Sophia Villani Scicolone, better known by her stage name Sophia Loren, is an Italian actress who rose to fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. According to the American Film Institute, she is also the 21st greatest female star in the history of Hollywood cinema. In fact, she is the only living actress who is ranked one or second on the list.
Early Life
Sofia Villani Scicolone was given the name Sophia Loren when she was born in Rome, Italy, in 1934. A piano teacher, Romilda Villani was her mother, and Riccardo Scicolone, a construction engineer descended from a noble family, was her father and stepmother.
Loren’s parents were never married, and her father finally abandoned the family, leaving them without the means to maintain themselves. In 1950, at the age of 15, Loren joined the Miss Italia beauty pageant under the guise of Sofia Lazzaro, and was chosen as one of three finalists, earning her the title of “Miss Elegance.”
She continued to go by the name Lazzaro and enrolled at Italy’s national film school, the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, which is still in operation today. Following that, she appeared in the 1951 historical epic “Quo Vadis” in an uncredited part. Around this period, Loren appeared in Italian films such as “Brief Rapture,” “Era Lui… s! s!,” “I Dream of Zorro,” and “La Favorita,” in which she had supporting roles.
Personal Life
Loren married Carlo Ponti, an Italian film producer whom she had known since she was 16 years old, through a proxy ceremony in 1957. They had their marriage annulled in 1962 to avoid being accused of bigamy because Ponti was still married at the time; yet, they continued to live together despite the annulment.
When Ponti was finally able to divorce his first wife, he married Loren in 1966. It was through their union that they had two sons, Carlo Ponti Sr. and Edoardo Ponti, and they remained married until Ponti’s death in 2007.
In addition to her home in Geneva, Loren has houses in Rome and Naples. Loren has been a resident of Geneva, Switzerland, since 2006. The actress is the grandmother of four grandchildren.
Career Beginnings
Loren’s first leading part came in “Aida,” a version of the Verdi opera, in 1953, just a year after she had taken on her current moniker. “Two Nights with Cleopatra,” which she starred in the following year, was her second main role. But it was the 1954 anthology picture “The Gold of Naples,” directed by Vittorio De Sica, that gave her her first major break.
The following few years saw Loren continue to have a thriving cinema career, starring in films such as “Pilgrim of Love,” “Too Bad She’s Bad,” “The Sign of Venus,” and “The Miller’s Beautiful Wife,” which was the first of many collaborations with Marcello Mastroianni.
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Success
Throughout the 1960s, Loren was one of the most well-known and respected actresses in the world. She continued to work in the film industry, both in the United States and overseas, and frequently appeared in films with big male actors.
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The historical epic “El Cid,” in which she co-starred with Charlton Heston, the Italian anthology film “Boccaccio ’70,” “Five Miles to Midnight,” in which she reunited with former costar Anthony Perkins, and Vittorio De Sica’s comedy anthology “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow,” which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1964, were among her credits during this period.
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Loren’s career reached a new high point in that year when she was offered a $1 million contract to appear in Anthony Mann’s epic “The Fall of the Roman Empire.” The following year, for her role in Vittorio De Sica’s “Marriage Italian Style,” she was nominated for a second Academy Award.
“Lady L,” in which she co-starred with Paul Newman, “Arabesque,” in which she co-starred with Gregory Peck, as well as “A Countess from Hong Kong,” the final film directed by Charlie Chaplin, were some of Loren’s other famous films from the 1960s. During this time period, Loren was nominated for a number of Golden Globe Awards, including one for “World Film Favorite – Female.”
Sophia Loren’s Net Worth
In terms of money, Sophia Loren has a net worth of $150 million dollars. She is a great Italian actress and model who has amassed a fortune of $150 million dollars. She began performing in films when she was a youngster and went on to secure a five-film deal with Paramount that propelled her to global fame in the process.
The films “Marriage Italian Style,” “Sunflower,” and “Two Women,” the latter of which garnered her an Academy Award for Best Actress, are among her many accomplishments.
