overall rating	89

We'd like to say that Monica Bellucci is just a woman, but we would be lying. She is not a mortal woman; she is a cruel joke from Mother Nature with the sole purpose of driving men of all ages to the point of insanity. How can anyone be so beautiful? Why are perfect women like Monica rarer than a Chicago Cubs World Series title?

Alas, my friends, there are no answers. All we can do is enjoy the sight of a woman as irresistible as Monica Bellucci, and hope that the gods will be kind to mere mortals like us and give us more Monicas -- except those with "Lewinsky" as a last name. Lame joke, yes, but we can't help but be lame at the thought of Monica Bellucci. Even her name evokes beauty. We are weak, lame men because of her.

But who is Monica Bellucci? Actually, she's Italy's hottest acting export (after Sophia Loren, of course). This model-turned-actress generated a lot of buzz for her performance in Malena -- a story about a Sicilian woman who charms and enrages a little village.

Until 2003, she had limited exposure in large American features except for appearing in Dracula with Keanu Reeves and Under Suspicion with Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman, but ever since her roles in Tears of the Sun and the Matrix sequels, North American audiences have been under her spell.  

personality & talent	84

Let's be honest; you're not here to learn about her personality or talent, you want more pictures of Monica. Fine, we will oblige, but know this -- this beauty has brains.

Formerly a law student, Bellucci worked as a model to earn extra money, and we're thankful for that because her beauty would have been wasted in a courtroom. She is also a master at languages, as she is fluent in French and speaks English with only a slight trace of an American accent. She even pulled off Aramaic and Hebrew quite impressively, as Mary Magdalene in The Passion of the Christ (even though she barely speaks at all).

Monica Bellucci's acting talent has garnered her many accolades, especially for her work in L'Appartement, Malena and Irreversible.

sexiness	98

Can we say mamma mia 500 times? She is yet another Italian bombshell made from the same mold that produced Italian heart-attack-inducing star -- Maria Grazia Cucinotta.

At 5'10", she has the body of a goddess, the hair of a princess, and the lips of a siren. See? She has even managed to turn us into pathetic poets.

accomplishments & fame	79

With over 20 movies to her credit, she isn't a newcomer to the film industry, but it took more than a decade of working in Italian and French cinema for Bellucci to capture the world by storm.

In Italy, she can't buy a Big Mac without causing a commotion. And now, with roles in films like Tears of the Sun, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, and The Passion of the Christ, North Americans can get a taste of what Europe has been in love with for years.

In 2004, she can add The Brothers Grimm and She Hate Me (a Spike Lee Joint) to her resume.

natural beauty	96

Monica Bellucci started off as a model for fashion houses like D&G after moving to Milan, but then the acting bug bit her.

Monica is, in our humble opinion, beauty exemplified, and without a doubt one of the most beautiful women in the world. And her top spot in AskMen.com's 99 Most Desirable Women in the World (2002) is further proof of that. She leaves us speechless, and only seeing Pamela Anderson turn into a nun could do that.

personal style	90

Her classic good looks are matched by an equally sophisticated and refined fashion sense. Being a European woman, Monica Bellucci knows how a real woman should dress, and always steps out in elegant gowns and haute couture suits. You wouldn't catch her in a Juicy sweatsuit or ripped jeans, even if she were just lounging around at home.

biography courtesy of askmen.com

Monica Bellucci was born on September 30th, 1968, 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.

bellucci from model to actress

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.

monica bellucci in dracula

She made her film debut in 1990, with roles in Vita coi figli and Briganti (a.k.a Bandits: Love and Liberty). The following year, Monica starred as Francesca in the film La Riffa, and made her American film debut with the role of Dracula's Bride in 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula, co-starring Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder.

Roles began to pour in for the Italian beauty. After a role in Ostinato destino, she appeared in I Mitici (a.k.a. The Heroes) in 1994, and Palla di neve in 1995. She also starred as the Pharaoh's wife in the made-for-TV movie, Joseph.

But it was her role in the 1996 film, L'Appartement, that earned Monica her acting accolades. Her role as Lisa earned her a Cesar nomination (French equivalent of the Oscar) in the Most Promising Young Actress category, and ensured that audiences and film critics would take notice of this up-and-coming starlet. The movie also co-starred her husband, Vincent Cassel, whom she later married in 1999.

In 1997, Bellucci was cast in Come mi vuoi (a.k.a As You Want Me), Dobermann and Mauvais genre. After roles in more European films such as 1998's L'Ultimo capodanno, A los que aman, and Compromis, she starred in 1999's Comme un poisson hors de l'eau (a.k.a. Like a Fish Out of Water).

bellucci is under suspicion with malena

Luckily, American audiences were able to catch a glimpse of the stunning brunette in the 2000 drama, Under Suspicion, as Gene Hackman's trophy wife. She followed that up with a role in the French film, Franck Spadone.

But it was the critical success of the Italian film Malena (2000), in which Monica starred in the title role, that really catapulted her to fame. The movie was nominated for 14 awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and continues to be one of the roles to best showcase her dramatic talent.

In 2001, Bellucci starred in Brotherhood of the Wolf (co-starring her husband Cassel) and as Cleopatra in Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatre the following year. While the latter was considered lighter fare, Monica really stretched her acting muscle in the gritty 2002 film Irreversible, in which she portrays a rape victim.