Monica Bellucci is an Italian actress and former fashion model whose career has spanned Italian, French and international cinema. She is known for films including Malèna, The Matrix Reloaded, The Passion of the Christ, Irreversible and Spectre.
Monica Anna Maria Bellucci was born on 30 September 1964 in Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy.
She initially studied law and began modelling to help support herself during her studies. Modelling eventually became her full-time career, and she worked internationally with major fashion houses and magazines.
Bellucci began acting in Italian productions during the early 1990s. One of her early international appearances came in Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1992.
Her breakthrough came with the 1996 French film The Apartment, for which she received a César Award nomination.
Bellucci subsequently developed an international film career, moving between European productions and major Hollywood films.
Her best-known roles include Malèna in Malèna, Persephone in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Mary Magdalene in The Passion of the Christ and Lucia Sciarra in the James Bond film Spectre.
Her filmography has included productions in Italian, French and English, allowing her to build a career across several different film industries.
Bellucci has continued acting well beyond the conventional age at which many actresses experience reduced opportunities. Her later credits include On the Milky Road and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
She has also received French honours, including the Legion of Honour.
