." As for why she decided to date a man 23 years her senior right after separating from ex-husband Elliott Gould, the living legend wrote, "It was nice to be with a man who had his own light shining on him, so I could stay in the shadows a bit." Streisand later added, "I've always loved being with people who can teach me something." Despite her admiration for Trudeau, the iconic singer didn't end up becoming Canada's unofficial first lady because, as she acknowledged, "My brain was in love, but not my body." 

While some reports claimed that Trudeau actually proposed to her before their romance fizzled out, the two never officially confirmed either way. However, Streisand subsequently suggested that she'd considered marrying her ex-lover at one point. "I thought it would be fantastic. I'd have to learn how to speak French. I would do only movies made in Canada. I had it all figured out. I would campaign for him and become totally politically involved in all the causes, abortion and whatever," the Oscar winner told Playboy in 1977, of the couple's hypothetical marriage (via Ballast).

Though they seemingly never rekindled their romance, the two remained pals across the ensuing decades. In 1983, Trudeau served as Streisand's plus one to a United Jewish Appeal dinner celebrating the superstar (pictured above). She also deeply mourned him after the former PM passed away in 2000, sweetly writing, "When he died later that year, the world lost a great leader [...] and I lost a great friend."