A Field Guide To Emmy Rossum

We've been lusting after Emmy Rossum so long (nearly four years!) that she almost feels like family – albeit distant family that it's totally okay to perv on (like your step second cousin's wife or something). And yet, like that distant and incredibly sexy member of the family, we find that – beyond the obvious bonds that bring us together – we don't actually know that much about her. Sure, we know she's incredibly hot, and incredibly willing to take off her clothes on camera; that she rocketed to fame after starring in "Shameless," that she's got a sexy new scene in film "You're Not You" – but there's so much more Ms. Rossum than just a nice rack, guys. And you can read on to find out what it all is!

Emmy Rossum was born on September 12, 1986, in the fabulous city of New York; the only child of a single mother (Cheryl Rossum, for the curious). Though Rossum's father (who split up with her mother during the pregnancy) wasn't much of a presence during her childhood, she doesn't seem to have suffered that much for it. By the age of seven, the talented young Emmy was performing in the Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus; for five years she performed on stage with opera greats like Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. But by age twelve she'd grown too big for the children's chorus, so it was time to move on to other projects: and that, friends, is how Emmy Rossum started acting.

It should come as no surprise that woman who was professionally performing opera at the age of seven is driven, dedicated, and hard working. When Emmy turned to acting, she dove in head first and never looked back. Once her heart was set on acting, she began taking classes and secured an agent, giving 110% to her new passion. Though she did briefly attend high school at the Spence School, she dropped out to focus on her career, getting her diploma at the age of fifteen (!) via online extension courses offered by Stanford University's Education Program for Gifted Youth. So to recap here, Emmy Rossum can sing, act, and is apparently some sort of certified genius.

And though we generally don't encourage dropping out of high school to follow your dreams, we have to admit that Rossum's decision paid off (and then some). Once she set her mind to acting the roles (and accolades) started pouring in: her first movie role (Deladis Slocumb in 2000's "Songcatcher") garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination; that same year, Variety was already naming her "One of the Ten to Watch."

Though Rossum has yet to return to her roots in the opera, she did have a chance to play an opera singer onscreen in 2004. Yes, it was Rossum who portrayed the role of Christine Daae in the 2004 film adaptation of "Phantom of the Opera," which we can only assume was influenced by that half decade she spent on stage at the Met. Interestingly, her turn as Christine Daae led to a whole new career opportunity, kicking off Rosssum's second gig as a singer-songwriter. 

Yes, her stunning performance in "Phantom" garnered quite a bit of interest – but while many wanted to see Emmy record classics and opera standards, she demurred, choosing instead to record a more mainstream and modern album. In 2007, she released her debut album Inside Out; which she followed up with a three song Christmas EP (an interesting choice for a Jewish girl, we have to admit). And for those who find Rossum's voice more alluring that her song writing skills, she released an album of covers in 2013 (known as Sentimental Journey, it's a collection of classics from the '20s-'60s).

If your head is spinning at the thought of Rossum's whirlwind productivity, you're not alone. And it gets crazier: somehow, while she's been out there having a TV/film/music recording career, she's actually managed to work in a personal life as well. In the late aughts, Emmy spent a year and a half married to music executive Justin Siegel, she's also been partnered with Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, "Shameless" co-star Tyler Jacob Moore, and Sam Esmail, her current paramour (who happens to be the writer/director of "Comet," too).

So, yes: Emmy Rossum isn't just a beautiful girl with an amazing rack; she's a beautiful girl with an amazing rack, a great voice, and an enviable acting career, making her that much more worthy of our lifelong devotion. Oh, and remember how we started this piece with an analogy about Emmy Rossum being some sort of distant, barely related relative? Well, it turns out she has a distant, barely related relative who's pretty cool, too: the much lauded fashion designer Vera Wang was actually married to one of Emmy's cousins. What a crazy world we live in, right?