Ullmann was born inTokyo,Japan, to Norwegian parents. The family moved toToronto when she was two. Her father was an engineer and after his death in 1946, Ullmann returned to Norway with her mother and older sister, where they settled in Trondheim.
After high school, she decided on an acting career. She applied and was turned down twice at the National Theater School inOslo. She nonetheless persevered and after some studies at the Webber School of Acting inLondon, she eventually found work with a repertory theatre company in Stavenger. She also began appearing in bit parts in movies and on television.
She got her first major break when she met Swedish director Ingmar Bergman who offered her a role in his moviePersona (1966), opposite Bibi Anderson. She became his muse and lover and went on starring in several of his movies to considerable acclaim;Hour of the Wolf (1968),Shame (1968),The Passion of Anna (1969),Cries and Whispers (1972),Scenes of a Marriage (1973),Face to Face (1975),The Serpent's Egg (1977),Autumn Sonata (1978) andSaraband (2003).
She also appeared in Jan Troell's epic movieThe Emigrants (1971) and its sequelThe New Land (1972), which earned her anAcademy Award nomination as best actress.
After her break up with Bergman in the early 1970s, she went toHollywood and appeared in movies such asPope Joan (1972),New Horizons (1973),Forty Carats (1973),The Abdication (1974),Zandy's Bride (1974), but failed to establish herself as the new Nordic star likeGreta Garbo andIngrid Bergman before her.
She published two autobiographiesChanging (1977) andChoices (1984), in which she candidly discussed her life and career.
In the 1990s, she turned to directing with movies includingSofie (1992) andKristin Lavransdotter (1995). She also worked as a goodwill ambassador forUNICEF.
Miss Ullmann has a daughter Linn Ullmann (born in 1966) with Ingmar Bergman, and two grandchildren.
