Monica Bellucci
Born in 1964 in the Italian village of Citta di Castello, Umbria, Bellucci 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 TV in 1990, and her American film debut in 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Her role in the 1996 French thriller, Appartement, L' (1996), shot her to stardom as she won the French equivalent of an Oscar nomination. Other credits include Malèna (2000), Under Suspicion (2000) and Pacte des loups, Le (2001). Monica can once again be seen in the upcoming action-thriller "Shoot Em Up" alongside Clive Owen.
Spouse
| Vincent Cassel | (3 August 1999 - present) 2 children |
| Claudio Carlos Basso | (3 January 1990 - 25 June 1994) (divorced) |
Trade Mark
Classical beauty
Trivia
She appeared in a black & white TV commercial for Dolce & Gabbana. The director was Giuseppe Tornatore, who also directed her in the movieMalèna (2000).
Fluent in Italian, English, French 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 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) but had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict. The part then went to Peta Wilson.
Studied jurisprudence for a short time.
Daughter, Deva Cassel (b. 12 September 2004 in Rome, Italy).
She was elected the most beautiful woman in the world by French viewers on a TV show "La Plus belle femme du monde" on 8th November 2004.
Also a successful fashion model represented by Elite and Storm Model Management.
Favourite poem is "A Silvia" by Giacomo Leopardi.
Has her look-alike puppet in the French show "Les guignols de l'info" (1988).
She ranked #6 in Maxim's '50 Sexiest Women' (1999).
She ranked #9 in Maxim's '100 Sexiest Women' (2002).
She ranked #1 in Askmen's 'Most Desirable Woman' (2002).
Italian citizen.
Favorite movie is A Special Day (1977) by Ettore Scola.
Her role as "Chantal Hearst" in Under Suspicion (2000) was held by Romy Schneider in the original film, Garde à vue (1981).
Owns an apartment in London.
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 London 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 as #89 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)
Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006
Supports the Italian football team.
Has a wax statue in the Grevin Museum in Paris.
Her parents are Pasquale Bellucci (the owner of a trucking company) and Brunella (a painter).
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].
Her best friend is Ilaria D'Amico.
Gave birth to her daughter Léonie, with husband Vincent Cassel, in Rome, Italy (21 May 2010).
Was four months pregnant with her daughter Léonie when she completed filming The Whistleblower (2010).
Returned to work five months after giving birth to her daughter Deva in order to begin filming How Much Do You Love Me? (2005).
Returned to work four months after giving birth to her daughter Léonie in order to begin filming The Ages of Love (2011).
Sister-in-law of 'Rockin Squat'.
Stepsister-in-law of Cécile Cassel.
Was allegedly paid 230,000 euros to attend a gala at the Museum of Modern Art in the city of Paris.
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.
"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." - talking about her daughter Deva.
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 The 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.
"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." (on her husband's support when Irreversible (2002) was released).
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.
"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." (about real TV).
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.
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. InIrreversible (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.
[Talking about 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.
