sophia loren

from the trailer for Five Miles to Midnight (1962) Born Sofia Villani Scicolone

20 September 1934 (1934-09-20) (age 74)

Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy (Cassino) Other name(s) Sofia Lazzaro

Sofia Scicolone Years active 1950 - present Spouse(s) Carlo Ponti (1957 - 1962, 1966 - 2007) Official website [show]Awards won Academy Awards Best Actress

1961 Two Women

Academy Honorary Award

1991 Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role

1961 Two Women César Awards Honorary César

1991 Lifetime Achievement Golden Globe Awards Cecil B. DeMille Award

1995 Lifetime Achievement Grammy Awards Best Spoken Word Album for Children

2004 Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus Other awards Volpi Cup for Best Actress

1958 The Black Orchid

NYFCC Award for Best Actress

1961 Two Women

Best Actress Award - Cannes Film Festival

1961 Two Women

NBR Award for Best Cast

1994 Prêt-à-Porter

Career Golden Lion

1998 Lifetime Achievement

Sophia Loren (born 20 September 1934) is an Academy Award-winning Italian film actress, born Sofia Villani Scicolone. She is widely considered to be the most popular Italian actress of her time and is also famous for being a major international sex symbol. Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Marriage 3 Career 3.1 International fame 3.2 Musical career 3.3 Later career 3.4 Current activities 4 Filmography 5 References 6 External links //

Early life

Loren was born Sofia Villani Scicolone at the Clinica Regina Margherita in Rome on September 20, 1934 to Riccardo Scicolone and Romilda Villani. Riccardo refused to marry Romilda, leaving her, a piano teacher and aspiring actress, without support. Romilda, Sofia and sister Maria returned to Pozzuoli, near Naples, to live with Sofia's grandmother in order to survive.

During World War II, the harbor and munitions plant in Pozzuoli was a frequent bombing target of the allies. During one raid, as Sofia ran to the shelter, she was struck by shrapnel and wounded in the chin. Subsequently the family moved to Naples and begged distant relatives to take them in.

After the war, Sofia and her family returned to Pozzuoli. Grandmother Luisa opened their living room as a pub, selling homemade cherry liquor. Romilda played the piano, Maria sang and the shy Sofia waited tables and washed dishes. The place was very popular with the American GIs stationed nearby.

When she was 14 years old, Sofia entered a beauty contest in Naples and, while not winning, was selected as one of the finalists. Later she enrolled in acting class and was selected as an extra in the Mervyn LeRoy film, Quo Vadis, thus launching her career as a motion picture actress. She would eventually change her name to Sophia Loren.

Marriage

Loren first met Carlo Ponti in 1950 during a beauty contest in which he was a judge. Having helped launch Gina Lollobrigida's career, he had Loren do many small parts. Later, while in Atlanta in 1957, he had lawyers obtain a Mexican divorce