There are other candidates for the Greatest Star appelation. Irene Dunne, Katharine Hepburn and Julie Andrews lead the pack. Hepburn, without question the greatest career of anyone, man or woman. Irene Dunne sang like an angel, looked hot and played comedy and drama long before Streisdand was born. Julie speaks for herself. The guys are Gable, a definitive screen presence, Grant probably in terms of range, athleticism, sensitivity, musicality, the greatest actor who has ever lived. Don't Forget The Duke.

I'm sorry but Irene Dunne was no Barbra Streisand in terms of singing talent. The only other female movie star in her league was Judy Garland.

Bette Davis had a much greater screen career than Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn spent the last 40 years of her career playing variations on her New England spinster persona and, much more than Davis, relied on big name male costars. Davis also made approximately twice as many movies.

Skip Davis' small parts and then recount. Academy Awards don't always mean all that much, but Four are quite a number, and we have sixty eyars. And Irene made more films than Barbra, for whatever that's worth. Longevity counts.

Further thought: The package is what counts between Streisand and Dunne. A preference for one talent over another is personal, the array of talents and good, or ordinary looks, means something in summary. Just as Grant may be behind Chaplin, Gable or anyone else at a given moment, in total, he trumps.

No offense but Irene Dunne is all but forgotten outside of serious old time movie buffs. Barbra Streisand has an Oscar for acting and one for songwriting. She is the only individual (male or female) to achieve this feat. She was also the top female box office star of the 1970s as well as being the top female album selling artist of the decade. She has directed and produced movies. She has the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, The Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe Lifetime Achievement Award and The Kennedy Center Award. She is nearly 70 and can still sell out arenas around the world. I think that puts her safely in a class by herself.

The question of Davis vs. Hepburn is likewise a matter of taste. Bette Davis was nominated 5 consecutive years for Best Actress. She was also the first person to reach 10 nominations. She was a bigger box office star in her younger years while Hepburn reached her peak in popularity as a much older actress. I will grant you that Hepburn was the biggest female star after the age of 60 in movie history with Meryl Streep her only serious rival. I prefer Bette Davis' persona. She played bad girls much more convincingly - and often - than Hepburn. And during her peak she was the undisputed STAR of her movies while almost all of Hepburn's best work comes in movies with equally famous male costars.

If we are including acting and singing then certainly Frank Sinatra must be considered.

I agree but one thing neither you nor Barry mentioned was the fact that the title of this article refers in part to the song Barbra sang in Funny Girl.