Isabella Rossellini: Italian-American Actress
Isabella Rossellini is an award-winning model, actor, writer, animal behaviorist, and animal farm operator on Long Island.
She is the daughter of Swedish Hollywood icon Ingrid Bergman and Italian neo-realist director Roberto Rossellini and has made appearances in multiple movies. Additionally, she supports various charities like Wildlife Conservation Network and George Eastman House through her charitable commitments.
Isabella Rossellini’s Biography
Isabella Rossellini, best known for her 14-year tenure as a Lancome model and film roles like Blue Velvet, Death Becomes Her, and Cousins among others, also writes and directs. Additionally, she works philanthropically through organizations such as Wildlife Conservation Network and George Eastman House; possessing dual Italian-American citizenship since 1979 she now calls America home.
Rossellini was born into cinema royalty as the daughter of Oscar-winning Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian neorealist master Roberto Rossellini, known for neorealist films like Casablanca and En kvinnas ansikte (A Woman’s Face). Martin Scorsese later married her and later David Lynch would partner with her.
Rossellini made her acting debut in White Nights, an American film featuring Paula (Rossellini). Paula exudes an air of mystery that recalls her mother; yet keeps many secrets close to the vest. Rossellini’s performance was powerfully haunting yet beautiful.
Rossellini made her film debut in 1994 in Blue Velvet by David Lynch. Following its critical reception and subsequent critical success, this role catapulted Rossellini to more substantial and challenging roles over time.
Rossellini made her mark as an actress with The Uninvited (1987). Here, she plays the part of an eccentric psychic called upon to aid an unknown stranger – making this film a psychological thriller with an intricate plot and one of Rossellini’s career highlights.
Rossellini was prominently showcased in Canadian director Guy Maddin’s black-and-white Depression-era film Seduce Me. Here she plays Helen Port-Huntley who hosts a competition to determine which band can perform the saddest music. Additionally, she has her tragic backstory which makes for compelling viewing.
More recently, Rossellini has been busy directing and acting in short films exploring animal behavior. Her Green Porno series has become popular online. Additionally, she works as an animal behaviorist. Rossellini even hosts a live-streamed show from Mama Farm on Long Island New York where she lives with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, etc. – it combines circus acts, lectures, and animal cognition!
Isabella Rossellini’s Filmography
Isabella Rossellini is a multi-talented artist acclaimed for her acting, directing, philanthropy work with several charities (Wildlife Conservation Network, George Eastman House, and Central Park Conservancy among them), writing documentaries about animal behavior for web series like Green Porno as a passionate fan.
Born of famed actors Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, Rossellini had acting in her blood. After finding fame through Italian films, she moved to America where she worked as a model before eventually landing her big break on an episode of Friends. Rossellini later established herself in dramas and sitcoms as well.
In the late ’80s, she first achieved recognition in American cinema as Dorothy Vallens in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. Subsequent roles included Cousins, Wild at Heart, Death Becomes Her, Fearless as well as multiple television series like The Blacklist and Alias.
Isabella Rossellini has appeared in independent films such as I Am Sam, Big Night, Roger Dodger, Infamous, and Two Lovers. Most notably she currently stars as Rita Marks of the Marks crime family on Hulu Original Series Shut Eye.
Rossellini has appeared as a regular in a variety of television programs and guest starred on both Friends and 30 Rock. She also does voice work for various cartoons and movies – most notably as General Malice in Human Resources.
Rossellini made her feature film debut in Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin’s outre film Lady Port-Huntley. Set during the Depression Era, this black and white Depression Era film showcased Rossellini as Helen Port-Huntley attempting to promote Muskeg beer by hosting a contest to identify music with sad lyrics.
Rossellini has made numerous film and television appearances, in addition to writing and directing several short films for Sundance Channel. These shorts explore animal behavior including mating patterns as well as ocean depletion issues. She narrates her film entitled Green Porno which has been shown at various festivals around the country and is available on DVD. Green Porno includes short films about animal mating behavior with subsequent parts focusing on marine life depletion issues and environmental degradation – made for Sundance.
Isabella Rossellini’s Personal Life
Isabella Rossellini is an esteemed actress, filmmaker, author, and philanthropist who continues to make an impressionable mark in the world. With more than fifty years of film experience under her belt and critically-acclaimed movies such as Blue Velvet and For Whom the Bell Tolls among many classic film noirs such as Gaslight and Repulsion under her belt. For over 30 years now Rossellini has also graced fashion magazines as a model; famous photographers including Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, and Bill King have captured portraits of Rossellini over time as a fashion model.
Rossellini is an accomplished photographer, sculptor, writer, and philanthropist renowned for her commitment to arts education as well as other charitable causes. She has published several books that she is an author as well as doing voiceover work for various television shows and movies. Additionally, she works voice-overs on multiple movies as well as supports arts education through charitable giving initiatives.
Born into show business, she developed an insatiable curiosity from both of her illustrious parents. Never one to rest on her laurels, she has continually challenged conventions and broken through barriers during her long career in the spotlight.
She is the daughter of Swedish Hollywood icon Ingrid Bergman and Italian neo-realist master director Roberto Rossellini and has become well-known as an actress, model, producer, director, and award winner. Featuring in over 50 films as an actress or model and receiving multiple awards; married twice with children from each husband – making an impression first and second impression!
As a child, she struggled with scoliosis and underwent extensive stretching exercises, body casts, and surgical procedures to correct it – leaving behind numerous incision scars on both her back and shin bone.
Rossellini has appeared in various stage productions and television shows such as Alias, 30 Rock, and Crime of the Century on HBO. Additionally, she frequently appears as a guest on talk shows and has been photographed by Helmut Newton, Francesco Scavullo, and Annie Leibovitz among others.
Rossellini currently lives in Brookhaven, Long Island with her daughter and son. Together they own a farm where they grow their produce while raising chickens, turkeys, goats, and sheep as livestock. Furthermore, they actively explore alternative living and learning approaches such as raising animals creatively as well as teaching their kids through creative approaches such as farming.
Isabella Rossellini’s Awards
Isabella Rossellini is an award-winning actor and filmmaker. Her screen work has earned her multiple accolades including an Independent Spirit Award nomination and honorary George Eastman Award. Additionally, Rossellini serves as an author and philanthropist; training guide dogs for blind people is part of her philanthropy activities.
She has appeared as both a guest star and regular in various television shows such as Chicago Hope, Alias, and The Blacklist – to name just three of the many series and miniseries on which she has made appearances – as well as movies like Crime of the Century: Flat Love and Left Luggage.
Rossellini has worked with some of the greatest directors, such as Robert Zemeckis, James Bond writer Ian Fleming and David O. Russell. Additionally, she has made appearances in films by Fellini, De Palma Wertmuller Chabrol Herzog Fellini De Palma Wertmuller Chabrol Herzog as well as numerous French, British, and German movies.
In 1986, Rossellini gained critical and commercial success starring in Blue Velvet which earned her both critical acclaim as well as commercial. She received both the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as Golden Globe consideration – becoming one of the most in-demand actors during that period.
Over the years, she has appeared in over 40 films. Perhaps her most acclaimed role was as Dorothy Vallens in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, where her performance as the nightclub singer received high acclaim and established her as a cult icon. Additionally, she has appeared in The Man Who Fell to Earth, Cousins, White Nights, and Fearless films among many others.
Rossellini is best known for her acting career; however, she also enjoys an established modeling career, featuring in several high-fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. Starting as the face of the luxury beauty brand Lancome back in 1982 and continuing for 14 years until 2018, when she returned as their spokesperson with an initiative promoting ageless femininity and aristocratic elegance.
