What made Isabella Rossellini famous?

Isabella Rossellini spent her younger days as a fashion model, most notably for Lancome, and former journalist for Italian television before joining the film industry.

After performing in David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” with Dennis Hopper, she was known for her acting.

The movie went on to become a cult classic and earned Lynch an Oscar nomination for directing.

The Italian actress made her home in America in 1979 and holds both Italian and US citizenship.

Born on 18 June 1952 in Rome to cinema royalty, Isabella is the daughter of Italian director Roberto Rossellini and actress Ingrid Bergman.

She was also the third wife of filmmaker Martin Scorsese from 1979 to 1982 and the partner of David Lynch.

With her mother in the cast, Isabella made her movie debut in Vincente Minnelli’s A Matter of Time in 1976.

She then made a number of Italian films.  The film actress also worked as a US correspondent for the Italian television network RAI.

In 1985, Isabella acted in White Nights (1985), a Cold War drama directed by Taylor Hackford.

However, the most memorable role was the abused female nightclub singer in Lynch’s masterpiece Blue Velvet in 1986. The actress won the Independent Spirit Award for the role of Best Female Lead.

Later, she also won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her performance as Lisle in Death Becomes Her in 1992.

Isabella was nominated for an Emmy in 1997 as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 1994.