10 Facts About Isabella Rossellini's Two Children
Isabella Rossellini is no stranger to fame. She is the daughter of Swedish actor Ingrid Bergman, who starred alongside Humphrey Bogart in arguably one of the most famous movies in the history of Hollywood, "Casablanca," and the acclaimed Italian neorealist director Roberto Rossellini, who created such works as "Open City" and "Germany, Year Zero." Isabella herself went on to become a world-famous model and actor, with some of her notable accomplishments being the face of Lancôme for 14 years and her performance in the 1984 film "Blue Velvet." The legacy of such talent lives on in her children, just as her parents' marvels of art and theater had continued in her.
Her children Elettra Wiedemann and Roberto Rossellini, Jr. have channeled their mother and grandparent's star power into their own exciting and incredibly accomplished lives. They have taken on art in multiple forms and driven deep into their professional interest, and their efforts have been extremely impactful in their fields.
From both sides of the camera, and the height of metropolitan glamor to the ruggedness of a beloved family farm, Isabella Rossellini's children have embraced but also set themselves apart from their mother's fame.
Elettra Wiedemann grew up in Manhattan
Before Isabella Rossellini's career in modeling and acting sprung her into stardom, she moved to New York City to pursue her career as a translator and journalist for an Italian television channel, according to PBS biography. Just 19 at the time of the move, she decided that New York City would be the place to put down roots. Her daughter, Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann, was born to Rossellini and her then-partner, Joshua Wiedemann, in 1983.
Like many native New Yorkers, Elettra Wiedemann is proud of the city she has always called home, and she has spoken affectionately about her connection to Manhattan and New York City in its entirety. In a 2016 interview with Vogue Italia, Wiedemann warmly discussed the nostalgic aspect of her relationship with New York, saying, "NYC is where I was born and raised, so it is home to me. Almost every corner of this City has a memory for me stretching back to my childhood."
Years later, Wiedemann still calls the city home; however, she has traded the bustle of Manhattan for the serenity and privacy of her mother's six-acre farm on Long Island.
Roberto Rossellini was adopted in 1993
Isabella Rossellini's tumultuous love life did not stop her from a life of fulfilling her desire for motherhood. Rossellini married twice, first to Martin Scorsese and then to her daughter's father, Jonathan Wiedemann. After her second divorce, she had a six-year-long relationship with filmmaker David Lynch. Although she was single by 1993, he adopted a son, Roberto Rossellini Jr., whom she named after her father.
Isabella embraced her life as a single mother, and it was her pursuit of fulfillment in that realm and others that deterred her from looking for love again. "I had my two small children and I just didn't have room for another boyfriend or husband," she told The Guardian in a 2020 interview. "I don't think I could do the amount of things I do if I have a husband. Husbands are time-consuming."
Rossellini loves her son as wholeheartedly and unabashedly as she does her daughter, and as she explained in an interview with Oliver Peoples, it was Roberto who eventually led to her purchasing her own farm. "We left New York City for Roberto's sake. He was having a difficult time in New York, and one day after school, he came home and told me, to my surprise, that he wanted to move to the countryside," she said. "Although I have always enjoyed spending time in the countryside, I must admit that I liked life on the farm much more than I thought I would."
Roberto and Elettra spent a great deal of time in Europe
Being that Isabella Rossellini spent her childhood in some of Europe's most iconic cities, it's not difficult to imagine that she would pass down her deeply rooted connection to that continent to her children. In an interview with Vogue Italia, Elettra Wiedemann spoke on the affection she feels for her maternal grandfather's home country of Italy. "Much of my family still lives in Italy, including my beloved cousin, Tommaso, who is like my older brother. My best friends are also all Italian. I like to say that NYC is my quantity of life, Italy is my quality of life. I love to come to Italy to recharge," she explained in the interview.
Roberto's exposure to the wider world came about because he accompanied his mother as her continued her acting career. According to W Magazine, Roberto added up the time he spent in Europe over the course of his childhood, and by his calculations, it amounted to nearly five years. Both siblings learned Italian and French from their mother and all of their travels.
Having scoliosis was a 'life-altering' experience for Elettra
Elettra Wiedemann extensively shared her experience with scoliosis in an article she wrote for Teen Vogue in 2013. Her mother, Isabella Rossellini, struggled with a similar diagnosis in her youth and watched vigilantly for signs of similar symptoms in her daughter as she developed. Wiedemann explained that after her first growth spurt, Rossellini brought her to a medical specialist to ensure there were no issues with her spine. Unfortunately, Rossellini's worries for her daughter's health proved to be entirely warranted. The treatment for her diagnosis included spending 23 hours a day in what is called a "Milwaukee brace," which is a piece of corrective medical equipment that is strapped to the torso like a corset. It is made of leather and metal rods, and its function is to prevent the spine from growing out of line and to correct the shape over time.
In her article, Wiedemann wrote of the mental toll the brace took, saying, "When Teen Vogue asked me to write about my scoliosis and the back brace I wore as a teenager, I leaped at the opportunity. ... But every time I tried to focus on a memory, I drew a big, numb blank." She continued, explaining, "My brace was such a seminal influence in my life — how could I not remember the five years I spent in that gruesome contraption 23 hours a day? Truth be told, it was an experience so life-altering that until now, my only way of processing it was to forget."
Elettra and Roberto became successful models
Despite their mother's history of modeling prowess, both Elettra Wiedemann and her brother, Roberto Rossellini, happened upon their modeling careers unintentionally. Despite the laissez-faire beginnings of their time in front of the camera, both siblings have found incredible success as models in the fashion and beauty industries.
"I never intended to become a model, but I am very grateful that it came into my life," Elettra told Vogue Italia when asked about the trajectory of her career. "Modeling helped me to travel, see the world, become financially independent. I have nothing but love for the fashion and beauty community, which have shown me so much generosity and support, and taught me so much." Over the course of her time spent modeling, Wiedemann worked with multiple big name brands and designers, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Lancôme, Vogue, and Weekend Max Mara.
Roberto Rossellini has also hit his stride in the modeling world, having signed with Ford Modeling in 2016. Since then, he has walked in Dolce & Gabbana and Michael Kors runway shows and has been a part of numerous brand campaigns.
Isabella Rossellini's children are highly educated
Both Elettra Wiedeman and Roberto Rossellini have taken their education very seriously. Wiedeman has a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies from The New School (a fitting choice given that her upbringing was heavily influenced by her mother's European roots) and a master's in biomedicine. In an interview with The Telegraph, she shed light on her field of study, saying, "'It's a lot of things, but, basically, institutional reform in light of climate change. The programme focuses on human health and there will be classes on ethical reform; things of that nature."
Rossellini also has an impressive academic history. According to W Magazine, he took a scientific route like his older sister. He started out majoring in marine biology at Stony Brook University, and over the course of his studies, he fell in love with the beauty of marine life and began to focus on underwater cinematography. It was this marriage of his love for biology, technology, and art — as well as a long family history in front of and behind the camera — that led him to get his degree in photography from the International Center of Photography.
Elettra is an accomplished writer
Elettra Wiedemann's success as a writer sprouted from her love of food and her connection to her Italian heritage and its cuisine. She told Into the Gloss that after she hit 30, her modeling opportunities became more sparse and she began to explore her love for food, which was always there but suppressed during the height of her modeling career because, as she confessed, "you need to fit into ridiculously tiny clothes."
With food as her niche, Wiedemann used the lull in modeling jobs as an opportunity to launch her own blog. In the aforementioned interview, Wiedemann shed light on the mentality she had toward her new venture, saying, "I launched Impatient Foodie thinking it was going to be my side gig, but it ended up becoming my full-time job."
She sought to make food as appealing and beautiful as fashion, treating her new subject with the same reverence. With this vision and an incredibly skilled team to support her, Impatient Foodie found success very quickly. "Within a few weeks of launching I got a call from a book agent, and within three months I got headhunted by Refinery29 to be head of their food and drink division," she told Into the Gloss. She accepted the position of executive food editor with Refinery29 in February 2015 and remained in that role for over two years, according to her LinkedIn profile. In 2017, Wiedemann wrote the cookbook "Impatient Foodie: 100 Delicious Recipes for a Hectic, Time-Starved World."
Elettra had her own cooking show
It seems only natural that after Elettra Wiedemann's successful food and media endeavors, Vogue chose her to host a cooking show on YouTube. "Elettra's Goodness" is a series of short videos in which Wiedemann cooks and converses with fabulously famous guests like Blake Lively, Karli Kloss, and Seth Meyers. These delightful, bite-sized videos are collected into a playlist on Vogue's official YouTube channel so although the show ended in 2014, fans can continuously return to their favorite featured recipes and endearing moments between Wiedemann and her companions.
The web series allowed fans a sincere glimpse into Wiedemann's world of holistic food and its power to draw people together. Her years in front of the camera gave her a breezy, easy fluidity as host and friend as she shared her natural affinity for cooking and relationship building. Without the rigidity of traditional cooking shows, Wiedemann and her guests progressed through recipes amidst fits of laughter, encouraging viewers to feel as if they are looking in on a few friends milling around the kitchen.
Roberto got engaged in 2023
Roberto Rossellini's confessed in an interview with Coveteur that he didn't put much effort into his social media until he learned of the positive impact it could have on his career as a photographer and model. He tends to keep a pretty low profile, taking the opportunity to stay behind the camera in his private life to capture meaningful moments from his point of view. It's through his Instagram posts that fans of Rossellini can catch a glimpse into the model/artist's life and loved ones, including his fiancée, Kai Marie.
Kai Marie first made an appearance on Rossellini's Instagram profile back in 2017. The birthday tribute showed Kai lounging and holding a lit sparkler. "Happy birthday to my love [Kai Marie]. Been a crazy past year but this one will be even better. I love you," he wrote.
According to the Daily Mail, the couple started dating in 2014, and Rossellini's social media posts indicate that their relationship is as strong as ever. In August 2023, Rossellini shared an Instagram post that revealed they'd gotten engaged.
Elettra has two children of her own
Elettra Wiedemann has frequently expressed her deep appreciation for motherhood, commending her mom for the love and support she has shown her throughout her life, so it is not surprising to see that Wiedemann has embraced this role, too.
After a brief marriage to James Marshall from 2012 to 2015, Wiedemann entered into a relationship with Caleb Lane, who some "Pretty Little Liars" fans might recognize as Rhys Matthews. Wiedemann and Lane welcomed their first son, Ronin, in 2018. Isabella Rossellini celebrated her first grandchild's third birthday with a loving Instagram post, which featured of picture of herself holding a newborn Ronin.
In 2021, the couple's second son, Viggo, was born. Rossellini was again eager to share her delight for her growing family and shared another post on Instagram. "It's a boy! My [grandson] Viggo is 8 pounds 10 oz. The mother and father are doing well," she wrote. "We are all very HAPPY."