Veteran entertainer Barbra Streisand was given an early birthday treat on Monday (22Apr13) as a host of stars gathered in New York City to salute her glittering movie career.

The singer/actress, who turns 71 on Wednesday (24Apr13), was the toast of the 40th anniversary Chaplin Award Gala, where she was handed the prestigious accolade in honour of her film achievements.

Pierce Brosnan, Blythe Danner, Ben Stiller, Jeremy Irons, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were among Streisand's famous friends who attended the Lincoln Center event, which raised $2 million (£1.3 million) to promote independent cinema.

Introducing Streisand to the stage, former U.S. President Bill Clinton told the crowd, "Every great person is driven, but if that person has massive talent, big brains and a bigger heart, you want to go along for the ride."

Accepting her trophy, Streisand said, "Ever since I can remember, people have been calling me bossy and opinionated. Maybe that's because I am. Three cheers for bossy women."

Liza Minnelli serenaded her pal with Isn't This Better? from Funny Lady, telling the crowd, "She's a good lady and a helluva broad (sic)!" while Tony Bennett sang classic song Smile, written by Charlie Chaplin.

In a video clip, Robert Redford joked that he had been warned his The Way We Were co-star would be "a pain", but insisted she turned out to be "totally engaging to act with, beautiful, thorough and skilled".

Previous recipients of The Film Society's Chaplin Award include Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart, Meryl Streep, Sidney Poitier and Tom Hanks.