Monica Anna Maria Bellucci (born 30 September 1964) is an Italian actress and fashion model.

Bellucci was born in Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy, the daughter of Maria Gustinelli, a painter, and Luigi Bellucci, who owned a trucking company.Bellucci started modelling at 16, when she was attending the Liceo classico. Initially pursuing a career as a lawyer, Bellucci modeled to pay her tuition at the University of Perugia,but the lifestyle tempted her away from her law studies.

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 worldwide audiences, following her roles in Malèna (2000), Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), and Irréversible (2002), though is perhaps best known for her role as Persephone in The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003), followed by her portrayal of Mary Magdelene in The Passion of the Christ (2004).

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