In television, Rossum is best known for her portrayal of Fiona Gallagher in the television series Shameless (2011–2019).[2] Since the mid-2010s, she has directed and produced television, including the 2022 Peacock series Angelyne in which she also stars.
In 2007, Rossum released her debut album, Inside Out. She released a Christmas EP the same year, titled Carol of the Bells. In 2013, she released a follow-up album called Sentimental Journey.
Early life
Emmanuelle Grey Rossum[1] was born on September 12, 1986, in New 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 of Russian Jewish descent,[7] and her father is Protestant 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] of The 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'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.[26] For her role, Rossum received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance[27] 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.[28]
In Nola (2003), Rossum played the title character, an aspiring songwriter. In her first major studio film, Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), Rossum starred as Katie Markum, the ill-fated daughter of small-business owner Jimmy Markum, played by Sean Penn.[citation needed]
In December 2009, Rossum joined the cast of the Showtimedramedy series Shameless, based on the British series of the same title. The series co-stars William H. Macy.[36] 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.[37] She made her directorial debut with episode four of season seven, "I Am a Storm."[2][38] 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,[39] which was resolved later that month.[40] Following this news, Shameless was renewed for its eighth season beginning production in 2017.[41] In August 2018, Rossum announced her departure from Shameless after nine seasons.[42]
Rossum in 2011
In mid-2011, Rossum starred in D. J. Caruso's social 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 in Beautiful Creatures (2013), based on the young adult fantasy novel of the same 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 drama You're Not You as Bec, an inexperienced caregiver who looks after and befriends Kate (Hilary Swank), who suffers from the degenerative disease ALS. By June 2013, Rossum was cast as the female lead opposite Justin Long in the independent romantic comedy Comet, which was directed by Sam Esmail, to whom she later became engaged.[43] Afterward she appeared in the film Before I Disappear (2014), based on the Academy Award-winning short film Curfew.[44]
In 2019, it was announced that Rossum would star in Angelyne, a drama series co-produced by her husband and longtime collaborator Sam Esmail, for Peacock, the new streaming service by NBC. The limited series was her first lead role after Shameless and was based on The Hollywood Reporter senior writer Gary Baum's investigative feature on the LA billboard model Angelyne.[45]
Music
After her role in The 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 not Britney Spearsbubblegum 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."[14] Rossum cites Sarah McLachlan, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Faith Hill as some of her influences.[46]
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. Billboard charts.[47] 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 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[48] and the Lighting of the Great Tree in Atlanta, Georgia.[49]
Rossum released the Warner Bros. Records album Sentimental Journey on January 29, 2013. Unlike Inside 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.[47][52]
Rossum describes herself as a lyric soprano, while saying her voice is still developing.[17][53] She continues to train vocally at ZajacStudio, a studio run by soprano Joann C. Zajac.[54]
Charity work and advocacy
Rossum was a YouthAIDS ambassador.[55] In 2008, she was signed as the spokesperson for Pinkitude, an apparel line inspired by the Pink Panther character, to help raise breast cancer awareness.[56] In 2010, she appeared in public service announcements for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund.[57] She also works with Global Green USA to raise money for environmental protection and awareness of ecological issues.[58][59] In 2015, Rossum campaigned with the Best Friends Animal Society to encourage animal adoption.[60]
On May 26, 2009, Rossum attended a march in West Hollywood California protesting the California Supreme Court's ruling to uphold Proposition 8.[61]
Rossum and her husband Sam Esmail in September 2018
Rossum married Justin Siegel on February 17, 2008, though they publicly presented themselves as in a relationship but unmarried.[63] He filed for divorce 19 months later on September 25, 2009, in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences,[64] and the divorce was finalized on December 28, 2010.[63][65]
In August 2015, Rossum became engaged to writer/director Sam Esmail after two years of dating,[66] and the couple married on May 29, 2017, at a Reform synagogue in New York City.[67] They have two children: a daughter (born May 2021)[68] and a son (born April 2023).[69]
Rossum has coeliac disease and predominantly hyperactive ADHD, and has been on medication for the latter since childhood.[70]
^Harris, Charles Lyons, Dana; Lyons, Charles; Harris, Dana (February 24, 2000). "Trimark acquires 'Songcatcher'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Notice of Entry of Judgment"(PDF). Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. December 28, 2010. Archived from the original(PDF) on January 9, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
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