[3] Raised in Latina, Lazio from an early age, Manuela Arcuri, was often on the covers of tabloids.

[4][5] At a very early age she was attracted to show business, and she became a fashion model; in 1995 she played parts in soap operas and in her first film, Black Holes directed by Pappi Corsicato; then she had a supporting role in The Graduates directed by Leonardo Pieraccioni, and a major one in the comedy film Bagnomaria by Giorgio Panariello, which brought her to the attention of the moviegoing public.

She continued acting in other movies and stage productions, such as A Pretty Story of a Woman e Liolà at the side of Gianfranco Jannuzzo and under the direction of Gigi Proietti.

In 2000 Manuela Arcuri, now considered a sex symbol, appeared in a calendar for the magazine GenteViaggi; the following year, she posed for another calendar, this time for the magazine Panorama, obtaining great success that consolidated her reputation and helped her land a role in the TV series Carabinieri.

In 2003, she co-hosted with Teo Teocoli and Anna Maria Barbera the eighth series of the TV comedy show Scherzi a parte.