In television, Rossum is best known for her portrayal ofFiona Gallagher in the television seriesShameless (2011–2019).[2] Since the mid-2010s, she has directed and produced television, including the 2022Peacock seriesAngelyne in which she also stars.
In 2007, Rossum released her debut album,Inside Out. She released a ChristmasEP the same year, titledCarol of the Bells. In 2013, she released a follow-up album calledSentimental Journey.
Emmanuelle Grey Rossum[1] was born on September 12, 1986, inNew York City.[3] She is the only child of Cheryl Rossum, a single mother who worked as a corporate photographer.[3][4][5] Her parents separated while her mother was pregnant, and as of 2007, she had met her father only twice.[6]
Rossum's mother is ofRussian Jewish descent,[7] and her father isProtestant of English and Dutch ancestry.[8][9] Rossum identifies as Jewish and has stated that her mother instilled in her the "Jewish code of ethics and morals".[10][11][12] She was named for her maternal great-grandfather, whose first name was Emanuel, using the feminine spelling.[13]
An increasing interest in pursuing acting led to taking classes with Flo Salant Greenberg[18] ofThe New Actors Workshop in New York City. She has also worked with acting coach Terry Knickerbocker.[19]
Rossum made her film debut at 13, in 2000'sSongcatcher, as Deladis Slocumb, anAppalachian orphan. Debuting at theSundance Film Festival, the film won the Special Jury Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance.[27] For her role, Rossum received anIndependent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance[28] and also had the opportunity to sing a duet withDolly Parton on theSongcatcher soundtrack.Variety magazine named Rossum as "One of the Ten to Watch" in 2000.[29]
InNola (2003), Rossum played the title character, an aspiring songwriter. In her first major studio film,Clint Eastwood'sMystic River (2003), Rossum starred as Katie Markum, the ill-fated daughter of small-business owner Jimmy Markum, played bySean Penn.[30]
In December 2009, Rossum joined the cast of theShowtimedramedy seriesShameless, based on the British series ofthe same title. The series co-starsWilliam H. Macy.[38] Rossum plays the oldest sister of a large, motherless family, functioning as a guardian/surrogate mother to her five younger siblings. The series has received consistent acclaim, with Rossum's performance being universally praised.[39] She made her directorial debut with episode four of season seven, "I Am a Storm."[2][40] In December 2016, Rossum was in a contract dispute with the show's producers over her desire for a salary equal to that of co-star Macy and back pay for the differential over seven seasons,[41] which was resolved later that month.[42] Following this news,Shameless was renewed for its eighth season beginning production in 2017.[43] In August 2018, Rossum announced her departure fromShameless after nine seasons.[44]
Rossum in 2011
In mid-2011, Rossum starred inD. J. Caruso'ssocial film,Inside; the online film aired in several segments, incorporating multiple social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The following year, Rossum played Ridley, a siren Caster inBeautiful Creatures (2013), based on theyoung adult fantasy novel of thesame name. Although the film was released to mixed reviews, Rossum's performance was praised by critics and fans.[citation needed] She also starred in the dramaYou're Not You as Bec, an inexperienced caregiver who looks after and befriends Kate (Hilary Swank), who suffers from the degenerative diseaseALS. By June 2013, Rossum was cast as the female lead oppositeJustin Long in the independent romantic comedyComet, which was directed bySam Esmail, to whom she later became engaged.[45] Afterward she appeared in the filmBefore I Disappear (2014), based on theAcademy Award-winning short filmCurfew.[46]
In 2019, it was announced that Rossum would star inAngelyne, a drama series co-produced by her husband and longtime collaboratorSam Esmail, forPeacock, the new streaming service byNBC. Thelimited series was her first lead role afterShameless and was based onThe Hollywood Reporter senior writer Gary Baum's investigative feature on the LA billboard modelAngelyne.[47]
After her role inThe Phantom of the Opera, Rossum was offered several deals to record Classical music albums, but refused, opting to create an album of contemporary, more mainstream music. She explained it by feeling frustrated because of the lack of "emotional honesty" in music played in radios.[14] Regarding the sound and style of her music, she said, "It's pop music, but notBritney Spearsbubblegum pop. I want it to have aDavid Gray orAnnie Lennox feel. I've been spending up to 12 hours a day in the studio."[14] Rossum citesSarah McLachlan,Whitney Houston,Celine Dion andFaith Hill as some of her influences.[50]Rossum's albumInside Out was produced by Stuart Brawley. It was released on October 23, 2007, and peaked at 199 in the U.S.Billboard charts.[51] For the promotion of the record,Geffen Records featured the song, "Slow Me Down," as part of the second volume ofHollywood Records'Girl Next compilation album, which was released on July 10, 2007. Later that year, she was chosen asYahoo's "Who's Next" artist of the month and a "One to Watch" byMSN. In December 2007, Rossum released three Christmas songs on the EPCarol of the Bells.It was also this year that Rossum sang the national anthem at the Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway and performed at the first everPerez Hilton Presents event at theEl Rey Theatre in Hollywood. On October 27, 2007, Rossum again sang the national anthem at theNew Jersey Devils's first home game of the2007–08 NHL season, which was also the first game the team played in the newly constructedPrudential Center. She also performed at the Hollywood Christmas Celebration at the Grove in Los Angeles[52] and the Lighting of the Great Tree in Atlanta, Georgia.[53]
Rossum released theWarner Bros. Records albumSentimental Journey on January 29, 2013. UnlikeInside Out on which Rossum wrote the songs herself, the album is a collection of covers of songs from the 1920s to 1960s.Sentimental Journey peaked at 92 on the U.S.Billboard charts, and number one in Jazz Albums.[51][56]
Rossum describes herself as alyric soprano, while saying her voice is still developing.[17][57] She continues to train vocally at ZajacStudio, a studio run by soprano Joann C. Zajac.[58]
Rossum was aYouthAIDS ambassador.[59] In 2008, she was signed as the spokesperson for Pinkitude, an apparel line inspired by thePink Panther character, to help raise breast cancer awareness.[60] In 2010, she appeared in public service announcements for theNatural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund.[61] She also works withGlobal Green USA to raise money for environmental protection and awareness of ecological issues.[62][63] In 2015, Rossum campaigned with theBest Friends Animal Society to encourage animal adoption.[64]
On May 26, 2009, Rossum attended a march inWest Hollywood California protesting the California Supreme Court's ruling to upholdProposition 8.[65]
In February 2024, Rossum was one of 400 celebrities who signed an open letter byCreative Community for Peace denouncing attempts to removeIsrael from Eurovision 2024 amid theGaza war.[66]
Rossum and her husbandSam Esmail in September 2018
Rossum married Justin Siegel in February 2008, although they publicly presented themselves as in an unmarried relationship.[67] 19 months later, in September 2009, he filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.[68] The divorce was finalized on December 28, 2010.[67][69]
In 2013, Rossum began dating writer/directorSam Esmail. They got engaged two years later, in August 2015.[71] They married on May 29, 2017, at theCentral Synagogue in New York City.[72] The couple has two children: a daughter, born May 2021,[73] and a son, born April 2023.[74]
Rossum hasceliac disease and predominantly hyperactiveADHD and has been on medication for the latter since childhood.[75]
The designerVera Wang was married to Rossum's cousin, investor and real-estate developerArthur P. Becker from 1989 to 2012.[76]
^Lyons, Charles; Harris, Dana (February 24, 2000)."Trimark acquires 'Songcatcher'".Variety.Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2021.
^"Notice of Entry of Judgment"(PDF). Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. December 28, 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on January 9, 2016. RetrievedSeptember 1, 2015.
_(cropped).jpg)
