152 Facts About Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci has an eclectic filmography in a range of genres and languages, and her accolades include the David di Donatello, Globo d'oro and Nastro d'Argento awards.

Monica Bellucci made her acting debut in the Italian television miniseries ; she went on to play one of Dracula's brides in the horror film Bram Stoker's Dracula and then enrolled in acting classes.

Monica Bellucci was praised for her portrayal of Mary Magdalene in the drama The Passion of the Christ.

At the age of 50, Monica Bellucci appeared in the James Bond film Spectre, becoming the oldest Bond girl in the history of the franchise.

Monica Bellucci later appeared in films such as On the Milky Road, The Man Who Sold His Skin, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Monica Bellucci made her stage debut in 2019 as Maria Callas in Letters and Memoirs.

Monica Bellucci starred alongside her second husband Vincent Cassel in on-screen partnerships that spanned ten years.

Monica Bellucci has remained involved in modelling, and worked as a brand ambassador for luxury brands such as Cartier and Dior.

Monica Bellucci received the knight insignias of the French Order of Arts and Letters in 2006 and of the French Legion of Honour in 2016.

Monica Bellucci represents Italy as a permanent member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Monica Anna Maria Bellucci was born in, Umbria, Italy, on 30 September 1964.

Monica Bellucci's father Pasquale Bellucci owned a trucking company, and her mother Brunella Briganti was a housewife and amateur painter.

Monica Bellucci was the only child in her family since her parents did not want another one.

Monica Bellucci grew up in, in the of San Giustino on the banks of the Tiber River.

Monica Bellucci was introduced to modelling at age 13 when she posed for a photographer friend-of-the-family in.

Monica Bellucci's father said she complained that everyone stared at her.

Monica Bellucci has said her personality largely reflects her upbringing: "Certainly a lot of positivity depends on the climate in which my parents raised me".

At age 16, Monica Bellucci was asked to pose for photography sessions by her father's friend, the director of a fashion agency.

In 1983, Monica Bellucci was dressed by -based fashion entrepreneur Pina Alberti and modelled at a fashion show at the, the city's municipal theatre, as part of an event called Momento Donna, which Maria Giovanna Elmi hosted.

Monica Bellucci studied law at the University of Perugia, aiming to become a lawyer.

Monica Bellucci financed her studies by working as a model through her father's friend.

In 1989, Monica Bellucci lived in New York and was already a millionaire.

Monica Bellucci appeared in fashion parades for the luxury fashion house Fendi.

In 1991, Monica Bellucci was the brand ambassador for the cosmetics company L'Oreal.

Monica Bellucci appeared in advertisements for Givenchy, Nina Ricci, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace and other luxury brands.

In 1992, Monica Bellucci combined her work as a model with her acting debut.

Monica Bellucci opted to follow her passion for cinema, turned to acting and stopped modelling full-time, although she remained active in the industry.

In 1997, Monica Bellucci became the brand ambassador and muse of Cartier jewellery.

Monica Bellucci posed for the GQ calendar in 2000 and was photographed by Gian Paolo Barbieri.

In 2004, while pregnant with her first child, Monica Bellucci posed nude for the Italian cover of Vanity Fair in a protest against Italian laws that restricted access to in vitro fertilisation.

Cartier designed a collection of luxury diamond jewellery that was inspired by Monica Bellucci and bore her name.

Monica Bellucci again posed semi-nude whilst pregnant for the cover of the April 2010 issue of Vanity Fair Italy.

Monica Bellucci was signed to Storm Management in London and D'Management Group in Milan.

Monica Bellucci was chosen as the face of German cosmetics manufacturer Nivea for its 2018 and 2019 campaigns.

Monica Bellucci remained the "muse" and ambassador of the Cartier brand in the 2020s.

Monica Bellucci had never thought of becoming an actress and was surprised to be chosen for a role.

Monica Bellucci made her acting debut in Vita coi figli, a two-part television film that was broadcast in Italy in May 1991, in which she played Elda.

In 1992, Monica Bellucci played one of the three brides of Dracula in the horror film Bram Stoker's Dracula.

At Coppola's request, Monica Bellucci stayed in Los Angeles during filming; she was apprehensive about the city and believed her English needed improvement.

Monica Bellucci decided her next acting work would be in Italy.

Monica Bellucci said a time when all of her friends were leaving the faculty was a challenging time.

Monica Bellucci had difficulty overcoming the prejudices related to her modelling and her physical appearance, and had to work to establish her credibility.

Monica Bellucci appeared in the Emmy-winning biblical television miniseries Joseph.

Monica Bellucci moved to France to improve her career prospects, and settled in Paris in 1995.

At this point in her career, Monica Bellucci made a significant impact on European audiences.

In 2000, Monica Bellucci caught the attention of American audiences with her first English-language lead role in Hopkins' Under Suspicion, in which she starred opposite Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman.

Hopkins cast Monica Bellucci after watching her performance in The Apartment and retained her ideas to create the character Chantal Hearst.

Monica Bellucci has this quality that reminds me of Jeanne Moreau.

Monica Bellucci returned to Italian cinema, portraying Malena Scordia, an enigmatic, envied and coveted World War II widow whose life unfolds before a 13-year-old boy in the Tornatore-directed film Malena, which is set in Sicily.

Los Angeles Times film critic Kevin Thomas said the film emphasises the seductive appeal of the film's protagonist Scordia, to whom Monica Bellucci gave an "heroic" portrayal that was delivered with a few lines of dialogue.

Monica Bellucci starred with Samuel Le Bihan and Vincent Cassel in Christophe Gans' Brotherhood of the Wolf, a 2001 French period drama film that is based on historical events involving the beast of Gevaudan that decimated the population of in 18th-century France.

Monica Bellucci portrayed the "prickly" Cleopatra, the queen of Ancient Egypt, in the comedy film, which was directed by Alain Chabat.

Lisa Nesselson of Variety said Monica Bellucci showed "responses to peril and joy [that are] particularly memorable".

In 2003, Monica Bellucci played Alessia in the Italian film Remember Me, My Love, which was directed by Gabriele Muccino and earned Monica Bellucci the Nastro d'Argento award for Best Supporting Actress.

Monica Bellucci co-starred with Bruce Willis in Antoine Fuqua's Tears of the Sun, an action-adventure film that is set during a civil war in Nigeria.

Monica Bellucci played Doctor Lena Kendricks, who is working for a humanitarian organisation in a village that is threatened by rebels.

Monica Bellucci successively portrayed the character Persephone in the two 2003 science fiction films The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

Monica Bellucci described her character as "dangerous, sensual with some sense of humor", recalling fond memories with Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, and Keanu Reeves throughout the filming process in Australia.

Alongside its release, Monica Bellucci appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone Spanish edition.

In Rome, before filming Tears of the Sun, Monica Bellucci was notified a Mel Gibson film about Jesus was in production and she asked to meet with him about the role of Mary Magdalene.

Monica Bellucci's agent advised her against appearing in this film due to its potential failure because its distribution was undetermined at the time.

Monica Bellucci ignored her agent's suggestion and rejected another film offer.

Monica Bellucci wanted to portray the character as "strong and deep" but no-one believed the film would succeed.

The film includes dialogue in Aramaic and Latin, languages Monica Bellucci had to quickly learn.

The New York Times film critic A O Scott said Bellucci was the only exception to the "absence of identifiable movie stars".

On 2 July 2005, Monica Bellucci was awarded the European Golden Globe for cinema at Rome's 45th Globo d'oro ceremony.

Monica Bellucci said she appreciated acting in both American and European films.

In Terry Gilliam's fantasy adventure film The Brothers Grimm, Monica Bellucci played the 500-year-old Mirror Queen, starring opposite Matt Damon and Heath Ledger.

San Francisco Chronicle film critic Mick LaSalle said Monica Bellucci convincingly portrayed her character, whose centuries-old age appeared to him to be discordant with her "allure".

Monica Bellucci voiced Cappy for the French version of the 2005 animated film Robots.

Monica Bellucci portrayed Daniela, the most beautiful prostitute in Pigalle, Paris, whom a lottery-winning office worker offers to pay to live with him.

Nesselson commented Monica Bellucci was optimally used in the film because she stimulates the viewer's senses and intellect.

Monica Bellucci said she declined to play a role in the blockbuster 300 and instead appeared in the The Stone Council.

Monica Bellucci was cast after the initial announcement of Sophie Marceau for the lead role in the thriller.

The film differs by character names; the book's female hero is called Diane Thiberge whereas Monica Bellucci starred as Laura Siprien, a tormented adoptive mother who is confronted by killers who want to steal her child.

Monica Bellucci starred opposite Paul Giamatti and Clive Owen in Michael Davis' action thriller Shoot 'Em Up, which was released in the US in September 2007.

Monica Bellucci portrayed Donna Quintano, who teams up with Owen's character Mr Smith to protect a baby during a bloody fight.

Monica Bellucci was fond of this sort of paradox and tried to highlight this virtue in her portrayals of characters of all types but noted she could explore the opposite spectrum.

Monica Bellucci dubbed her own voice for the French and Italian releases of Shoot 'Em Up, saying it was a frequent practice for her to accomplish each film three times.

Monica Bellucci continued to work in French film productions and starred alongside Auteuil in Alain Corneau's The Second Wind, a remake of the critically acclaimed Jean-Pierre Melville's 1966 gangster film of the same title.

Monica Bellucci portrayed Manouche, a tenacious character who has affection for an escaped convicted gangster.

Monica Bellucci had the idea of dyeing her hair blonde to adhere to the style of female film noir characters of the 1950s and 1960s.

Monica Bellucci felt a "visceral" need to regularly act in Italian films.

On 5 March 2009, Monica Bellucci received a World Actress Award at the Women's World Award in Vienna.

Varietys Derek Elley said Monica Bellucci "looks elegant and mystified", although both film critics noted the clumsily written dialogue.

Monica Bellucci reunited with Reeves in Rebecca Miller's romantic comedy-drama The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, which co-stars Winona Ryder and Robin Wright.

Monica Bellucci portrayed Gigi Lee, the former wife of a successful publisher Herb.

Monica Bellucci next appeared in a cameo role in Tornatore's autobiographical film Baaria, a family saga traversing several generations that was filmed in Bagheria, Sicily.

In 2010, Monica Bellucci portrayed Laura Leviani in Larysa Kondracki's biopic drama thriller The Whistleblower, which was primarily filmed in Romania and depicts a vast human trafficking network that was discovered in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1999.

Helene Delye of Le Monde described Monica Bellucci's character as a "grizzled, stubborn, insensitive civil servant".

Monica Bellucci made three films in seven months; these were Giovanni Veronesi's The Ages of Love, Philippe Garrel's A Burning Hot Summer, and Bahman Ghobadi's Rhino Season.

De Niro was delighted to work with Monica Bellucci, saying she had "worked her magic" on him and that he had accepted the role because he wanted to act alongside her.

Journalist Helen Barlow of SBS Australia said Monica Bellucci "brought her natural poise and grace" to the character and "surprises with a stoic minimalist performance".

In 2014, Monica Bellucci appeared in Alice Rohrwacher's The Wonders as Milly Catena, host of a televised contest.

In 2015, Monica Bellucci starred as Sophie Bernard in the Canadian drama film Ville-Marie, which was directed by Guy Edoin.

Monica Bellucci stated Edoin had offered her "one of the most beautiful roles" of her career and described a stimulating fear of embodying Bernard's character that emotionally affected her.

The film garnered generally positive reviews and Monica Bellucci's performance was unanimously praised.

At 50, Monica Bellucci became the oldest Bond girl at that time in the James Bond film franchise, playing Lucia Sciarra in Sam Mendes' Spectre.

Monica Bellucci was initially skeptical about Mendes' project but he argued casting a mature woman in a James Bond film would be innovative.

Monica Bellucci felt gratified to have been the first to portray a role she defined as a "James Bond lady".

Monica Bellucci portrayed Nevesta in the film On the Milky Road, a romance that is set during the 1990s Bosnian War and whose lead role was played by the film's director Emir Kusturica.

Monica Bellucci had to adapt to challenging production conditions in a "land of beauty and violence"; Kusturica suffered "great [mental] pain" during filming, which spanned four summers.

The Hollywood Reporters Neil Young said the Golden Lion-nominated film's approach lacks nuance while Monica Bellucci performed "admirably well" and kept her "dignity intact" in a physically demanding role.

In 2017, Monica Bellucci appeared in the third season of Mark Frost and David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks.

In 2018, Monica Bellucci had a leading role in the Australian comedy science-fiction horror film Nekrotronic, playing a necromancer and demonic soul-eater.

Also in 2018, Monica Bellucci appeared in the third season of the France 2 comedy television series, playing herself with self-mockery.

In Claude Lelouch's film The Best Years of a Life, which is set in Normandy, Monica Bellucci had a cameo role as Elena, the daughter of Jean-Louis Duroc.

Monica Bellucci has intermittently performed the show over a number of years.

In 2020, Monica Bellucci starred as Soraya in the Oscar-nominated film The Man Who Sold His Skin, which Kaouther Ben Hania directed.

In 2021, at the 66th David di Donatello ceremony, Monica Bellucci received a David Special Award for her career achievements.

Monica Bellucci co-starred as part of an ensemble cast including Liam Neeson and Guy Pearce in Martin Campbell's action thriller Memory, in which she played Davana Sealman, an unscrupulous real-estate magnate.

Monica Bellucci was initially interested in the duality of the antagonist's persona she would play and wanted to avoid typecasting based on her physical appearance, which she had experienced in the past.

In 2022, Monica Bellucci performed Maria Callas: Letters and Memoirs at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, Chatelet Theatre in Paris, and at venues in Istanbul and Los Angeles.

In January 2023, at 58, Monica Bellucci performed the play at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

In 2023, recalling Irreversible, Monica Bellucci told The New York Times her "days of acting in transgressive movies are behind her" because she is a mother.

In 2023, Monica Bellucci entered talks to star in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as Delores, Betelgeuse's ex-wife and the movie's villain.

Monica Bellucci won the Nastro d'Argento Award for Protagonist of the Year in Documentaries 2024 for her interpretation of Callas in Letters and Memoirs.

Monica Bellucci was mistress of ceremonies at the 56th Cannes Film Festival, presiding over the opening and closing ceremonies that were held on the Promenade de la Croisette from 14 to 25 May 2003.

In 2017, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited Monica Bellucci to become a permanent member representing Italy, becoming one of the voting jurors who award the annual Academy Awards.

From 26 to 30 September 2018, Monica Bellucci chaired the judging panel of the 29th Dinard British Film Festival.

Monica Bellucci was due to be chairwoman of the 15th Crystal Globe Awards, which was scheduled for 14 March 2020 at the Wagram auditorium in Paris, but the ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2008, Monica Bellucci supported a fundraising campaign for a centre for children with cancer located in Prima Porta, Italy.

In 2010, Monica Bellucci became patron of, an apolitical, secular French association promoting equality between men and women in society.

Monica Bellucci is a patron of the association SOS Autism France.

Monica Bellucci has been involved in state dinners chaired by the President of France and organised as part of visits by foreign heads of state.

On 21 November 2012, Monica Bellucci attended a state dinner French President Francois Hollande hosted at the Elysee Palace in Paris during the visit of President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano and his ministers.

On 5 July 2021, Monica Bellucci was invited to a state dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in honour of Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura.

On 10 April 2016, the agency Karin Models, which represented Monica Bellucci, opened an official Instagram account for her.

Monica Bellucci was the first-ever foreign public figure invited by the City of Paris and the Committee to inaugurate this annual celebration.

On 9 May 2008, L'Obs reported on a survey of 1,003 people conducted by the Superior Audiovisual Council as part of Europe Day, where Monica Bellucci was the second-most-popular European personality of the French.

In 2018, Monica Bellucci was included in Forbes Italys list of "Successful women: the 100 winning Italian women".

In 2001, Monica Bellucci was pictured nude with caviar on her breasts on the cover of Esquires Desire issue.

Monica Bellucci was named the "Most Beautiful Woman in the World" in 2004 and 2007 in an Ipsos survey of 1,002 people in France that was commissioned by TF1.

In 2011, Monica Bellucci was ranked fourth in Los Angeles Times Magazines list of the "50 most beautiful women in film".

In 2005, Salisbury wrote in The Guardian Monica Bellucci represents an "international object of desire" and said: "[i]n person, as on screen, Monica Bellucci radiates a rare, otherworldly beauty".

Monica Bellucci takes a "peaceful" attitude towards ageing and mainly believes in pasta, wine, and a little pilates for her "beauty regime", and is not addicted to exercise and dieting.

In 2023, Monica Bellucci said having been "objectified" during her film career did not bother her and that she was aware she had made the most of her body for specific roles.

Elisabeth Vincentelli wrote for The New York Times in 2023 that Monica Bellucci has achieved a "reputation as a symbol of European glamour and sophistication" that is "firmly established".

Monica Bellucci was in a relationship with Italian actor Nicola Farron for several years.

In March 2013, Monica Bellucci reflected on the evolution of their marriage when she and Cassel often lived separately in Italy, France, Brazil and England.

In October 2013, Monica Bellucci said she had almost always been in a relationship since the one with her first boyfriend at the age of fourteen.

In 2019, Monica Bellucci was in a relationship with the French sculptor and former model Nicolas Lefebvre.

Lefebvre, who was then aged 36, and Monica Bellucci made their relationship "official" in early March 2019 during a Chanel show at the Grand Palais in Paris.

Monica Bellucci told Italian magazine F about the end of their relationship, which was reported by other media in early July 2019.

In June 2023, Monica Bellucci confirmed she was in a relationship with Burton.

Besides her native Italian, Monica Bellucci is fluent in French and English, and is proficient in Portuguese and Spanish.

Monica Bellucci said she votes in Italy, not in France, and she does not have French nationality.

Monica Bellucci owns houses in Rome and Lisbon, and in 2023, she purchased a villa on the Greek island of Paros.

The French authorities tried to recover French taxes for the tax years 2011 to 2013 because they suspected tax evasion; Monica Bellucci's lawyer stated she lived in the UK and not Paris.

In September 2021, Monica Bellucci said being "up to date with my tax obligations both in France and abroad".

Monica Bellucci has developed her acting career by alternating low-budget arthouse and films with big-budget films in the Italian, French and American industries.

Monica Bellucci has received honours from the French and Italian governments.