Date of Birth:12 September 1986

Place of Birth:New York, New York

Be Famous for:Gerard Butler's co-star in The Phantom of the Opera

Major Genres: Comedy, Drama

Career Highlights: Songcatcher, The Phantom of the Opera, The Day After Tomorrow

Rossum was enrolled at the private all-girl Spence School in Manhattan until administrators upset with her frequent absences due to her movie commitments delivered an ultimatum: either put more emphasis on schoolwork, or withdraw. She opted for the latter, and graduated from high school after completing "virtual classes" sponsored online by Stanford Northwestern Universities.

Rossum's films include Songcatcher and It Had to Be You (both in 2000), Mystic River (2003), The Day After Tomorrow and The Phantom of the Opera (in which she played the role of Christine Daaé, opposite Gerard Butler and Patrick Wilson), both in 2004. Rossum had never seen the stage version of The Phantom of the Opera prior to filming and at the direction of the composer and director waited to see it until after filming had been completed. She studied Degas' paintings of ballerinas in the Musee d'Orsay to learn how to stand like one for her role in the film. After the film was released, Rossum was offered to make a classical music album by several companies, but declined, deciding instead to record an album of contemporary music, on which she has recently begun production. Rossum describes the album as "pop music... but not bubblegum pop." Rossum also says that the lyrics are coming from her personal journals and diaries... which she thinks makes it more relatable to people. The self-titled album is to be released during summer of 2007.

Rossum's latest role (as of 2007) is in Poseidon, a high-budget disaster film in which she plays the daughter of Kurt Russell's character. The film opened on May 12, 2006 to mixed reviews and flopped domestically at the box office. Rossum has expressed a desire to choose a "smaller" and "more intimate" film for her next project. During the summer of 2006, she appeared as Juliet in a Williamstown Theatre Festival production of Romeo and Juliet.