Bellucci starred in the period drama Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), in a comedic role in Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002), and in Gaspar Noé's controversial arthouse thriller Irréversible (2002) carried with her fearless performance.īellucci portrayed Persephone in the 2003 science-fiction sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. She gained greater international recognition by portraying Malèna Scordia in Giuseppe Tornatore's Malèna (2000). Bellucci captured American audiences' attention in Stephen Hopkins' Under Suspicion (2000). After appearing in Italian films, the former Elite model had her breakthrough role in the arthouse film The Apartment (1996), for which she received a César Award nomination for Most Promising Actress.
In 2018, Forbes Italy named her one of the 100 most successful Italian women.īellucci made her Italian film debut in Francesco Laudadio's La Riffa (1991) and went on to play one of the brides of Dracula in Francis Ford Coppola's horror film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). She has continued to be involved in modelling for Cartier, Dior and Dolce & Gabbana. She began her career as a fashion model, modelling for Dolce & Gabbana, before transitioning to Italian and later American and French films. Monica Anna Maria Bellucci ( Italian: born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and model.
