Monica Bellucci is a world-renowned Italian actress who frequently works in Hollywood, and a model. For many, Monica embodies true beauty and femininity.
Monica Bellucci – a recognized sex symbol of the 90s
Childhood
Monica Bellucci's parents had a complex fate. Her father is Pasquale Bellucci and mother is Brunella Briganti.
Monica Bellucci in childhood (right)
They settled in the small Italian town of Città di Castello. The man worked in trucking company, and his wife became a housewife. They lived modestly, but were deeply in love. The only cloud over their union was their long-term childlessness. The doctors diagnosed the woman with "infertility" and advised her to hope for a miracle. So when their daughter Monica was born on September 30, 1964, the parents took it as a divine intervention.
12-year-old Monica Bellucci with her father (right)
The future celebrity grew up in a poor family and understood that the lack of money could only be compensated by education, so Monica Bellucci was a diligent student at school. In her youth, in addition to her native language, Monica Bellucci mastered French and English perfectly, as well as the basics of Spanish.
In her youth, Monica Bellucci dreamed of becoming a lawyer
From childhood, Monica was set on a career as a lawyer. At the same time, from an early age, people noticed her striking appearance, the result of a mix of Eastern and Mediterranean blood. So, as a teenager, at 13, she started working part-time as a model. A local amateur photographer helped her put together a portfolio.
Modeling Career
At the age of 16, the girl was already walking the runway at Liceo Classico. Monica enjoyed transforming into glamorous looks and catching the admiring glances of photographers, and she gave up her childhood dream of a career in law.
At 16, Bellucci signed a contract with a renowned modeling agency
In 1983, she wanted to enroll in the law department of the University of Perugia, but had to give up her studies due to her busy schedule.
In 1988, 24-year-old Monica moved to Milan, where she signed a contract with Elite Model Management. A year later, Monica Bellucci was well-known among the fashion industry representatives in New York and Paris.
18-year-old Monica Bellucci is an accomplished model
The young celebrity posed for French Elle and appeared in an advertisement for Dolce & Gabbana perfume. The video for the brand was shot by Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, who later directed Bellucci in his film.
Young Monica Bellucci in L'Oreal Ad (1992)
Acting Career
Monica Bellucci achieved considerable success in the modeling business, but she didn't want to stop there. Her acting debut occurred in 1990 in Italian cinema. Her first roles included parts in the films "Vita coi figli," "La Riffa."
Monica Bellucci's first appearance on television (1991)
In 1992, renowned director Francis Ford Coppola drastically changed the situation by casting Bellucci as Dracula's bride in a film with Gary Oldman as the bloodthirsty count and young Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves. This was Monica's first significant role. After this, she started receiving offers from directors in America and Europe.
Monica Bellucci as Dracula's Bride
Monica's triumphant success on the European continent came in 1996, after her performance as Lisa in the melodrama "The Apartment". The young beauty Bellucci won the hearts of audiences and critics and received a "Cesar" award. During the shooting, she met the already popular French actor Vincent Cassel. The following year, she starred with him in the French action film "Doberman," where she played the role of the deaf girlfriend of the main character, a bandit.
Monica Bellucci & Vincent Cassel dance - The Apartment 1996
In 1997, Monica Bellucci participated in the shooting of three films - "Stressati," "Come mi vuoi," and "A los que aman," and a year later in four more - "Compromis," "Le Plaisir," "L'ultimo capodanno." Job offers kept pouring in for the beautiful Italian, but Monica approached each one critically and demandingly. She strived to choose only those roles where her talent could be fully revealed, not just to showcase her already obvious beauty.
Bellucci and Cassel were one of the most beautiful star couples
Monica's ticket to the big screen was her role in Giuseppe Tornatore's drama "Malena" (2000), where she seemed to play herself - an incredibly beautiful woman for whom her unearthly appearance becomes both a gift and a curse. Beauty is dangerous - it burns some with envy, others with lust, but at the same time, it is a gift that must be carried with dignity. For this delicately performed role, the actress won the Audience Award from the European Film Academy in 2001.
People can forgive even your talent, but they will never forgive your beauty.
Monica Bellucci
In 2001, Monica starred in the film "Le Pacte des loups" with her husband Vincent Cassel, for which she was awarded another prize - the "Saturn" award for the best female supporting role. She then played Cleopatra in the adventure comedy "Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra" with Gerard Depardieu. The film was destined for success, largely due to Bellucci's participation, as Monica embodies regal beauty, and the role of the last Egyptian queen seemed to be crafted especially for her.
The film featuring Bellucci was doomed to success
This was followed by the provocative film "Irreversible" (2002) by Gaspar Noé, which elicited a storm of mixed emotions from the audience. The nine-minute rape scene of Monica's character was depicted so realistically that many viewers felt ill during its screening at Cannes. Bellucci herself later admitted that she finds it scary to rewatch this film, but it's clear that this is one of the best and bravest works in her career. Interestingly, in this experimental drama, where all events are shown in reverse order, Monica's boyfriend was played by her husband, Vincent Cassel.
Monica Bellucci Irreversible tunnel scene repetition
Next in Bellucci's filmography followed the Italian film "Ricordati di me" (2003) and the drama "Tears of the Sun" (2003) with Bruce Willis, after which the same year, the actress appeared in the popular films by then still the Wachowski brothers "The Matrix: Revolutions" and "The Matrix: Reloaded". Monica played the role of the mysterious Persephone, the wife of the Merovingian, who offers help to Neo (Keanu Reeves) in exchange for a passionate kiss. Of course, the directors of the legendary trilogy couldn't ignore the appeal of the Italian actress, so they picked for her a simple character who just uses her sexuality.
Monica Bellucci in The Matrix
Her participation in the shooting of "The Matrix" marked a new, and very important, stage in the career of the 39-year-old Italian actress - the conquest of Hollywood. And the industry, always drawn to beauty, sexuality, and charisma, could not resist Monica Bellucci. The actress could have easily exploited the image of an unattainable beauty, but she preferred serious acting work and non-trivial scripts. At this time, Monica often changed the genres of the films in her filmography, proving that she could appear in any role.
Monica Bellucci in 2005
After "The Matrix" she played Mary Magdalene in Mel Gibson's biblical drama "The Passion of the Christ". The heavy film with many brutal scenes, telling of the last days of Christ before the crucifixion, received mixed reviews from critics, including for its controversial interpretation of the Bible. Despite the fact that Monica is not a Catholic, she really wanted to get the role of Jesus's follower.
A frame from the movie The Passion of Christ
Next, the actress once again starred with Vincent Cassel - this time in the thriller "Secret Agents" (2004). Her next successful Hollywood project was the fantasy "The Brothers Grimm" (2005) by Terry Gilliam, telling an alternative biography of the most famous German storytellers. Of course, it wasn't without mysticism - Monica played an evil queen who died hundreds of years ago, but with the help of spells, she continues to tempt random visitors with her past beauty. The Grimm brothers Jacob and Wilhelm, played by Heath Ledger and Matt Damon, fall into her net.
Monica Bellucci's filmography also includes villainous roles
That same year, Bellucci once again took on the image of a fatal courtesan in the film of the famous French director Bertrand Blier "How Much Do You Love Me?", where her partner was Gerard Depardieu. The next major role for Monica was in the film "The Stone Council" (2006), where she starred with Catherine Deneuve and Moritz Bleibtreu. The general public remembers Bellucci's role in the Hollywood thriller "Shoot 'Em Up (2007) with Clive Owen. Also noteworthy is the famous actress's performance in the Italian melodrama "The Man Who Loves" (2008), where Ksenia Rappoport also played.
The actress still impresses with her beauty and sense of style
During this period, Bellucci also managed to collaborate with such French actors as Sophie Marceau and Daniel Auteuil. Also worth noting are the films in which she participated "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (2010) with Nicolas Cage and "Manual of Love" with Robert De Niro. In 2014, the actress played an opera diva in the popular Amazon series "Mozart in the Jungle" with Gael García Bernal. In 2015, Bellucci became the first mature Bond woman (Daniel Craig) in the new part of the Bond series - "007: Spectre".
In 2015 Monica Bellucci became the new girlfriend of James Bond
In 2016, the actress was fortunate to work with the cult Serbian director Emir Kusturica on his war melodrama "On the Milky Road". Bellucci played the main character's beloved, in which Kusturica himself transformed.
Interview with Monica Bellucci 'Close Up' 2013
In 2017, the actress hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the Cannes Film Festival for the second time. She also appeared in a cameo role in the continuation of the series "Twin Peaks" by David Lynch. Bellucci also agreed to participate in the sci-fi horror movie "Nekrotronic" and the thriller "Spider in the Web", where Ben Kingsley was also involved.
Monica Bellucci in her youth and now (18 and 50 years old)
In 2019, the actress starred in the short series "Do Not Disturb". One of its directors was Jude Law. That same year, she participated in the shooting of the French film "The Best Years of a Life", however, the film by Claude Lelouch was not highly rated by critics.
In 2020, the actress starred in several more films. Among them - "The Man Who Sold His Skin". Also in 2020, fans of early films with Bellucci had the opportunity to look at a familiar story from a new angle - Gaspar Noé re-edited the drama "Irreversible", bringing the narration into chronological order.
Monica Bellucci in The Man Who Sold His Skin
Bellucci is also confirmed for the main role in the mini-series "Radical Eye: The Life and Times of Tina Modotti", however, work on the project has not yet begun.
Monica Bellucci's Personal Life
Famous Italian actress Monica Bellucci has only had relationships with her fellow workers in the industry. Initially, she was briefly married to Argentine photographer Claudio Basso, followed by an engagement to Italian actor Nicola Farron.
Monica Bellucci and Nicola Farron
Monica met her future second husband, French actor Vincent Cassel, in 1996 during the filming of the romantic drama "The Apartment", where they played a couple in love.
The love story of Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel began on the set of 'The Apartment'
At first, they did not make a particularly good impression on each other: Monica found Cassel overly arrogant, and he saw her as just another starlet with a fantastic figure who fancied herself an actress. However, by the end of filming, they could not part from each other.
When I first met Vincent, there was a spark between us. Initially, we thought we felt animosity toward each other, but as we got to know each other better, we realized it was magical attraction. I don't know how we ended up together. We didn't choose who we wanted to be with; it just happened.
Nevertheless, the couple did not move in together – Monica needed her personal space and independence. Even several years after their wedding, they continued to live separately – he in France, and she in Italy. The actress explained this by her unwillingness to dive into family routine.
The couple lived apart for a long time
In 2004, the 40-year-old actress gave birth to her firstborn – a girl named Deva. The birth of their child brought Vincent and Monica closer and strengthened their relationship. Bellucci did not take a long maternity leave and after 9-months of breastfeeding, she returned to filming. In May 2010, Monica Bellucci gave birth to her second daughter – Leonie.
Deva Cassel, Monica Bellucci's eldest daughter
In 2013, the star couple Cassel-Bellucci, to the disappointment of numerous fans, split up. Perhaps, their frequent separations played a role in their break up. The actress later admitted that their independence eventually threatened their relationship, and they chose to part ways.
In 2013, Bellucci and Cassel divorced
In 2023, after the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, Bellucci was suspected of having a relationship with director Tim Burton. Soon, they confirmed these rumours: in October of the same year, they made their first public appearance as a couple at the Rome Film Festival.
Monica Bellucci and Tim Burton at the Lumière Film Festival
Now, Monica spends a lot of time with her family and raising her daughters. She admits that she wants her daughters to listen to their inner voice and understand that they do not need a man's support for personal success.
Monica Bellucci Now
In 2022, Monica was seen in the role of a mafia boss named Bianca in the crime comedy "Mafia Mamma". She was accompanied on set by Toni Collette, who played her character's protege. Bellucci, who rarely appears in comedy films, commented on her choice as follows:
...I've done few comedies in my career. I grew up on mafia movies, like many of my peers in Italy: 'Once Upon a Time in America', 'Goodfellas', and 'The Godfather'. But this was really something completely new - a mafia comedy with a feminine twist. We live in a society dominated by men, so these women have to defend themselves. Toni - she's fantastic. I'm so glad I had the chance to work with her.
Shortly after, Bellucci received another offer to star in a genre not too familiar to her. Tim Burton cast his beloved in the role of Beetlejuice's wife in his new film "Beetlejuice 2", a sequel to his 1988 movie.
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