Manuela Arcuri - CQ Photoshoot

Born on January 8, 1977, in Latina, Italy, Emmanuela Arcuri grew up in a loving, supportive household. As a result, when Manuela (as she was affectionately called) announced her goals of becoming a model/actress as a young teenager, her parents did not flinch and were behind her all the way.

With moral support such as this, Arcuri was highly motivated and determined to "make it" in the fashion industry. Thanks to her natural beauty, it was not difficult to find an agent and management team to support her already burgeoning career. Soon, Arcuri was posing sexily for several Italian fashion outfits.

Though modeling for print ads could have become an easy source of income, Arcuri's true passion had always been acting. Through her modeling contacts, she was able to nudge her way into Italy's film industry and, in 1995, she made her debut in I Buchi neri and I Laureati, billed in English as Black Holes and Graduates, respectively. Arcuri's roles were not significant, but they gave her enough of a taste for the industry that she decided to pursue an acting career at full throttle.

The results of her hard work were locally-recognized late '90s films such as Gratta e vinci, Finalmente soli, Bagnomaria, and the TV series Disokkupati. The more experienced Arcuri became, the more responsibility she was given in front of the camera. As a result, as the year 2000 came and went, this beautiful actress received a great many significant roles, starting with one of the leads in Teste di cocco (Coconut Heads) in 2000.