Before the latest British invasion in Hollywood, there were few international actors that crossed over to the U.S. market successfully. One of the most successful ones of all time was Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress, model, filmmaker, author, and philanthropist. Rossellini’s career has spanned a few decades, and many of us have watched her career take shape over the years. Whether you’re a Rossellini fan or not, you can’t deny the fact that this actress has quite the talent. Out of the many movies that she’s been on, we’ve listed here the top five roles she’s ever had.
Dorothy Vallens, Blue Velvet
David Lynch’s thriller featured a young Rossellini just starting out in the game. This was her first American film, and she made quite the impression with her role as Dorothy Vallens. Vallens was a nightclub singer who was troubled and tortured. Rossellini did excellent work with her acting, but what impressed people the most was the fact that she did all her own singing in the film. It was a bold and successful entry into Hollywood and one that would propel her career into the future.
Perdita Durango, Wild at Heart
Although her role wasn’t as big in the film, it was pivotal to the story. Rossellini worked with director David Lynch again on this project, but this time he was working with some significant Hollywood names, Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. Perdita Durango was a friend of Cage’s character, Sailor. Durango was the person that was able to help both Sailor and Dern’s Lula.
Darya Greenwood, White Nights
In 1985, Rossellini starred in White Nights alongside the likes of Helen Mirren and Gregory Hines. The film tells the story of a Soviet ballet dancer who gets tangled into the politics of dance and life in the Soviet Union in general. Darya Greenwood’s character was the wife of one of the lead characters, Raymond Greenwood. Rossellini’s character was pregnant in the film, and she did an excellent job conveying the emotions of her life of pregnancy and the challenges that she had to face with her husband.
Lisle Von Ruhmann, Death Becomes Her
One of the most famous lines from this movie was from Rossellini when she declared her unbelievable age to Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn’s characters, Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp, respectively. Rossellini’s good looks and elegance made her the perfect cast for the role of the woman who had defied aging. Rossellini was very impressive and truly unforgettable as she portrayed the temptress role.
Maria Hardy, Cousins
This romantic comedy directed by Joel Schumacher starred Rossellini opposite Ted Danson. Rossellini played the role of Maria Hardy, a woman who found herself in an interesting mix up of spouse-swapping scenarios at a wedding. It’s sounds more confusing than it really was, and this was probably Rossellini’s first major role. The best part was when Maria partnered with Danson’s character Larry to exact revenge on each of their spouses for having an affair.
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