pax,
I consistently rate Ms. Ullmann among the very best actresses in film history. But... not the very top, as I tend to put her around fifth.
She is perhaps the best at overall expressiveness. And I also found her personally to be very attractive. But I wonder to what extent credit goes to Bergman for her performances, and in that connection it is troubling she had no great success with other directors. (In this context her admitted great success in theater is not directly relevant.)
Keeping it to my personal preference, my favorite all time is Joan Fontaine, who I find combines an intensely convincing emotional realism (ESPECIALLY for her time - I think she could only go so far in advancing a more modern approach given the realities and conventions of her time) with not only an intensely beautiful appearance but an extremely appealing manner and personality. Add in great intelligence and at least the perception of being nice, good company and sexual in an authentic sense, and those descriptions also largely fit Ms. Ullmann (who otherwise would not come to mind, heh, I would think for most as one like Ms. Fontaine). Same for another of my favorites, Diana Rigg.
But all those including Vivien Leigh, another big favorite, suffer when compared to the actress I think was objectively best in an overall sense, including the size and range of her overall work, and that for me has to be Bette Davis. The range of Ms. Davis's work, her consistently good performances over decades, even when considering due to conflicts with the studio her fallow periods, puts her at the top of an "objective" ranking, I think.
Fwiw my top twenty all time:
Joan Fontaine
Diana Rigg
Bette Davis
Vivien Leigh
Liv Ullmann
Jeanne Moreau
Greer Garson
Bibi Andersson
Carole Lombard
Monica Vitti
Maureen O’Hara
Ingrid Bergman
Joan Crawford
Meryl Streep
Liz Taylor
Gene Tierney
Lauren Bacall
Ingrid Thulin
Ava Gardner
Harriet Andersson
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