Emmy Rossum

Actress/Singer Emmy Rossum has been captivating audiences with her diverse, extraordinary talents for over a decade, and she's only 26 years old.

Rossum's acting performance in SONGCATCHER earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination in the category of Best Debut Performance.  Four years later in 2004, her starring performance as Christine in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, as well as the National Board of Review's Best Female Breakthrough Performance Award and the Broadcast Film Critics Association's Best Young Actress Award in 2005.

Rossum can be seen starring in the third season of Showtime's dark comedy series SHAMELESS. Based on the long-running British series of the same title, SHAMELESS, from Warner Bros. TV and John Wells Productions, revolves around the Gallaghers, a working-class Chicago clan dealing with the recession. The mother is not present, and the alcoholic patriarch (William H. Macy) usually ends up passed out on the living-room floor, so their smart but unpredictable 18-year-old daughter, Fiona (Rossum), is tasked with keeping her five younger brothers and sisters on the straight and narrow. 

In film, Rossum next stars as Ridley, a dark caster with a sinister plot in Warner Bros' BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, based on the popular young-adult series of the same title. She last starred as Alexa in the indie-drama DARE, starring opposite actor Zach Gilford. The film premiered in official competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically in November 2009.  Other past film credits include DRAGONBALL, POSEIDON, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW with Jake Gyllenhaal, and the Clint Eastwood directed drama MYSTIC RIVER. Her television credits include guest-starring appearances on LAW AND ORDER and THE PRACTICE. 

In 2007, Rossum recorded her first album for Geffen records, "Inside Out," which showcased her classically trained voice as the primary instrument. She wrote and recorded all her own songs. She is currently working on her second album, "Sentimental Journey," a collection of 1940s standards, which will be released in early 2013. 

Rossum began her theatrical career at the age of seven when she began singing the children's roles at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. Between the ages of seven and twelve she was trained there in stagecraft and classical vocal technique and performed in five languages in 20 different operas. 

Rossum is the Youth Ambassador for the international organization Youth AIDS, which works to educate young people in 60 countries on the prevention and treatment of AIDS. Rossum travels internationally raising awareness of the pandemic by speaking at schools, universities, and government forums. 

Rossum was born in New York City in 1986 and attended the Spence School until 1996. She earned her high school degree through Stanford University's Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) and Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development (CTD).