Emmy Rossum Movies
Possessing the sort of Cinemascope smile that could part the clouds over even the most curmudgeonly of pessimists, talented actress/singer
Emmy Rossum has made her mark on stage and screen as one of the most promising talents of her generation. Having worked on-stage alongside such legends as
Plácido Domingo and
Luciano Pavarotti, and held her own onscreen opposite such formidable talents as
Sean Penn and
Tim Robbins,
Rossum had accomplished by the age of 18 what most actresses dream for a lifetime of achieving. A New York City native whose early work included tenures at the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall, the multi-lingual songbird performed in over 20 separate operas in six different languages before making her television debut in the popular daytime soap As the World Turns. Subsequently,
Rossum was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance in the Disney Channel feature
Genius, and her portrayal of a young
Audrey Hepburn in the 2000 made-for-television drama
The Audrey Hepburn Story provided the burgeoning screen talent with her widest exposure up to that point.
Various television roles were quick to follow, with a feature debut as an Appalachian orphan in the 2000 drama
Songcatcher proving that young
Rossum could light up the silver screen just as effectively as she did its home-based counterpart. In addition to earning her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance,
Songcatcher also took home the Best Ensemble Performance award at that year's Sundance Film Festival. As
Rossum climbed the credits with roles in
An American Rhapsody,
Happy Now, and
Passionada, it was obvious to those in the know that her career was only getting warmed up. Her role as the eponymous songwriter in the 2003 romantic comedy
Nola proved without a doubt that she could carry a film and provided the perfect transition between her early independent career and her impending success in Hollywood. Cast as the ill-fated daughter of a former thug-turned-semi-legitimate small-business owner in director
Clint Eastwood's critically acclaimed drama
Mystic River,
Rossum's blend of youthful innocence and daddy's girl charm echoed through the film in a way that made the violence of her death truly heartbreaking. After striving to survive the apocalyptic meteorological developments in the popcorn extravaganza
The Day After Tomorrow,
Rossum next had the honor of being handpicked by none other than
Andrew Lloyd Webber for the role of Christine in the eagerly anticipated feature version of
The Phantom of the Opera. The recipient of a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in the film, Rossum had indeed lived up to the potential seen by Lloyd Webber in the early stages of production. In 2006 Rossum raced through a sinking ship in Poseidon, and the following year she managed to make a splash in the pop world with her debut album Inside Out. And while in recent years it had appeared Rossum was gravitating away from television, a starring role in the Showtime series Shamless found her hitting an impressive stride on the small screen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi