Monica Bellucci

Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (Italian: [ˈmɔːnika belˈluttʃi]; born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model before transitioning to Italian and later American and French films. She has played starring roles, supporting roles and guest appearances within an eclectic filmography spanning a range of genres and languages. In 2018, Forbes Italy named her one of the 100 most successful Italian women.

Bellucci was an Elite model and the protagonist of Dolce & Gabbana campaigns. She made her acting debut in the Italian television miniseries Vita coi figli (1991). Bellucci went on to play one of Dracula's brides in the horror film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) and then enrolled in acting classes. After appearing in Italian productions, she had her breakthrough role in the arthouse film The Apartment (1996), for which she received a César Award nomination for Most Promising Actress. Bellucci came to the attention of American audiences in Under Suspicion (2000) and gained greater international recognition as Malèna Scordia in Malèna (2000), a defining moment in her career. Bellucci starred in the period drama Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) and the comedy film Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002). She portrayed a rape victim in the controversial arthouse thriller Irréversible (2002) and Persephone in the 2003 science-fiction sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

Bellucci was praised for portraying Mary Magdalene in the drama The Passion of the Christ (2004). She played a prostitute in How Much Do You Love Me? (2005) and Shoot 'Em Up (2007) and acted a diverse array of roles, including in The Whistleblower (2010), The Ages of Love (2011), and The Wonders (2014). Her role in Ville-Marie (2015) earned her the Dublin Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Actress. At the age of 50, by appearing in the James Bond film Spectre (2015), Bellucci became the oldest Bond girl in the history of the franchise. She continued her career as an international actress, playing in films such as On the Milky Road (2016) and The Man Who Sold His Skin (2020) and subsequently sought to move away from the typecasting to which she has often been the subject. Her television appearances include the series Mozart in the Jungle (2016) and the original French version Dix pour cent (2018). Bellucci made her stage debut in 2019, initiating a long series of interpretations of the Letters and Memoirs of Maria Callas.

Bellucci starred alongside her second husband, Vincent Cassel, in an on-screen partnership that spanned ten years. She has remained involved in modelling and as an ambassador for luxury brands such as Cartier and Dior. She has been labelled a sex symbol by various media outlets. Among her accolades are two Globo d'oro Awards, two Nastro d'Argento Awards, a Donostia Award, and a David Special Award. Bellucci received the knight insignias of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2006 and of the Legion of Honour in 2016. She represents Italy as a permanent member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.