She originally pursued a career in the legal profession. While attending the University of Perugia, she modeled on the side to earn money for school, and this led to her modeling career. In 1988, she moved to one of Europe's fashion centers, Milan, and joined Elite Model Management. Although enjoying great success as a model, she made her acting debut on television in 1990, and her American film debut in Bram Stoker's Drácula de Bram Stoker (1992). Her role in the French thriller Flash-back (El apartamento) (1996), shot her to stardom as she won the French equivalent of an Oscar nomination. Other credits include Malena (2000), Bajo sospecha (2000) and El pacto de los lobos (2001).
Monica Anna Maria Bellucci was born on September 30, 1964 in the Italian village of Città di Castello, Umbria, the only child of Brunella Briganti and Pasquale Bellucci. - IMDb Mini Biography By: anonymous
Spouse
Vincent Cassel (3 August 1999 - present) (separated) (2 children)
Claudio Carlos Basso (3 January 1990 - 25 June 1994) (divorced)
Trade Mark
Natural brunette hair
Voluptuous figure
Deep, sultry voice
Trivia
She appeared in a black and white TV commercial for Dolce & Gabbana. The director was Giuseppe Tornatore, who also directed her in the movie Malena (2000).
Is fluent in Italian, English, French, Persian and Spanish.
Daughter-in-law of Jean-Pierre Cassel.
Made a nude calendar for the Italian magazine Max in 1998 and another one for the Italian magazine GQ in 2000.
Was originally cast as Mina Harker in La liga de los hombres extraordinarios (2003) but had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict. The role then went to Peta Wilson.
Studied jurisprudence for a short time.
Gave birth to her 1st child at age 39, a daughter Deva Cassel on September 12, 2004. Child's father is her now estranged 2nd husband, Vincent Cassel.
She was elected the most beautiful woman in the world by French viewers on a television show "La Plus belle femme du monde" on November 8, 2004.
Also a successful fashion model represented by Elite and Storm Model Management.
Her favourite poem is "A Silvia" by Giacomo Leopardi.
Has her lookalike puppet on the French comedy show Les guignols de l'info (1988).
Ranked #6 on Maxim magazine's Hot 50 Women of 1999 list.
Ranked #9 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women of 2002 list.
Ranked #1 in Ask men's top 99 "most desirable" women of 2002.
Is an Italian citizen.
Favorite movie is Una jornada particular (1977) by Ettore Scola.
Her role as Chantal Hearst in Bajo sospecha (2000) was held by Romy Schneider in the original film Arresto preventivo (1981).
Owns an apartment in London, England.
Doesn't always live with her husband Vincent Cassel, for avoiding routine, the two live in separate apartments. she lives most of the time in Rome and he lives in Paris.
Bellucci is a typical surname from center Italy, it comes from the Latin word "Bellutus", and has the same root as surnames like Belluto, Belluti, Belluzzo, Belluccio, or the aristocratic surname of Belluzzi.
She speaks to her daughter Deva Cassel in Italian.
She has said in an interview that Sophia Loren and Claudia Cardinale have inspired her acting career.
Ranked #89 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement.
Is a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.
Is a supporter of the Italian football team.
Has a wax statue in the Grevin Museum in Paris.
Her parents are Luigi Bellucci and Maria Gustinelli.
She's an only child.
Ranked #5 on E! Entertainment Networks list of "101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies" list of 2006.
Attended University of Perugia.
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#35) (2007).
Best friends with Ilaria D'Amico.
Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 45, a daughter Léonie Cassel on May 21, 2010. Child's father is her now estranged 2nd husband, Vincent Cassel.
Was four months pregnant with her daughter Léonie when she completed filming La verdad oculta (2010).
Returned to work five months after giving birth to her daughter Deva in order to begin filming ¿Cuánto me amas? (2005).
Returned to work four months after giving birth to her daughter Léonie in order to begin filming Manuale d'amore 3. Las edades del amor (2011).
Sister-in-law of Rockin' Squat. Stepsister-in-law of Cécile Cassel.
Shares birthday with fellow actresses Deborah Kerr, Angie Dickinson, Marion Cotillard and actor Ezra Miller.
Separated from her second husband of 14 years Vincent Cassel. [August 2013]
Personal Quotes
My body is so important to me... my face, my arms, my legs, my hands, my eyes, everything. I use everything I have.
When I eat with my friends, it is a moment of real pleasure, when I really enjoy my life.
I come from a Catholic religion, but I'm not Catholic.
[on her daughter Deva] I didn't have familiarity with children. I'm learning day after day, with her. And what impress me the most is that she, Deva, is an individual person. But in miniature, she seems to be a special effect.
After love, the man sleeps, while the woman reflects.
Beauty becomes alive and interesting when it's habited.
Being an actress is the sublimation of feminity.
The human intelligence has progressed at the technological level; not a the level of feelings.
It is a handicap if you're stupid, but not if you are intelligent and know how to use your beauty.
I feel fine and comfortable with myself, but not because I'm beautiful. I know many beautiful people and their lives are just so terrible. They feel so uncomfortable with themselves. Being comfortable is not about what you look like, but how you feel. I'm a lucky person because I've been loved a lot. I have a great family.
Acting is not words. Holly Hunter didn't speak in El piano (1993) and she won an Oscar.
I live in Paris but I feel I am a daughter of Europe.
When I'll be old, I'd rather watch my children than my films.
My career, at the moment, is very exciting, but love comes first because it balances me.
I listen to "young" music, the one from my age. I adore soul, rap and funky.
[on her husband's support when Irreversible (2002) was released] Vincent was so incredible, so sweet. When we went to Cannes for the film, you know the moment when I come out from the tunnel and we see me for the first time completely with blood all over, he was crying. I said, "Vincent, come on. It's just a movie. We know it's not real."
As a European, I need to stay in Europe and I make Italian movies, French movies. Then to come to America is something interesting for me.
[on reality television] I think this is something that touches every country - America, Italy, France, England, all over. You will see all these people, they don't know how to sing, they don't know how to dance, and still they become famous. You know, just celebrities. And I think this is a very dangerous process.
This is what I like about America, because you have very big budget movie, and also independent movies, so you have many different choices. But I know that I'm European... Being European, it is not easy to find the right project, because you may look different, you sound different, and you have to find the right character.
[on ¿Cuánto me amas? (2005)] As a woman I am so curious about prostitutes because of the idea that they know men better than you. Also, it's such a strange way to live. But at the same time there are prostitutes who just want to be prostitutes, and this is this woman, nobody pushed her to do it. She's a prostitute because she wants to be a prostitute. It's her philosophy of life.
I'm not scared by nudity, because for me, nothing is more beautiful than a body. You can have such an amazing emotion from a body. In Irreversible (2002), I treated my body like it was an object and it's great when you can have this kind of relation with your body, it's a part of your job, an object you can work with. When you can have this kind of freedom it's the moment where you can give your best as an actress.
In 10 years, I've done so many things. In the beginning I didn't know if I was still a model, if I was an actress. I knew I wanted to be an actress, but it was so difficult to be believed. Now things are going better and better and the proposals I have are much more interesting than five years ago. It's like getting older is getting better.
Maybe the reason I work a lot is because each director thinks that I'll be better with him. Maybe the moment where I'll be completely accepted I won't work any more.
[on why she will not move to Hollywood to further her film career]: I could never live there. They are obsessed with youth and beauty even more than us. There is this thing in America where actresses reach 40 and go mad. The film industry wants all these young people. They also like a different sort of woman (to me). I will never be skinny. I also had a child a year ago, and I have been lazy. I love to eat. Who cares? I am natural.
I am at a stage in my life where if I don't go out, I don't feel I'm missing something. I get bored surrounded by people smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol. And I'm not so interested now in going to premieres or being photographed on the red carpet. I want to be with my daughter.
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.
I know that beauty invites a certain curiosity. But, as Oscar Wilde said, beauty is just five minutes long if you don't have anything else to sustain that curiosity. I don't think that I would have made this kind of career if I were just beautiful. Directors don't call you for your beauty but for your talent.
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