Monica Bellucci Biography
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Monica Bellucci
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| Monica Bellucci | |
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 At the premiere of The Matrix Reloaded, May 7, 2003 at Westwood, Los Angeles, California |
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| Born | September 30, 1964 [1] or September 30, 1968 [2] Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy |
| Occupation | Actress and fashion model |
| Spouse(s) | Vincent Cassel (1999-present) |
Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (born September 30, 1964 or 1968[A]) is an Italian actress, and fashion model.
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Personal life
Bellucci was born in Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy,[3] the daughter of Maria Gustinelli, a painter, and Luigi Bellucci, who owned a trucking company.[4] Bellucci started modelling at 16, when she was attending the Liceo classico. Initially pursuing a career as a lawyer, Bellucci modeled to pay her tuition at the University of Perugia,[2] but the lifestyle tempted her away from her law studies. She speaks Italian, French, and English fluently, Spanish semi-fluently, and she has had speaking roles in each of these languages as well as in Aramaic for her part as Mary Magdalene in The Passion of the Christ.
Bellucci is married to fellow actor Vincent Cassel, with whom she has appeared in several films, and has a daughter named Deva (born September 12, 2004). In 2004, while pregnant with her daughter, Bellucci posed nude for the Italian Vanity Fair Magazine in protest against Italian laws that prevent the use of donor sperm.[5]
Career
Modeling
In 1988, Bellucci moved to one of Europe's fashion centers, Milan, where she signed with Elite Model Management. By 1989, she was becoming prominent as a fashion model in Paris and across the Atlantic, in New York City. She posed for Dolce & Gabbana and French ELLE, among others. In that year, Bellucci made the transition to acting and began taking acting classes. The February 2001 Esquire Magazine's feature on Desire featured Ms. Bellucci on the cover and in an article on the five senses. In 2003, she was featured in Maxim.[6] In 2004, she topped AskMen's 100 Most Beautiful Women in the World annual list. Bellucci's modelling career is managed by Elite+ in NYC. She is considered an Italian sex symbol.[1][7][8] She is currently a face of a range of Dior Cosmetics. Bellucci is also signed to Storm Model Management in London.
Entertainment
Bellucci's film career began in the early 1990s. In 1992 she made her first appearance in a major English-language film as one of Dracula's brides in Bram Stoker's Dracula. She became known and popular with worldwide audiences following her roles in Malèna, Brotherhood of the Wolf and Irréversible, though is perhaps best known for her role as Persephone in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions followed by her portrayal of Mary Magdelene in The Passion of the Christ.
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In a documentary about the film, The Big Question, she stated: "I am an agnostic, even though I respect and am interested in all religions. If there's something I believe in, it's a mysterious energy; the one that fills the oceans during tides, the one that unites nature and beings."[9]
In 2003, Bellucci starred in Tears of the Sun as a doctor in Nigeria being rescued by the U.S., and in 2005 in the fantasy film The Brothers Grimm as a beautiful evil queen. Her latest films are The Stone Council, directed by the Frenchman Guillaume Nicloux (2006) and Manuale d'amore 2 (2007) where she portrays a physiotherapist who is the object of the desire of her patient. She was supposed to be seen portraying Indian politician Sonia Gandhi in the biopic Sonia, originally planned for release in 2007 but now shelved. September 2007 saw the release of Shoot 'Em Up, where she plays a prostitute opposite Clive Owen. She dubbed her own voice for the French and Italian releases of the film.[10]
She filmed Le Deuxième souffle with Daniel Auteuil, Michel Blanc and Eric Cantona (2006).
Bellucci also voiced Kaileena in the video game Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and the French voice of Cappy for the French version of the 2005 animated movie Robots.
In 2007, she appeared in Heartango, a movie for Intimissimi, with José Fidalgo and directed by Gabriele Muccino.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Bram Stoker's Dracula | Dracula's Bride | |
| 1996 | L'Appartement | Lisa | |
| 1997 | Dobermann | Nat the Gypsy | |
| 2000 | Under Suspicion | Chantal Hearst | |
| Franck Spadone | Laura | ||
| Malèna | Malèna Scordia | ||
| 2001 | Brotherhood of the Wolf (Le Pacte des loups) | Sylvia | |
| 2002 | Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre | Cleopatra | |
| Irréversible | Alex | ||
| 2003 | Ricordati di me (Remember Me, My Love) | Alessia | |
| Tears of the Sun | Lena Fiore Kendricks | ||
| The Matrix Reloaded | Persephone | ||
| Enter the Matrix (video game) | Persephone | ||
| The Matrix Revolutions | Persephone | ||
| 2004 | The Passion of the Christ | Mary Magdalene | |
| Agents secrets | Barbara/Lisa | ||
| She Hate Me | Simona Bonasera | ||
| 2005 | The Brothers Grimm | The Mirror Queen | |
| Combien tu m'aimes? | Daniela | ||
| 2006 | Le Concile de pierre (The Stone Council) | Laura Siprien | |
| 2007 | Heartango | L'inafferrabile/La passionale/L'indecisa/La curiosa/L'aggressiva/La mamma/La premurosa | Short film for Intimissimi |
| Manuale d'amore 2 (Capitoli successivi) | Lucia | ||
| Shoot 'Em Up | Donna Quintano | ||
| Le deuxième souffle | Manouche | Remake of the 1966 film | |
| 2008 | Sanguepazzo (Wild Blood) | Luisa Ferida | |
| L'uomo che ama | Alba | ||
| 2009 | Ne te retourne pas | ||
| The Private Lives of Pippa Lee | Gigi |
Notes
A Bellucci's date of birth is uncertain and different sources give different dates[11]; the most common years given are 1964 and 1968.
References
- ^ a b "Danger woman", Guardian Unlimited - The Observer Magazine (2005-10-23).
- ^ a b Richard Corliss (2003-03-10). "It's Monica Mania", Time Magazine.
- ^ "Movies at MSN.com".
- ^ Monica Bellucci Biography (1969?-)
- ^ Richard Owen (2005-06-04). "Actresses fight Pope over fertility", The Times.
- ^ "Monica Bellucci Photos". Maxim.
- ^ Hugh Davies (2003-01-23). "Gibson brings his passion for Christ to the big screen", Telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Monica baronessa divertente per Virzì "Bello quel ruolo un po' da mignotta"", La Repubblica (2006-10-14).(Italian)
- ^ "Monica-Bellucci.net".
- ^ "Monica Bellucci's balancing act".
- ^ "Monica Bellucci". Notable Names Database. Retrieved on 2008-07-10.
External links
