It would seem that 2004, the year of her 18th birthday, will be remembered as pivotal for Emmy Rossum due to her appearance in two very different films, The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and The Phantom of the Opera (2004). Emmy's performance in the latter film gained her a Golden Globe nomination.

Emmanuelle Grey Rossum was born in New York City, where she was raised by her single mother, Cheryl Rossum, a corporate photographer (she has only met her father a few times). Her mother is of Russian Jewish descent and her father has English and Dutch ancestry. After passing an audition at the Metropolitan Opera when she was 7 years old, Rossum performed in more than 20 operas in six different languages at Lincoln Center, alongside such figures as Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. She was directed by Franco Zeffirelli in "Carmen." She left the opera when she entered her teenage years, as she had grown too tall to perform as a child. Emmy also appeared in a Carnegie Hall presentation of "The Damnation of Faust." She graduated from the Spence School, a private institution in Manhattan, in 1996 and then earned a high school diploma when 15 years old by taking online extension courses offered by Stanford University (Education Program for Gifted Youth). She later enrolled at Columbia University and studied art history and French.

Sam Esmail (28 May 2017 - present)
Trivia

Attended the Spence School in Manhattan, an elite private girls' school that was also attended by Gwyneth Paltrow and Kerry Washington.
Has appeared in 20 different operas singing in five languages.
Had never seen the stage version of The Phantom of the Opera (2004) prior to filming the screen version.
Made her stage debut at seven years of age (she sang "Happy Birthday" for her audition) at the New York Metropolitan Opera. She made $5 a night singing with the children's choir. According to her, "There were horses onstage that were getting $150".
Her father is a banker and her mother is a corporate photographer.
Took cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in London.
In preparation for her role in The Phantom of the Opera (2004), she attended a séance at the Spiritualist Association of Great Britian, where a medium talked to her about her late grandmother.
Won Best Young Actress in 2004 Critic's Choice Awards
She obtained her high school diploma online via a Stanford University program.
Has celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which the body can't tolerate any foods containing gluten or wheat.
Is an only child.
Her favorite actors are Sean Penn (her Mystic River (2003) co-star) and Miranda Richardson (her The Phantom of the Opera (2004) co-star).

[on her audition with Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Phantom of the Opera (2004)] He had the most magnificent apartment I had ever seen and I was floored by it. I went in and started vocalizing with the accompanist and Andrew walked in as we were preparing. He didn't say hello, didn't introduce himself, and just sat down in front of me and said, "Shall we?" I thought to myself it was my one shot so I had better just stand up and do it, so I didn't introduce myself, I nodded to the accompanist and I did the two biggest numbers in the show. Then he stood up and said, "That was great. I'm Andrew."
[regarding her visit to a psychic who told her some accurate things about her late grandmother] I'm a very rational person but I pray every day.
The truth is, I probably didn't want to be friends with some of those girls [from prep school], because I found that a lot of their values were a little specious. Now, of course, all those girls are calling me and being like, "We should have lunch!" and I'm like, "Um . . . don't you remember how you didn't like me that much?"
I'm heavy on preparation . . . Some actors come to the set and don't know what scene they're playing, but that would make me crazy. It's not about control but perfectionism--my biggest vice and one of my biggest assets.
I'm convinced wearing those corsets for 14 hours at a time deformed me for life. I was 16 years old and still growing at the time of the shooting. I could barely breathe, and with Christine's intense emotions I hyperventilated and almost passed out. I think her name is Christine for a reason. She is Christ-like.
[about kissing Patrick Wilson in The Phantom of the Opera (2004)] In this one scene, it took three days to shoot and it's the scene where my character passionately kisses her fiancé for the first time. It was so complex with the snow coming down that it took three days to shoot. By the end of the three days I'd kissed him so much that my lips had swollen up--so much that I had to use an ice pack in between takes. Hardship, I know!
I like René Descartes' theory about a ball of wax. You can change its form from solid to liquid, but it's still the same ball of wax. With acting, you are the same person in a different form. You can only be what you know, and you only truly know yourself.
Sean Penn and Clint Eastwood have told me that I shouldn't feel that I need to be in the limelight or the spotlight all the time. A career is about longevity, as shown in their careers. So, I really want to only do the best things and work with the best people. That's what I strive to do.