Emmy Rossum

Early life

Rossum was born in Manhattan, New York City. She is the only child of Cheryl Rossum, a single mother who worked as a corporate photographer. Rossum's mother is Jewish (of Russian Jewish descent) and her father is Protestant (of English and Dutch ancestry). Rossum has stated that her mother instilled in her the "Jewish code of ethics and morals". Her parents separated while her mother was pregnant; as of 2007, she had met her father twice. She was named after her great-grandfather, whose first name was Emanuel, using the feminine spelling Emmanuelle. She is a relative, by marriage, of designer Vera Wang (Wang was married to Rossum's cousin).

Upon singing "Happy Birthday" in all twelve keys, Rossum was welcomed to join the Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus by chorus director Elena Doria at the age of seven. Over the course of five years, she sang onstage with the chorus and had the chance to perform with other opera greats, such as Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. For anywhere from $5 to $10 a night, Rossum sang in six languages in 20 operas, including La boheme, Turandot, a Carnegie Hall presentation of La damnation de Faust, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. She also worked under the direction of Franco Zeffirelli in Carmen. Rossum joked in interviews that her vocal talent and affinity for music developed because her mother always listened to classical music and operas while she was pregnant with her.

By age twelve, Rossum had grown too big for children's costumes. An increasing interest in pursuing acting led to taking classes with Flo Salant Greenberg of The New Actors Workshop in New York City. She also worked with acting coach Terry Knickerbocker. She hired an agent and auditioned for many acting roles. Rossum attended the Spence School, a private school in Manhattan, for years, before dropping out to pursue career opportunities. She received her high school diploma at 15 years old via online extension courses offered by Stanford University's Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY). She later attended Columbia University.

Acting career

Rossum's television debut was in August, 1997, as the original Abigail Williams in the long running daytime soap opera As the World Turns. She also had a guest role as Caroline Beels in Snoops. Rossum was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 1999 for Best Performance in a TV Movie for her work in the made-for-TV movie, Genius. Following that movie, she portrayed a young Audrey Hepburn in the ABC TV movie, The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000). Rossum made her silver screen debut in 2000's Songcatcher as Deladis Slocumb, an Appalachian orphan. Debuting at the Sundance Film Festival, the film won the Special Jury Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. For her role, Rossum received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance and also had the opportunity to sing a duet with Dolly Parton on the Songcatcher soundtrack. Variety magazine named Rossum as "One of the Ten to Watch" in 2000.

In Nola (2003), Rossum played the title character, who was an aspiring songwriter. In her first major studio film, Clint Eastwood's Mystic River, Rossum starred as Katie Markum, the ill-fated daughter of small-business owner Jimmy Markum, played by Sean Penn. As Katie, Rossum was said to have "projected an aura of innocence that made her character's tragic death memorable and heartbreaking."

Following Mystic River, Rossum had a breakthrough role as Laura Chapman in the Roland Emmerich eco-disaster film The Day After Tomorrow. She later returned to New York, where she was the last to audition, in full costume and make-up, for the coveted role of Christine Daae in the on-screen adaptation of composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Following an international search for talent, and having nearly missed the audition on account of a family engagement, Rossum was asked to audition in person for Webber at his home in New York. “When I arrived, he just said, ‘Shall we?’ meaning I was to sing. And I did," Rossum has said of the audition. After seeing her audition, Webber felt she proved her ability to play the young opera singer who becomes the object of the Phantom's obsessive love. For her role as Christine Daae, Rossum received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a musical or comedy. She also received a Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Actress, along with a Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor and other awards.

In 2006, Rossum appeared in Poseidon – Wolfgang Petersen's high-budget remake of the disaster film The Poseidon Adventure. She played Jennifer Ramsey, the daughter of Kurt Russell's character, Robert Ramsey. Rossum described the character as being proactive and strong in all situations, rather than a damsel in distress. Rossum also appeared as Juliet Capulet in a 2006 Williamstown Theatre Festival production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In early 2009, Rossum appeared in Dragonball Evolution. Her next big screen venture was the indie Dare which was an official selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. In November 2009, Rossum appeared in Broadway's 24 Hour Plays in which actors, writers, and directors collaborate to produce, and perform six one act plays within 24 hours to benefit the Urban Arts Partnership. Rossum appeared in Warren Leight's "Daily Bread", directed by Lucie Tiberghien.

In the summer of 2011, Rossum starred in DJ Caruso's social film, Inside. Sponsored by Intel and Toshiba, the online film aired in several segments, incorporating multiple social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Inside used the ideas from the fans to shape the plot, as well as have contests to have fans make cameo appearances via Facebook video.

In 2012, in addition to filming the third season of Shameless, Rossum signed onto two film projects. The first was a supporting role in Beautiful Creatures, which was released in 2013, and was based on the popular young adult fantasy novel of the same name. The second was a lead in the touching drama You're Not You, where she starred as Bec, an inexperienced nurse who looks after and befriends Kate (Hilary Swank), who suffers from the degenerative disease ALS. In June 2013, it was announced that Rossum would play the female lead opposite Justin Long in the indie romantic comedy Comet. Shortly after wrapping filming on Comet in July 2013, Rossum was back at work, shooting another feature-length film called Before I Disappear in New York, based on the 2012 Oscar-winning short film, Curfew.

Shameless

In December 2009, Rossum joined the cast of the Showtime dramedy series pilot Shameless, based on the hit British series of the same name. The series co-stars William H. Macy and Justin Chatwin. In April 2010, Showtime announced that they would be picking up the series for a full season of twelve episodes. The response to the show has been extremely positive, and Shameless has now been renewed for a sixth season. Rossum has received high critical acclaim for her performance as the oldest sister who acts as a guardian/surrogate mother to her five younger siblings.

Music career

After her role in The Phantom of the Opera, Rossum was offered several deals to record classical albums, but refused, opting to create an album of contemporary, more mainstream music. "I was inspired to cut this album because I'm so frustrated listening to the radio these days," Rossum lamented. "There is so little emotional honesty." Regarding the sound and style of her music, she said, "It's pop music, but not Britney Spears bubblegum pop. I want it to have a David Gray or Annie Lennox feel. I've been spending up to 12 hours a day in the studio." Rossum cites Sarah McLachlan, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Faith Hill as some of her influences. Rossum's album Inside Out was produced by Stuart Brawley. It was released on October 23, 2007 and peaked at 199 in the U.S. charts. For the promotion of the record, Geffen Records featured the song, "Slow Me Down," as part of the second volume of Hollywood Records' Girl Next compilation album, which was released on July 10, 2007. Later that year, she was chosen as Yahoo's "Who's Next" artist of the month and a "One to Watch" by MSN. In December 2007, Rossum released three Christmas songs on the EP Carol of the Bells. It was also this year that Rossum sang the national anthem at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway and performed at the first ever Perez Hilton Presents event at the El Rey Theatre in Hollywood. On October 27, 2007, Rossum again sang the national anthem at the New Jersey Devils's first home game of the 2007–08 NHL season, which was also the first game the team played in the newly constructed Prudential Center. She also performed at the Hollywood Christmas Celebration at the Grove in Los Angeles and the Lighting of the Great Tree in Atlanta, Georgia.

She joined Counting Crows, Augustana, and Michael Franti & Spearhead as a "special guest" for select performances of the "Traveling Circus and Medicine Show" tour in the summer of 2009.

In 2010, Rossum sang a song called "Cruel One" on singer Alex Band's debut solo album We've All Been There. On the track she sings with Band, and Chantal Kreviazuk. The song is available on the album's deluxe edition.

In November 2012, Rossum announced that her second album would be released on Warner Bros. Records. Sentimental Journey was released on January 29, 2013. Unlike Inside Out on which Rossum wrote the songs herself, Sentimental Journey is a collection of covers of classic songs that span the ‘20s to the ‘60s. Rossum selected these songs because " Classics, jazz, and standards really infused my childhood and so it felt quite natural to finally make this record.”[46] Rossum designed the album as a musical calendar that takes the listener through an emotional journey over all the months of a year "“Each song needed to either lyrically or emotionally reflect the corresponding month.”[46] Sentimental Journey peaked at 92 on the U.S. Charts. It also hit number one on the US Billboard Charts Top Jazz Albums.

Rossum describes herself as a lyric soprano, though she admits her voice is still developing. She continues to train vocally at ZajacStudio, Inc, a studio run by soprano Joann C. Zajac.

Charity work and public service campaigns

Rossum is a YouthAIDS ambassador.

She is also the official spokesperson for "PiNKiTUDE" – a campaign to help raise breast cancer awareness.

Additionally, Rossum is an environmentalist. She has appeared in several Public Service Announcements for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund. She also works with Global Green USA to raise money for environmental protection and awareness of ecological issues.

Rossum is also a vocal supporter of The Best Friends Animal Society, a leader in the no-kill movement that runs sanctuaries for homeless pets, and is one of the nation's largest animal rescue organizations.

On May 26, 2009, Emmy Rossum attended a march in West Hollywood California protesting the California Supreme Court's ruling to uphold Proposition 8.

Personal life

Rossum married music executive Justin Siegel on February 17, 2008, but publicly presented themselves as in a relationship but unmarried. He filed for divorce on September 25, 2009, in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce was finalized on December 28, 2010. In October 2009, Rossum was reported to be dating Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, with whom she had toured during the summer of 2009. Rossum and Duritz broke up in September 2010. In August 2015, Rossum became engaged to writer/director Sam Esmail after two years of dating.

Rossum has celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which the body cannot tolerate any foods containing gluten. She revealed her condition on MTV News after being given a cupcake on-camera to celebrate her 22nd birthday; she was able to eat only the frosting.

Rossum has stated that she is "a spiritual person, but I'm not especially religious." In April 2012, Shalom Life ranked her Number 6 on its list of “the 50 most talented, intelligent, funny, and gorgeous Jewish women in the world."