Monica Bellucci: her life from modeling to 'Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice'

Monica Bellucci is an icon and has had a very impressive career. From starting out as a model while studying law to working to with some of the biggest names in the fashion and film business, Bellucci seems to have made all her dreams come true. Click on to read all about her life and the latest news about her career and love life!

Monica Bellucci was born on September 30, 1964, in Città di Castello, a town located in the Italian region of Umbria. At the age of 18, she decided to start a law degree and, to finance her studies, she joined a fashion agency that was run by her father's friend.

For two years, Monica Bellucci combined her law studies with her work as a model, but in the end, she decided to drop out of university to become a full-time model, joining the Elite agency in Milan. This decision in 1989 was the first big turning point in her career, and it put her on the road to global success.

In the image, we can see her next to the designer and stylist Valentino.

The 'love story' between Monica Bellucci and Dolce & Gabbana also began in her early years as a model. After becoming a top model in Milan, Monica Bellucci participated in several advertising campaigns for the brand after drawing the attention of the designer duo. Their relationship has grown closer over the years and Bellucci has become an icon of the Italian firm.

This 'eternal' relationship means that Monica Bellucci has posed for the brand as recently as 2021; she fronted a campaign for the best-selling 'Devotion Bag'.

Despite her modelling success, Bellucci began having new professional ambitions. In fact, she was very interested in the world of acting. After making this career change, she enjoyed immediate success. Monica started out working in Italian TV movies before landing her first film role in 'La Riffa' ('The Raffle' in English), a 1991 Italian film directed by Francesco Laudadio.

A year after her debut as an actress, Monica Bellucci appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's 'Bram Stoker's Dracula', playing a small role as the concubine of the sinister and terrifying count. That appearance made her known on the international scene, and this new profile was boosted as she also did promotional tours with actors such as Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves.

France is one of the countries where the Italian has been most successful as an actress. She became known there thanks to 'The Apartment' (1996), a drama written by Gilles Mimouni.

Thanks to 'The Apartment', Monica earned her first nomination for the César Awards. In addition, she met her future husband, Vincent Cassel (pictured), during filming.

Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel became one of the most glamorous couples in cinema, and many directors wanted to cast them together in films.

Jan Kounen's 'Dobermann' (1997) and Philippe Bérenger's 'Unruly' (1999) are two films where the couple were able to perform side by side.

The couple married on August 2, 1999. During their marriage, they had two daughters: Deva, born in 2004, and Léonie, in 2010. But their idyllic relationship would end after 17 years together. In 2013 they formalized their separation, but they have remained good friends.

In the early 2000s, Monica Bellucci's film career went to the next level in terms of quality. In France, she stood out in 'Brotherhood of the Wolf' (2001) and 'Irreversible' (2002). But it was another film from that year that jumps out on her CV...

Monica Bellucci is remembered by many for her great role as Cleopatra, a character that fitted her like a glove in 'Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra' (2002). She shared top billing with Christian Clavier, Gérard Depardieu, Jamel Debbouze and Alain Chabat.

Following her acclaimed successes in France, Hollywood also fell under the spell of the Italian actress. Monica Bellucci shot her first film in the United States two years before her breakthrough role as Cleopatra. It was in 'Under Suspicion', along with Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman.

Monica Bellucci had a great moment as an actress in the mid-2000s. It was then that she starred in big Hollywood movies like 'The Matrix' (2003), 'The Passion of the Christ' (2004), 'She Hate Me' ( 2004) and 'The Brothers Grimm' (2005). Despite her success Stateside, she continued working on French and Italian productions.

During this time, Monica Bellucci continued to work as a model for some of the leading fashion and cosmetics firms. Among others, she was the face of Dior for its lipstick collection in 2008 and, later, for its 'Hypnotic Poison' perfume.

For someone as glamorous as Bellucci, it was inevitable that she would one day play a Bond Girl. In 'Spectre' (2015), she realized this destiny. In her cameo appearance, she seduced 007 and shared the screen with Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux and Christoph Waltz.

Throughout her career, Bellucci has also been chosen on several occasions and by various magazines as "the most beautiful woman in the world".

Monica Bellucci has continued her career as an actress, shooting movies on a regular basis. Her latest project is Tim Burton's 'Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice' which hit the cinema's in September. A film that has special meaning to her because she is also in a relationship with Burton!

There had been rumors for years, but in 2023 Burton and Bellucci confirmed that they were together. According to People, the pair met years ago but didn't become official until 2023 when they delighted the world when they appeared on the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival.

Until 'Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,' Bellucci and Burton had kept their love life separate from their work. In June of 2024, Bellucci told Paris Match,  "I'm with Tim. Not with Tim Burton.” However, it seems that the pair works just as well together on screen as they do off!