Isabella Rossellini

Isabella Rossellini holds dual citizenship—Italian and American. In 1979, she got married to American director, producer, screenwriter, and film historian Martin Scorsese. She was his third wife. In 1982, the couple was divorced.

In 1983, she married former fashion model Jon Wiedemann, but they parted ways in 1986. Their daughter Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann was born in 1983. Elettra was also a Lancome Cosmetics spokesmodel for some time. Isabella also adopted a son, Roberto Rossellini, who was born in 1993.

In 2007, she started attending Hunter College in New York to study animal behavior.

Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini was born on June 18, 1952, in Rome, Italy. Her mother, Ingrid Bergman, was a Swedish actress who had won the Oscar thrice and her father, Roberto Rossellin,i was an Italian director.

Isabella has a twin sister Isotta Ingrid Rossellini, who is now a professor of Italian literature, and a brother named Robertino Ingmar Rossellini. She also has many half-siblings from her parents’ other relationships.

Rossellini spent her childhood in Rome, Santa Marinella, and Paris. When she was five, she was operated for appendicitis. At the age of 11, she was diagnosed with scoliosis which led to 18 months of grueling treatment. She was in a full body cast for a year, and underwent a surgery on her spine which left scars on her back.

When she was 19, she moved to New York City and attended Finch College. At the same time, she also worked as a translator and the US correspondent at Italy’s RAI television. Around this period, she was featured on ‘L'altra Domenica,’ a TV show, which was her first experience in the entertainment industry.

Isabella Rossellini debuted in films in 1976, when she played a brief role as a nun opposite her mother in ‘A Matter of Time’. Next, she was featured in the 1979 film ‘Il Prato’, followed by Renzo Arbore's film ‘Il pap'occhio.’

She started modeling when she was 28. Bruce Weber first photographed her for ‘British Vogue’ and later Bill King photographed her for ‘American Vogue.’ She modeled for renowned magazines like ‘Marie Claire,’ ‘Harper's Bazaar,’ ‘Vanity Fair,’ and ‘ELLE,’ and has worked with many well-known photographers. An exhibition of her photographs called ‘Portrait of a Woman’ was held in Paris in 1988.

In 1982, she became the exclusive spokesmodel for the international cosmetics brand Lancôme, a position which she held for 14 years. In 1996, she was removed as the face of Lancôme but was rehired as a global brand ambassador for the company when she was 63.

In 1985, she appeared in her first American film, ‘White Nights’, followed by her breakthrough role as the abused nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens in the film ‘Blue Velvet’, directed by David Lynch. She also contributed her vocals to the film’s soundtrack.

In 1989, she played a significant role in the film ‘Cousins,’ followed by the big-budget Hollywood films ‘Death Becomes Her’ in 1992 and ‘Immortal Beloved’ in 1994. She appeared as herself in an episode of the TV series ‘Friends’ in 1996.

One of the most significant films in Isabella Rossellini’s career is ‘Blue Velvet’, an American mystery film, written and directed by David Lynch, in which she played the lead role. Along with her, the film stars Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper and Laura Dern. The film not only earned her the Independent Spirit Award for the Best Female Lead but also earned a Best Director Academy Award nomination for Lynch. She also sang in the film.