Emmanuelle (Emmy) Grey Rossum was born in New York City on 12 September 1986. Emmy is an only child and was raised by her mother Cheryl Rossum, who was a corporate photographer. At the age of seven, Emmy joined the Children’s Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera.
Emmy emerged on day-time television at the age of 11, with a feature role in As The World Turns. However, her beautiful singing voice proved to be one of her biggest advantages, and at the age of 16, she landed the role of Christine Daaé in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Webber personally chose Emmy for the role, and his decision paid off when she won two awards and received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
Her success in Phantom of the Opera prompted Emmy to release her first album in 2006, featuring songs she had written herself. Her second album was released several years later.
In 2011, Emmy returned to television to star as Fiona Gallagher in the critically acclaimed Showtime series Shameless. Her role showed her in a new, more mature light, as it was the complete antithesis of her role as the innocent Christine Daaé.
Shameless is now into its ninth season, which is set to be Emmy’s last. Even though she has said she never saw herself leaving before the series finale, she has decided to pursue more roles in film acting. During the nine seasons of the show, she has had a few film roles and has decided that that is where she would like to focus her attention now.
A few other people who were born today are Jennifer Hudson (singer), Hans Zimmer (composer) and the late Paul Walker (actor).
