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Monica Bellucci - Biography |
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Bellucci was born in Città di
Castello, Umbria, Italy, to Luigi Bellucci, who owned a trucking company,
and Maria Gustinelli, a painter. Bellucci started modelling at 16, when
she was attending to the Liceo Classico. Initially pursuing a career as a
lawyer, by modeling Bellucci helped finance her tuition while at the
University of Perugia, but the glamorous lifestyle tempted Monica away
from her law studies. She speaks Italian, French, and English fluently and
has acted in each of these languages, as well as Aramaic.
Bellucci is married to fellow actor Vincent Cassel, with whom she has
appeared in several films and had 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
allow only married couples to use in-vitro fertilization and that prevent
the use of donor sperm.
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. 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.
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
English-speaking audiences following her lead role in the acclaimed
Italian film Malèna, as well as through the portrayal of a rape victim in
the highly controversial 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.
Belucci at Cannes in 2002After her work in The Passion of the Christ,
Bellucci was assumed by many fans to be Roman Catholic. However 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."
In 2003, Belucci starred in Tears of the Sun as a Roman Catholic doctor
and in the 2005 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 in the first segment of the film who is 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. |
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Monica Bellucci - Personal Quotes |
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"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 Irréversible (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. In
Irréversible (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." |
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Monica Bellucci - Filmography |
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1:30 Train (2008)
Ne te retourne pas (2008)
Deuxième souffle, Le (2007) .... Manouche
... aka The Second Wind (International: English title)
Shoot 'Em Up (2007) .... Donna Quintano
Manuale d'amore 2 (Capitoli successivi) (2007) .... Lucia
"Sangue pazzo" (2007) (mini) TV Series .... Luisa Ferida
Concile de pierre, Le (2006) .... Laura Siprien
... aka The Stone Council (International: English title)
N (Io e Napoleone) (2006) .... Baronessa Emilia Speziali
... aka N - Napoléon (France)
... aka N.: Napoleon & Me (International: English title)
... aka Napoléon (et moi) (France)
Sheitan (2006) .... La belle vampiresse
... aka Satan (International: English title: literal title) (UK: DVD
title)
Combien tu m'aimes? (2005) .... Daniela
... aka How Much Do You Love Me? (Australia) (International: English
title)
... aka Per sesso o per amore? (Italy)
The Brothers Grimm (2005) .... Mirror Queen
The Matrix Online (2005) (VG) (voice) .... Persephone
... aka MxO (USA: promotional abbreviation)
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (2004) (VG) (voice) .... Kaileena
She Hate Me (2004) .... Simona Bonasera
Agents secrets (2004) .... Barbara/Lisa
... aka Spy Bound (Hong Kong: English title) (Singapore: English
title)
... aka Agentes secretos (Spain)
... aka Secret Agents (International: English title)
The Passion of the Christ (2004) .... Magdalen
... aka The Passion Recut (International: English title: cut
version) (USA: recut version)
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) .... Persephone
... aka The Matrix Revolutions: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX
version (promotional title))
Enter the Matrix (2003) (VG) .... Persephone
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) .... Persephone
... aka The Matrix Reloaded: The IMAX Experience (USA: IMAX version
(promotional title))
Tears of the Sun (2003) .... Dr. Lena Fiore Kendricks
Ricordati di me (2003) .... Alessia
... aka Remember Me (International: English title)
... aka Remember Me, My Love (USA)
... aka Souviens-toi de moi (France)
Irréversible (2002) .... Alex
... aka Irreversible (International: English title)
Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre (2002) .... Cléopâtre
... aka Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (UK) (USA)
... aka Asterix & Obelix: Mission Kleopatra (Germany)
... aka Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra (USA: new title)
Pacte des loups, Le (2001) .... Sylvia
... aka Brotherhood of the Wolf (Canada: English title) (USA)
Malèna (2000) .... Malena Scordia
Franck Spadone (2000) .... Laura
Under Suspicion (2000) .... Chantal Hearst
... aka Suspicion (France)
Méditerranées (1999) .... Marguerite
Comme un poisson hors de l'eau (1999) .... Myrtille
... aka Like a Fish Out of Water (USA: video title)
A los que aman (1998) .... Valeria
... aka Heure des nuages, L' (France: TV title)
... aka Those Who Love
Ultimo capodanno, L' (1998) .... Giulia
... aka Humanity's Last New Year's Eve
... aka Ultimo capodanno dell'umanità, L' (Italy)
Compromis (1998) .... Monique, la jeune première
Plaisir (et ses petits tracas), Le (1998) .... La jeune fille
éplorée
... aka Pleasure (And Its Little Inconveniences) (USA)
Come mi vuoi (1997) .... Nellina
... aka As You Want Me (USA)
... aka Embrasse-moi Pasqualino! (France)
Mauvais genre (1997) .... Camille
Dobermann (1997) .... Nathalie/Nat the gipsy
Stressati (1997)
Appartement, L' (1996) .... Lisa
... aka Appartamento, L' (Italy)
... aka Flash-back (El apartamento) (Spain)
... aka The Apartment
Sorellina e il principe del sogno (1996) (TV) (uncredited) ....
Princess
... aka Im Brunnen der Träume (Italy)
... aka Prinzessin Alisea
Joseph (1995) (TV) .... Pharaoh's Wife
... aka Bibel: Josef, Die (Germany)
... aka Joseph in Egypt (UK)
... aka The Bible: Joseph
Cielo è sempre più blu, Il (1995)
... aka Bits and Pieces
Palla di neve (1995) .... Melina
... aka Snowball (USA: cable TV title)
Mitici, I (1994) .... Deborah
... aka Colpo gobbo a Milano (Italy: subtitle)
... aka Mitici - Colpo gobbo a Milano, I (Italy)
... aka The Heroes
Dracula (1992) .... Dracula's Bride
... aka Bram Stoker's Dracula (USA: complete title)
Ostinato destino (1992) .... Marina and Angela
Riffa, La (1991) .... Francesca
Briganti (1990)
... aka Amore e libertà (Italy)
... aka Bandits: Love and Liberty (UK)
Vita coi figli (1990) (TV) .... Elda |
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Monica Bellucci - Related Links |
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Wikipedia: Monica Bellucci
YouTube: Monica Bellucci
Monica Bellucci at Celebs, Inc.
Monica Bellucci at Babemania.com
Top Celebrities Sites:
The Celebrity
Cafe |
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