Emmy Rossum is an American actress, director, and singer. Her mother Cheryl Rossum, was a single mother who worked as a corporate photographer and raised her as her only child.

Her parents divorced while she was pregnant. Rossum’s mother is Jewish and of Russian Jewish descent, and her father is English and Dutch.

Emmy Rossum considers herself Jewish and claims that her mother instilled in her the “Jewish code of ethics and morals.” She was named after her great-grandfather, Emanuel, who had the feminine spelling.

In an interview published in 2007, she talked about her father, a banker, who was absent from her life. “I’ve met him twice. I’ve been this glossy, red-carpet version of me and not talked about myself, for a long time. But the last track on the album (Anymore) is about how being abandoned shouldn’t make you feel ashamed … I miss him, or I miss the idea of what he could be. But a lot of people have filled that void”

Rossum gained recognition for her portrayal of Christine Daaé in the 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” She showcased her singing abilities in the movie and received critical acclaim for her performance.