Monica Bellucci

Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (ˈmɔːnika belˈluttʃi; born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model, modelling for Dolce & Gabbana, before transitioning to Italian and later American and French films. She has continued to be involved in modelling for Cartier, Dior and Dolce & Gabbana. In 2018, Forbes Italy named her one of the 100 most successful Italian women. Bellucci made her film debut in Francesco Laudadio's Italian comedy La Riffa (1991) and went on to play a bride of Dracula in Francis Ford Coppola's gothic horror romance film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). For her leading role in The Apartment (1996), Bellucci received a nomination at the 1997 César Award for Most Promising Actress. She captured American audiences' attention in Stephen Hopkins' Under Suspicion (2000). She gained greater international recognition by portraying Malèna Scordia in Giuseppe Tornatore's acclaimed Italian romantic drama Malèna (2000). Bellucci starred in Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) and in a comedic role in Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002). She starred in Gaspar Noé's controversial arthouse thriller Irréversible (2002), carried with her fearless performance. Bellucci portrayed Persephone in the 2003 science-fiction films The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. She portrayed Mary Magdalene in Mel Gibson's biblical drama The Passion of the Christ (2004). She starred in The Brothers Grimm (2005), How Much Do You Love Me? (2005), Shoot 'Em Up (2007), The Whistleblower (2010), The Ages of Love (2011), The Wonders (2014), and Ville-Marie (2015). At the age of 50, by appearing in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre, Bellucci became the oldest Bond girl in the history of the franchise. Continuing her international multilingual acting career, she has since acted in films such as On the Milky Road (2016), The Best Years of a Life (2019), The Man Who Sold His Skin (2020), and Memory (2022). Her television appearances include the series Mozart in the Jungle and Dix pour cent.