Monica is an internationally renowned Italian actress and fashion model. Remembered for her role as Persephone in The Matrix: Reloaded, and The Matrix: Revolutions. She also starred in The Passion of the Christ and is a model for Dior Cosmetics. She began modelling at the age of 16, in order to pay her tuition at the University of Perugia, where she was studying law but soon gave up her studies to pursue a career in show business. For her role of "Persephone" in the Matrix series, Empire magazine selected her as twenty-first on their list of "The Sexiest 25 Characters in Cinema - The Women". During her time as a model she has worked for Dolce and Gabbana, as well as Dior and French Elle. Monica has also appeared on the cover of numerous magazines and in 2004 came top of AskMen's 100 Most Beautiful Women in the World list. She speaks Italian, French, and English fluently, Spanish semi-fluently, and has appeared in films speaking each of these languages, as well as in Aramaic for her part as Mary Magdalene in ‘The Passion of the Christ’. With roles in some big budget Hollywood films Monica Bellucci has continued to act over the last decade, appearing in a number of films in 2010 and 2011, her latest film Rhinos Season directed by Bahman Ghobadi, is due to be released this year. She has been nominated for many acting awards and received the Silver Ribbon for Best Supporting Actress (Ricordati di me) in 2003 and won the 2005 European Golden Globe. Monica also fronted French cashmere brand Eric Bompard's international autumn/winter 2011 ad campaign. She models the new season collection in a series of images shot by Vincent Peters.