Monica Bellucci

Monica Bellucci was born on September 30, 1964, in the village of Citta di Castello, in Umbria, Italy. Initially pursuing a career as a lawyer, Monica decided to start modeling in order to help pay for her tuition while at the University of Perugia. But of course, the glamorous life of a model -- which includes travel and a sweet income -- tempted Monica away from her law studies. In 1988, Monica moved to one of Europe's fashion centers -- Milan. There, she signed with Elite Model Management and found plenty of modeling work. By 1989, Monica was making it big in Paris and across the Atlantic, in New York.

But although she had achieved huge success in so little time as a model (posing for Dolce & Gabbana and French Elle), Monica thrived for more. She made the transition to acting -- a very popular trend that models Laetitia Casta, James King and Estella Warren have done successfully -- and began taking acting classes.In 1990, Dino Risi cast her for the Italian television series "Vita Coi Figli" and her acting career was born. She made her feature film debut in Francesco Laudadio’s "La Riffa" (1991).Francis Coppola gave Bellucci a small role in "Bram Stoker’s Dracula" (1992) with Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves, and she went on to star in numerous European features. In 2000, she appeared with Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman in "Under Suspicion". The following year, she co-starred in the French sensation "Le Pacte des Loupes" (2001).