Smithsonian Institution
Rear view of "The Castle", the Institution's headquarters
Established	August 10, 1846; 165 years ago  (August 10, 1846)
Location	Washington D.C.
Public transit access	Smithsonian, L'Enfant Plaza Maryland Avenue exit.
Website	si.edu

The Smithsonian Institution ( /smɪθˈsoʊniən/ smith-SOH-nee-ən) is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, and licensing activities. The Smithsonian has requested $797.6 million from Congress in 2011 to fund its operations. While most of its 19 museums, its zoo, and its nine research centers facilities are located in Washington, D.C., sites are also located in Arizona, Maryland, New York City, Virginia, Panama, and elsewhere. The Smithsonian has over 137 million items in its collections,^[1] publishes two magazines named Smithsonian (monthly) and Air & Space (bimonthly), and employs the Smithsonian Police to protect visitors, staff, and the property of its museums. The Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum complex in the world, and many of its buildings are historical and architectural landmarks. In addition, 168 other museums are Smithsonian affiliates.^[1]

History[link]

The Smithsonian Institution was founded for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge" from a bequest to the United States by the British scientist James Smithson (c. 1765–1829), who never visited the new nation. In Smithson's will, he stated that should his nephew, Henry James Hungerford, die without heir, the Smithson estate would go to the United States to create an "Establishment for the increase & diffusion of Knowledge among men". After the nephew died without issue in 1835, President Andrew Jackson informed Congress of the bequest. Richard Rush was appointed as agent of the government to go to England and pursue the bequest, which was tied up in the Court of Chancery. It took some two years for Rush to obtain the estate, which amounted to 104,960 gold sovereigns, or US$500,000.^[2] The money was invested in shaky state bonds, which quickly defaulted. After heated debate in Congress, Massachusetts Representative (and former President) John Quincy Adams successfully argued to restore the lost funds with interest.^[3] Though Congress wanted to use the money for other purposes, Adams successfully persuaded Congress to preserve the money for an institution of science and learning.^[4] Congress also debated whether the federal government had the authority to accept the gift. Congress accepted the legacy bequeathed to the nation and pledged the faith of the United States to the charitable trust on July 1, 1836.^[5]

When the Detroit philanthropist Charles Lang Freer donated his private collection to the Smithsonian and funds to build the museum to hold it (which was named the Freer Gallery), it was among the Smithsonian's first major donations from a private individual. The gallery opened in 1923.

Though the Smithsonian's first Secretary, Joseph Henry, wanted the Institution to be a center for scientific research, before long it also became the depository for various Washington and U.S. government collections. The United States Exploring Expedition by the U.S. Navy circumnavigated the globe between 1838 and 1842. The voyage amassed thousands of animal specimens, an herbarium of 50,000 plant specimens, and diverse shells and minerals, tropical birds, jars of seawater, and ethnographic artifacts from the South Pacific. These specimens and artifacts became part of the Smithsonian collections, as did those collected by several military and civilian surveys of the American West, including the Mexican Boundary Survey and Pacific Railroad Surveys, which assembled many Native American artifacts and natural history specimens.

The Institution became a magnet for natural scientists from 1857 to 1866, who formed a group called the Megatherium Club. Many scientists of a variety of disciplines work at the various Smithsonian museums, which have become centers for research.

The asteroid 3773 Smithsonian, discovered in 1984, is named in honor of the Institution.

The 2009 film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian was the first commercial production to be given rights to use the Smithsonian Institution's name.

Administration[link]

The Smithsonian Castle doorway

The Smithsonian Institution is established as a trust instrumentality by act of Congress, and it is functionally and legally a body of the U.S. government, but separate from the government's federal legislative, executive, and judicial branches. More than two-thirds of the Smithsonian's workforce of some 6,300 persons are employees of the federal government. Attorneys from the United States Department of Justice represent the Smithsonian in litigation, and any money judgments against the Smithsonian are paid from the federal treasury.

As approved by Congress on August 10, 1846, the legislation that created the Smithsonian Institution called for the creation of a Board of Regents to govern and administer the organization. This 17-member board meets at least four times a year and includes as ex officio members the Chief Justice of the United States and the Vice President of the United States. The nominal head of the Institution is the Chancellor, an office which has traditionally been held by the Chief Justice. In September 2007, the Board created the position of Chair of the Board of Regents, a position currently held by Patricia Q. Stonesifer of Washington State.^[6]

Other members of the Board of Regents are three members of the U.S. House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House; three members of the Senate, appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate; and nine citizen members, nominated by the Board and approved by the Congress in a joint resolution signed by the President of the United States.^[7] Regents who are senators or representatives serve for the duration of their elected terms, while citizen Regents serve a maximum of two six-year terms. Regents are compensated on a part-time basis.

The chief executive officer (CEO) of the Smithsonian is the Secretary, who is appointed by the Board of Regents. There have been 13 Secretaries since the Smithsonian was established. The Secretary also serves as secretary to the Board of Regents, but is not a voting member of that body. The Secretary of the Smithsonian has the privilege of the floor at the United States Senate.

Secretaries of the Smithsonian[link]

1. Joseph Henry, 1846–1878
2. Spencer Fullerton Baird, 1878–1887
3. Samuel Pierpont Langley, 1887–1906
4. Charles Doolittle Walcott, 1907–1927
5. Charles Greeley Abbot, 1928–1944
6. Alexander Wetmore, 1944–1952
7. Leonard Carmichael, 1953–1964
8. Sidney Dillon Ripley, 1964–1984
9. Robert McCormick Adams, 1984–1994
10. Ira Michael Heyman, 1994–1999
11. Lawrence M. Small, 2000–2007
12. G. Wayne Clough, 2008–^[8]

Smithsonian museums[link]

Aircraft on display at the National Air and Space Museum, including a Ford Trimotor and Douglas DC-3 (top and second from top).

Nineteen museums and galleries, as well as the National Zoological Park, comprise the Smithsonian museums.^[9] Eleven are on the National Mall, the strip of land that runs between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol. Other museums are located elsewhere in Washington, D.C., with two more in New York City and one in Chantilly, Virginia.

The Smithsonian has close ties with 168 other museums in 39 states, Panama and Puerto Rico.^[9] These museums are known as Smithsonian Affiliated museums. Collections of artifacts are given to these museums in the form of long-term loans. The Smithsonian also has a large number of traveling exhibitions. In 2008, 58 of these traveling exhibitions went to 510 venues across the country.^[9]

Smithsonian research centers and programs[link]

The following is a list of Smithsonian research centers, with their affiliated museum in parentheses:

• Archives of American Art
• Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the associated Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
• Carrie Bow Marine Field Station (Natural History Museum)
• Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
• Center For Earth and Planetary Studies (Air and Space Museum)
• Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (National Zoo)
• Marine Station at Fort Pierce (Natural History Museum)
• Migratory Bird Center (National Zoo)
• Museum Conservation Institute
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
• Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
• Smithsonian Institution Libraries
• Smithsonian Institution Archives^[10]
• Smithsonian Latino Center^[11]
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program

Also of note is the Museum Support Center (MSC), located in Silver Hill, Maryland (Suitland), which is the principal off-site conservation and collections facility for multiple Smithsonian museums, primarily the National Museum of Natural History. The MSC was dedicated in May 1983.^[12] The MSC covers 4.5 acres (18,000 m²) of land, with over 500,000 square feet (46,000 m²) of space, making it one of the largest set of structures in the Smithsonian. It has over 12 miles (19 km) of cabinets, and more than 31 million objects.

Controversies[link]

Enola Gay display[link]

In 1994, controversy arose over the exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum associated with display of the Enola Gay, the Superfortress used by the United States to execute the first atomic bombing in World War II. The American Legion and Air Force Association believed the exhibit put forward only one side of the debate over the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that it emphasized the effect on the victims without the overall context of the war. The Smithsonian changed the exhibit, displaying the aircraft only with associated technical data and without discussion of its historic role in the war.

Censorship of "Seasons of Life and Land"[link]

In 2003, a National Museum of Natural History exhibit, Subhankar Banerjee's Seasons of Life and Land, featuring photographs of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, was censored and moved to the basement by Smithsonian officials because they feared that its subject matter was too politically controversial.^[13]

In November 2007, the Washington Post reported internal criticism has been raised regarding the institution's handling of the exhibit on the Arctic. According to documents and e-mails, the exhibit and its associated presentation were edited at high levels to add "scientific uncertainty" regarding the nature and impact of global warming on the Arctic. Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Cristián Samper was interviewed by the Post, and claimed the exhibit was edited because it contained conclusions that went beyond what could be proven by contemporary climatology.^[14] The Smithsonian is now a participant in the U.S. Global Change Research Program.^{[15][relevant? – discuss]}

Copyright restrictions[link]

The Smithsonian Institution provides access to its image collections for educational, scholarly and nonprofit uses. Commercial uses are generally restricted unless permission is obtained. Smithsonian images fall into different copyright categories; some are protected by copyright, many are subject to license agreements or other contractual conditions, and some fall into the public domain, such as those prepared by Smithsonian employees as part of their official duties. The Smithsonian’s terms of use for its digital content, including images, are set forth on the Smithsonian Web site.^[16][17]

In April 2006, the institution entered into an agreement of "first refusal" rights for its vast silent and public domain film archives with Showtime Networks, mainly for use on the Smithsonian Channel, a network created from this deal. Critics contend this agreement effectively gives Showtime control over the film archives, as it requires filmmakers to obtain permission from the network to use extensive amounts of film footage from the Smithsonian archives.^[18]

The Smithsonian contends independent producers continue to have unchanged access to the institution and its collections as they had prior to the agreement^{[citation needed]}. The process to gain access to film at the Smithsonian remains the same. Since January 2006, independent producers have made more than 500 requests to film in the museums and collections, and/or to use archival footage and photos.^{[citation needed]}

Funding[link]

The Smithsonian Institution receives funding from the United States Government, through the House and Senate Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations subcommittees.^[19][20] The President’s fiscal year 2011 budget request to Congress for the Smithsonian is $797.6 million, an increase from the $761.4 million appropriated to the Institution in FY 2010. The Salaries and Expenses budget request for FY 2011 is $660.8 million and the Facilities Capital budget is $136.8 million.^[21] During the 1995–1996 Government Shutdown, the Smithsonian closed, due to lack of money to pay salaries.^[22][23][24] In 2007, there was controversy about Secretary Small's expenses and compensation.^[25] There is a plan to reduce a backlog in deferred maintenance.^[26] In 2010, the Deficit Commission recommended admission fees,^[27] which has been resisted.^[28]

Office of Protection Services (OPS)[link]

The Smithsonian Office of Protection Services oversees security at the Smithsonian facilities. The Secretary of the Smithsonian may designate employees to have Special Police Status to enforce regulations within the Smithsonian facilities and grounds as well as areas of the National Capital Parks in D.C.

According to 40 U.S.C. § 6306, certain Smithsonian staff are designated as Special police have arrest authority within the Smithsonian buildings and grounds, and may enforce laws and regulations for National Capital Parks together with the United States Park Police.

The Office of Protection Services has three main positions within the division, all of which are U.S. government positions:^{[citation needed]}

• Smithsonian Museum Protection Officers/Guards;
• Smithsonian Museum Physical Security Specialists and Supervisory Physical Security Specialists; and
• Smithsonian Zoological Park Police Officers are federal law enforcement officers with full legal jurisdiction and arrest powers within the District of Columbia are assigned to the 163-acre (0.66 km²) National Zoo enforcing the District of Columbia criminal code and the United States Code. There are officers assigned to the 3200 Acre research facility known as Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia.

See also[link]

District of Columbia portal

• List of aircraft in the Smithsonian Institution
• Smithsonian Ocean Portal

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Nina Burleigh, Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America's Greatest Museum, The Smithsonian, HarperCollins, September 2003, hardcover, 288 pages, ISBN 0-06-000241-7
• Heather Ewing (2007). The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-0-7475-7653-2. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Smithsonian Institution

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Smithsonian Institution.

• Smithsonian Institution webpage
• Smithsonian Collections Search Center webpage
• Smithsonian Education webpage
• Map of the museums from the Smithsonian Institution
• To the Smithsonian or Bust: The Scientific Legacy of Nikola Tesla from Yale Scientific Magazine

v t e Landmarks of Washington, D.C. Memorials Adams Memorial · African American Civil War Memorial · Albert Einstein Memorial · Boy Scout Memorial · Daniel Webster Memorial · District of Columbia War Memorial · First Division Monument · Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial · George Mason Memorial · James A. Garfield Monument · Jefferson Memorial · John Ericsson National Memorial · John Paul Jones Memorial · Korean War Veterans Memorial · Lincoln Memorial · Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac · Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial · National Japanese American Memorial To Patriotism During World War II · National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · National World War II Memorial · Navy – Merchant Marine Memorial · Oscar Straus Memorial · Peace Monument · Pentagon Memorial · Robert A. Taft Memorial · Second Division Memorial · The Extra Mile · The Three Soldiers · Theodore Roosevelt Island · Titanic Memorial · Ulysses S. Grant Memorial · United States Air Force Memorial · United States Holocaust Memorial Museum · United States Navy Memorial · Victims of Communism Memorial · Vietnam Veterans Memorial · Vietnam Women's Memorial · Washington Monument Planned Memorials Adams Memorial · Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial · National Slave Memorial Former Rainbow Pool Other Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception · Capitol Reflection Pool · Healy Hall · Islamic Center of Washington · Jefferson Pier · John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts · Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool · List of public art in Washington, D.C. · President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldiers' Home · Smithsonian Institution · United States Capitol · United States Supreme Court Building · Washington National Cathedral · White House · Zero Milestone

Coordinates: 38°53′20″N 77°01′34″W / 38.8888°N 77.026°W / 38.8888; -77.026

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2012)

Wretch 32
Performing at Jersey Live in 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Jermaine Scott
Born	(1985-03-09) 9 March 1985 (age 27)
Origin	Tottenham, London, England
Genres	Grime, British hip hop
Occupations	Rapper
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Ministry of Sound (2010–present)
Associated acts	The Movement, Bashy, Chip, Ed Sheeran, Skepta, Wiley, Double S, Tinie Tempah, Kano, Example, Angel, Skyhigh, Sherif, Lowkey
Website	wretch32.com

Jermaine Scott (born 9 March 1985),^[1][2] better known by his stage name Wretch 32 (three-two), is an English rapper and former Grime MC from Tottenham, London where he grew up the son of a local reggae DJ in the Tiverton Estate.^[3] He was a member of the grime collective "Combination Chain Gang", before forming The Movement with Scorcher, Ghetts, and Mercston. The world and online community including the UK music industry especially, first set eyes on Wretch 32 when 32 was given the opportunity to appear on RMC TV Artist Spotlight back in 2005 around the same time as N-Dubz drummer BreakBeat. Wretch 32 – The Beginning!^[4] Needless Beef a short film based on UK street life and gun crime starring Wretch 32 was first edited and broadcast exclusively on RMC TV, which later inspired MTV’s Dubplate Drama Series.^[5] He is also often associated with the TMT crew, also from Tottenham, due to his close relationship to fellow Tottenham rapper Cell 22. The pair have made several songs together. He released his first single "Traktor" in January 2011.

2009 Mp3 Music Awards announced that Wretch 32 was nominated for an Mp3 Award alongside Chipmunk and Haringey Independent^[6] and Channel U / Channel AKA published the story.^[7]

On 6 December 2010, the BBC also announced that Wretch 32 had been nominated for the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll^[8] and MTV named him as a nominee for MTV Brand New for 2011.^[9]

Career[link]

Early life[link]

Born in March 1985, Scott grew up alongside crews Combination Chain Gang and The Movement, the latter of which featured Scorcher, Ghetto, Mercston and Devlin, Lowkey & Wretch 32 In My Lifetime. Continuing his MC career in 2006, Scott under the name Wretch 32 released a series of mixtapes, including Teacher's Training Day – which featured guest appearances from Ghetts, Bashy and Scorcher.^[10] After coming to the attention of BBC Radio 1 Xtra's DJ Cameo, Wretch went on to win a 1Xtra Mixtape Award.

2007 Early Exposure[link]

Wretch 32 got his first big break when he performed at the first annual MP3 Music Awards in 2007 alongside signed US recording artist Chenelle, signing her chart single “I Fell In Love With The DJ” in front on a live crowd and industry audience that included the likes of the BBC Head of Music Mark Cooper, PRS Chairman Ellis Rich and various other individuals from EMI, Sony, Warner and more. After performing at MMA 2007, his album was released. Wretch 32 Punctuation Live and a Wretch 32 Live Accapella at MP3 Music Awards 2007 on youtube.

2008–2011: Early career[link]

The movement into mainstream began when Wretch 32 appeared at Radio 1's Big Weekend on the BBC Introducing stage in 2009. His debut studio album, Wretchrospective was released in the United Kingdom during 2008, prior to Wretch's signing with record label Ministry of Sound. Wretch 32 and Chipmunk were both nominees for the UGG Awards, Urban/Garage/Grime category at the 2009 Mp3 Music Awards followed by Haringey Independent Press Release. On 6 December 2010, Wretch 32 was named as one of the nominees for BBC's Sound of 2011, an annual poll which predicts artists that will progress during the upcoming year. In 2010 Wretch 32 won a Official Mixtape Award for the 'best hiphop mixtape of 2009.

[edit] 2011–present: Black and White

Wretch then continued, releasing his debut single "Traktor" on 16 January 2011^[11] through Ministry of Sound as both a digital download and a CD single. The track saw commercial success, having been selected as BBC Radio 1's Reggie Yates Weekend Anthem on 19–20 December 2010,^[12] before debuting at number five on the UK Singles Chart as the third highest entry of the week.^[13] The release was succeeded by second single "Unorthodox", which featured British rapper Example. The song, which sampled The Stone Roses' 1989 hit "Fools Gold" debuted at number two in the UK, also topping the R&B chart and independent releases chart; having been selected Jo Whiley's Weekend Anthem on 26–27 March 2011.^[14] also he featured on female artist Jaya's single 'Outta Control' along side Diggy Simmon, although this failed to chart due to lack of exposure.

On December 11, 2011 Wretch 32 released the single "Forgiveness" featuring Etta Bond (artist who is signed to Labrinth's record label Odd Child recordings) from the album Black and White.

It is confirmed that Hush Little Baby, featuring Ed Sheeran will be the next single from the album.

Discography[link]

Albums

• 2008: Wretchrospective
• 2011: Black and White

Mixtapes

• 2006: Learn From My Mixtape
• 2007: Teachers Training Day
• 2009: Wretch32.com
• 2010: More Fun! [Wretch 32 + Chipmunk]
• 2012: Wretchercise

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official Web Shop
• Wretch 32 on Myspace
• Wretch 32 on Twitter
• Wretch 32 on Facebook

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2009)

Isabella Rossellini
Rossellini on location at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin to shoot some scenes for the film The Innocent, 1992
Born	Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (1952-06-18) 18 June 1952 (age 60) Rome, Italy
Occupation	Actress, filmmaker, author, model, philanthropist
Years active	1976–present
Spouse	Martin Scorsese (1979–1982) Jonathan Wiedemann (1983–1986)
Partner	David Lynch (1986–1991) Gary Oldman (1994–1996)
Parents	Roberto Rossellini (deceased) Ingrid Bergman (deceased)

Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.

Background and early life[link]

Rossellini is a daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian director Roberto Rossellini. She has three siblings from her mother: her twin sister Isotta Ingrid Rossellini, who is an adjunct professor of Italian literature; a brother, Robertino Ingmar Rossellini;^[1] and a half-sister, Pia Lindström, who formerly worked on television and is from her mother's first marriage with Petter Lindström. She has four other siblings from her father's two other marriages: Romano (died at age 9), Renzo, Gil, and Raffaella.^[2]

Rossellini was born in Rome, and raised there, as well as in Santa Marinella and Paris. She underwent an operation for appendicitis at the age of five.^[3] At 13, she was diagnosed with scoliosis.^{[citation needed]} In order to correct it, she had to undergo an 18 month ordeal of painful stretchings, body casts, surgery on her spine using pieces of one of her shin bones (used to add supports for the individual vertebrae without risking foreign body rejection issues), and a recovery from that surgery.^{[citation needed]} Consequently, she has permanent incision scars on her back and shin.

At 19, she went to New York, where she attended Finch College, while working as a translator and a RAI television reporter.^{[citation needed]} She also appeared intermittently on L'altra Domenica ("The Other Sunday"), a TV show featuring Roberto Benigni. However, she did not decide to stay full time in New York until her marriage to Martin Scorsese (1979–1982).

Rossellini with David Lynch at the Cannes Film Festival

Career[link]

Modeling[link]

At the age of 28, her modeling career began, when she was photographed by Bruce Weber for British Vogue and by Bill King for American Vogue. During her career, she has also worked with many other renowned photographers, including Richard Avedon, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Peter Lindbergh, Norman Parkinson, Eve Arnold, Francesco Scavullo, Annie Leibovitz, Denis Piel, and Robert Mapplethorpe. Her image has appeared on such magazines as Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, and ELLE. In March 1988, an exhibition dedicated to photographs of her, called Portrait of a Woman, was held at the Musee d'Art Moderne in Paris.

Rossellini's modeling career led her into the world of cosmetics, when she became the exclusive spokesmodel for the international cosmetics brand Lancôme in 1982, replacing Nancy Dutiel in the United States and Carol Alt in Europe. At Lancôme, in 1990, she was involved in product development for the fragrance Trésor. In 1996, she was removed as the face of Lancôme for being "too old", since she was in her 40s at the time.

In October 1992, Rossellini modelled for Madonna's controversial book Sex. Rossellini also appeared in Madonna's music video for her successful Top 5 hit song "Erotica" released that autumn.

In 1995, Rossellini worked with the Coty Group and developed her own brand of cosmetics, Isabella Rossellini's Manifesto. She is signed to Trump Model Management.^{[citation needed]}

Film and television[link]

At the 2005 Torino Film Festival.

Rossellini made her film debut with a brief appearance as a nun opposite her mother in the 1976 film A Matter of Time. Her first role was the 1979 film Il Prato. She did not become successful with acting until after her mother's death in 1982, when she was cast in her first American film, White Nights (1985). She is probably best known for her pivotal role as the tortured nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens in David Lynch's Blue Velvet, in which she also did her own singing. Some other notable film roles include her work in Cousins, Death Becomes Her, Immortal Beloved, and Fearless.

In 2003, Rossellini had a recurring role on the television series, Alias. In that same year, she also appeared in the Canadian film The Saddest Music in the World directed by Guy Maddin. In 2004, she played the High Priestess Thar in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Legend of Earthsea. In addition, she acted in an Off-Broadway production of The Stendhal Syndrome. She became an ambassador for the Silversea Cruise Line, which has her appearing in print ads and on their website.^[4]

In 2006, Rossellini appeared in several television documentaries. First, she narrated a two-hour television special on Italy for the Discovery Channel's Discovery Atlas series. In addition, on an episode of the Sundance Channel series Iconoclasts, which also featured the Segway PT inventor Dean Kamen, she told about her past and current activities.^[5] In 2007, Rossellini guest starred on two episodes of the television show 30 Rock, playing Alec Baldwin's character's ex-wife.^{[episode needed]} She also appeared on an episode of the TV series Friends in 1996 as herself.^{[episode needed]}

In 2008, Rossellini toured the festival circuit, including the Sundance Film Festival, with a series of short films entitled Green Porno, which she wrote and co-directed with Jody Shapiro. Each Green Porno film is two minutes long, and has Rossellini reenacting the mating rituals of various animals.

Rossellini was announced as the President of the Jury for the 61st Berlin International Film Festival in 2011.^[6]

She played the role of Gabriella Guglielmi-Valentino in Silent Life, released in 2012.

Awards[link]

Rossellini received a 1987 Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her role in Blue Velvet. In 1997, she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for her role in Crime of the Century and an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on the television series Chicago Hope. Also in 1997, Rossellini was awarded The George Eastman Award.^[7] In 1998, she received an Honourable Mention at the 48th Berlin International Film Festival for her role in the film Left Luggage.^[8]

Activism[link]

Rossellini is involved in conservation efforts. She is a board member of the Wildlife Conservation Network,^[9] and president and director of the Howard Gilman Foundation, a leading institution focused on the preservation of wildlife, arts, photography and dance.^[10][11] She received $100,000 from Disney to help with her conservation efforts in those two organizations.^[12] She has also helped with the Central Park Conservancy,^[13] and is a major benefactor of the Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society of Bellport, Long Island, where she is a part-time resident.^[14]

Rossellini is involved in training guide dogs for the blind.^[15][16] She is a former trustee of the George Eastman House and a 1997 George Eastman Award honoree for her support of film preservation.^[17] She is also a National Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.^[18]

Writing[link]

Rossellini has written three books - her self-described fictional memoir, Some of Me (1997), Looking at Me (on pictures and photographers, 2002), and In the name of the Father, the Daughter and the Holy Spirits: Remembering Roberto Rossellini (2006), accompanied by the Guy Maddin-directed short film My Dad Is 100 Years Old (both the film and the book are tributes to her father). In the film, she played almost every role, including David Selznick, Alfred Hitchcock, and her mother Ingrid Bergman.

In 2008, Rossellini wrote a number of television shorts on the Sundance Channel called Green Porno. The short segments (about 2 minutes each) are written, hosted and acted out by Rossellini. She has written a book to accompany the third season - a multimedia experiment that contains a companion DVD, both of which serve as additional information for the series' third season.^[19]

Personal life[link]

Rossellini holds dual United States and Italian citizenship.^[4][20]

She was married to Martin Scorsese from 1979 to 1982.^{[citation needed]} After her marriage to Scorsese ended, she married Jon Wiedemann (1983–1986), a Harvard-educated model from Texas (now a Microsoft executive).^{[citation needed]} Later, she dated David Lynch, Gary Oldman, and Gregory Mosher.^{[citation needed]}

She has a daughter, Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann (born 1983), and an adopted son, Roberto (born 1992).^{[citation needed]}

Credits[link]

Further reading[link]

• "Isabella Rossellini: Biography" (Flash). Iconoclasts. Sundance Channel L.L.C.. http://www.iconoclaststv.com/. Retrieved 2007-01-29. 
• Rossellini, Isabella (1997). Some of Me. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-45252-4. 
• Rossellini, Isabella (2002). Looking at Me (on pictures and photographers). Munich: Schirmer Art. ISBN 3-8296-0057-7. 
• Rossellini, Isabella (2006). In the Name of the Father, the Daughter and the Holy Spirits, Remembering Roberto Rossellini. London: Haus Publishing. ISBN 1-904950-91-4. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Isabella Rossellini

• The Babelgum Metropolis Art Prize, of which Isabella Rossellini is the head judge.
• Isabella Rossellini at the Internet Movie Database
• Isabella Rossellini at the TCM Movie Database
• Isabella Rossellini at the Fashion Model Directory
• Isabella Rossellini at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Interview with Isabella Rossellini before the release of The Saddest Music in the World.
• Interview with Isabella Rossellini after 14 years with Lancôme
• Interview with Isabella Rossellini about her career and her parent's legacy