Emmy Rossum

by Gregory McIntoshAt the time of her first album release in 2007, 21-year-old Emmy Rossum had already carved out an impressive career as a singer and actor. Born September 12, 1986, in New York City, Rossum was an only child who was discovered by her grade-school choir director to have perfect pitch. This discovery led to an audition and her five-year tenure as a member of Lincoln Center''s Metropolitan Opera Children''s Chorus, where Rossum sang with the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, among others, and performed in several operas. At age 12, she left the chorus to pursue an acting career, which began immediately when she landed a role on the television show Law & Order. Later, she found work in various made-for-TV movies and a recurring role on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns before landing her first big screen role in Songcatcher alongside Dolly Parton, with whom Rossum also sang a duet on the movie''s soundtrack. Rossum followed with various roles including a part in Clint Eastwood''s acclaimed Mystic River, a lead in The Day After Tomorrow, and a Golden Globe-nominated performance for her turn as Christine in the movie adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. In 2006, Rossum took to the studio to make a pop album with producers Glen Ballard, Stuart Brawley, and Moby; titled Inside Out, Rossum''s debut was released in October 2007 on Geffen.