Immigrant of the Day: Isabella Rossellini (Italy)

Isabella Rossellini (born June 18, 1952) is an actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her brief career as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.

Rossellini is the daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian director Roberto Rossellini.  She was born in Rome, Italy. At the age of 19, she came to New York, where she worked as a translator and a television reporter.

Rossellini did not decide to stay full time in New York until her marriage to Martin Scorsese (1979–1982). At age 28, her modeling career began, when she was photographed for British Vogue and American Vogue. During her career, she has also worked with many renowned photographers, including Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, and Robert Mapplethorpe. Her image has appeared on such magazines as Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, and ELLE.

Rossellini’s modeling career led her into the world of cosmetics, when she became the exclusive spokesmodel for the international cosmetics brand Lancôme in 1982.

Rossellini made her film debut with a brief appearance as a nun opposite her mother in the 1976 film A Matter of Time. However, she did not truly begin acting until the 1979 film Il Prato. She was cast in her first American film, White Nights (1985). Rossellini is probably best known for her pivotal role as the nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. Some other notable film roles include her work in Cousins, Death Becomes Her, Immortal Beloved, and Fearless. In 2003, Rossellini had a recurring role on the television series, Alias.

Rossellini received a 1987 Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her role in Blue Velvet. In 1997, she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for her role in Crime of the Century and an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on the television series Chicago Hope. In 1997, her self-described fictional memoir, Some of Me, was published. In 2002, she released her second book, Looking at Me (on pictures and photographers). In 2006, In the name of the Father, the Daughter and the Holy Spirits: Remembering Roberto Rossellini was published.

Isabella Rossellini holds dual United States and Italian citizenship.

KJ