In her nearly 50-year film career, Isabella Rossellini has played everything from a tortured nightclub singer to Beethoven’s lover to a mysteriously young 71-year-old doctor. Most recently, Rossellini received acclaim — and her first Oscar nomination — for her role as a nun in Conclave, and so it's the perfect time to take a look back at her life and eclectic film career. Scroll through our photo gallery below to see the 10 best Isabella Rossellini movies, ranked.
Rossellini and her twin sister, Isotta, were born in Rome on June 18, 1952, to Golden Era legend Ingrid Bergman and Italian director Roberto Rossellini. As a child, Rossellini underwent 18 months of grueling procedures to correct scoliosis. In 1976, she made her film debut with a small role as a nun caring for a dying countess played by her mother in the Vincente Minnelli fantasy film “A Matter of Time.” However, it was a few more years before her acting career took off, and she dabbled in other mediums in the meantime.
In the 1970s, Rossellini attended college in New York City and worked as a translator and reporter for Radiotelevisione Italiana (Rai), during which time she met director Martin Scorsese. The two were married from 1979 to 1982, leading Rossellini to make a more permanent move to New York, where she began a modeling career. She has worked with numerous renowned photographers, and has appeared in such magazines as Vogue, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair. She was the spokesmodel for Lancome cosmetics from 1982 until 1996, when she was dismissed for being “too old” at the age of 43. She was rehired 20 years later, as a global brand ambassador.
Her first major roles were in the Italian films Il Prato (The Meadow, 1979), for which she earned the Silver Ribbon for Best New Actress at the Venice Film Festival, and Il Pap’occhio (In the Pope’s Eye, 1980), in which she appeared alongside Scorsese. Her American film career began in 1985, with a strong supporting role in White Nights. The following year, she gained international fame and earned an Independent Spirt Award for Best Actress for her memorable portrayal of a nightclub singer ensnared in a bizarre sex slave kidnapping in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet.
In the 40 years since, Rossellini has built an eclectic and impressive catalogue in both American and international film and television. She has appeared in diverse films, including the black comedy Death Becomes Her, the dramatic Fearless, the historical biopic Immortal Beloved, and the Dutch drama Left Luggage, for which she earned an Honorable Mention at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival. She has also provided voices for animated films like the Oscar-nominated Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. On TV, she portrays a Russian colonel in five episodes of Alias, and has a memorable appearance as herself in the episode of Friends that made famous the idea of “celebrity passes.”
Most recently, she earned raves for appearing in Conclave. In a film dominated by Oscar-nominated actors Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow as cardinals tasked with electing a new pope, Rossellini radiates a quiet but commanding authority as Sister Agnes. Despite less than eight minutes of screen time, the actress uses every second to leave an impression so memorable she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress — 79 years after her mother received a Best Actress bid for her role as spunky nun Sister Mary Benedict in The Bells of St. Mary’s. Although Bergman lost that award, she was a three-time Oscar winner; if Rossellini were to win, they would be the first mother and daughter to claim acting Oscars.
Rossellini has lived a full life on her terms, which has included romances with Lynch and with her Immortal Beloved costar Gary Oldman. A second marriage to Jon Wiedemann again ended in divorce, but produced a daughter; she also adopted a son. She is involved in numerous conservation efforts, including wildlife and film preservation. And for nearly 40 years, she has gifted the industry with her beauty, charm, and talent, leaving a legacy of one-of-a-kind characters.
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10. ‘White Nights’ (1985)
Image Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images In her American film debut, Rossellini portrays the wife of Gregory Hines, who plays an American dancer who has defected to Russia. The pair becomes embroiled in the capture of a Russian dancer (Mikhail Baryshnikov) who had defected from the Soviet Union, and his reconciliation with a previous lover (Helen Mirren). The two couples form a bond, and attempt to escape the country together. The film is especially memorable for its soundtrack, most notably the Oscar-nominated hits “Separate Lives” and “Say You, Say Me,” the latter of which claimed Best Original Song.
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9. ‘Big Night’ (1996)
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Italian brothers Secondo (Stanley Tucci, who co-directed) and Primo (Tony Shalhoub) are struggling to make a success of their restaurant in 1950s New Jersey. To complicate matters, Secondo is messing around with Gabriella (Rossellini), the wife of their biggest competitor Pascal (Ian Holm), who devises a plan that could be the ruin of the brothers. Cited as one of the greatest food movies, “Big Night” was nominated for the Grand Jury Dramatic Prize at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival.
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8. ‘Cousins’ (1989)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Getty Images Rossellini displays her lighter side in this romantic comedy directed by Joel Schumacher. Three years after her career-defining role as a femme fatale in “Blue Velvet,” Rossellini portrays kind-hearted Maria, who meets Larry Kozinski (Ted Danson) at the wedding of his uncle and her mother. While Maria and Larry’s spouses become entangled in an affair, the two cousins-by-marriage find themselves unexpectedly attracted to each other, and must decide the fate of their marriages.
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7. ‘The Funeral’ (1996)
Image Credit: Courtesy of October Films In this crime drama, the coldblooded Ray (Christopher Walken) and the hot-tempered Chez (Chris Penn) Tempio seek revenge for the murder of their brother Johnny (Vincent Gallo), which they believe was committed by rival gangster Gaspare Spoglia (Benicio del Toro). As the situation becomes more turbulent, Chez becomes more unhinged, and his wife Clara (Rossellini) struggles to help him before there are more deadly consequences.
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6. ‘Fearless’ (1993)
Image Credit: Warner Bros. After Max Klein (Jeff Bridges) survives a plane crash unharmed, while most aboard either died or suffered serious injuries, he has a renewed perspective on life, while also feeling overwhelmed by relentless questioning regarding the tragedy. Rossellini plays his wife Laura, who struggles with her husband’s abrupt change in personality and his disconnection from her and their son. This hidden gem from director Peter Weir received critical acclaim, with Bridges, Rossellini and costar Rosie Perez (an Oscar nominee for her role as a fellow survivor) receiving rave reviews for their work.
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5. ‘Conclave’ (2024)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features After the death of the pope, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is charged with heading a papal conclave to choose the new leader of the Catholic church. Shortly before entering into the traditional seclusion, Lawrence begins to learn of secrets that could affect the outcome of the conclave, and strives to bring unity between the traditionalists and the progressives of the church while also ensuring a worthy candidate is selected. Rossellini has a small but pivotal role as Sister Agnes, who heads the housekeeping and meal duties for the cardinals – and commands order when needed.
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4. ‘Death Becomes Her’ (1992)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures Rivals Madeline (Meryl Streep) and Helen (Goldie Hawn) compete for the affections of Ernest (Bruce Willis) while seeking eternal youth. Rossellini portrays Lisle von Rhuman, a youthful-looking 71-year-old with a potion to help the frenemies achieve immortality – and keeping them, technically, from being able to kill each other. The film’s pioneering CGI effects captured the Oscar and the BAFTA for Best Visual Effects, and the movie has become a cult classic, especially in the LGBTQ community.
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3. ‘The Saddest Music in the World’ (2003)
Image Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films Towards the end of Prohibition in 1933, Helen Port-Huntley (Rossellini) promotes her Canadian beer company with a contest to find the saddest music in the world. Among the competitors are a father and his two sons, two of whom share a doomed love-triangle history with Helen, who ended up with amputated legs as a result. Writer and director Guy Maddin filmed in a style mimicking 1930s-era cinema, and the nostalgic feel combined with the outlandishly bizarre storyline, including beer-filled prosthetic legs for Helen, create a picture like no other.
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2. ‘Immortal Beloved’ (1994)
Image Credit: Keith Hamshere/Getty Images Historians have debated the identity of a woman Ludwig van Beethoven referred to as his “immortal beloved” in a letter found after his death. In this fictionalized account, Beethoven’s (Gary Oldman) secretary Anton Schindler (Jeroen Krabbe) endeavors to find her identity, and Beethoven’s life is told through the interviews Schindler conducts with the various women who have been a part of the composer’s life. Rossellini’s classic beauty is perfect in the historical setting, and she shines as Beethoven’s close friend and confidante Anna-Marie Erdody, who denies being his “immortal beloved” despite their love affair.
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1. ‘Blue Velvet’ (1986)
Image Credit: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images After years of modeling and supporting roles, Rossellini showed her acting chops as tortured lounge singer Dorothy Vallens. Sporting a largely (at the time) unknown cast including Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern, David Lynch’s dark mystery ignited controversy due to its graphic content, but those who acknowledged its significance proved to be right – “Blue Velvet” is cited as one of the greatest thrillers of all time, and one of the most influential films of the era. And Rossellini proved herself to be an unforgettable femme fatale.