Sofia Villani Scicolone, popularly by her screen name Sophia Loren, is an Italian film star. Counted amongst the most beautiful and talented actresses to have ruled the cinema world, she was a major star from the 1950s to the 1970s. Born to an unwed mother, she had a difficult childhood. Being an illegitimate child meant no father figure and extreme poverty in the first 15 years of her life. Aptly nicknamed 'little stick', she was shy, ugly and lean as a child, and little did she know that one day she would become a sex symbol in the entire US and Europe. Her fortune changed when at the age of 15 she was spotted by a producer, her future husband, in a beauty pageant. From there on she went from being an unknown face to a Hollywood star and in no time garnered a huge following of admirers. Several prestigious awards certify that she was not just a pretty face but a complete and true actress. Unlike several of her contemporaries whose personal lives were marked by controversies, Sophia Loren had a stable marriage with Carlo Ponti, a man 22 years older to her, and did not remarry after his death
Sophia's first role was in the film 'Quo Vadis' (1951) as an extra. After this, she started modelling for magazines and became quite known in Italy.
For her first starring role in 'Aida' (1953) she received critical acclaim. But her breakthrough movie was 'The Gold in Naples'(1954), directed by Vittorio De Sica.
From 1954 to 1957 she did many movies including 'Too Bad She's Bad' (1954), 'Scandal in Sorrento' (1955), 'Lucky to Be a Woman' (1956), 'Boy on a Dolphin' (1957), 'Legend of the Lost' (1957) and 'The Pride and the Passion'(1957).
The confirmation of her being an international star came when Paramount Pictures signed a five-picture deal with her in 1958. Some of the movies in the deal were 'Desire Under the Elms' (1958), 'Houseboat' (1958) and 'Heller in Pink Tights'(1960).
She acted in Vittorio De Sica's movie 'Two Women' which was released in 1961. The story was about a mother who tries to protect her daughter in war-ravaged Italy. She was to be cast as the daughter, but instead chose the role of the mother. She received a lot of awards for the movie.
She appeared with a lot of prominent actors in many movies in the US and Europe in the 1960s. She was at the peak of her career when she received a million dollars for the 1964 movie 'The Fall of the Roman Empire'.
Some movies that she did in the second half of 1960s are 'Lady L' (1965) with Paul Newman, 'Arabesque'(1966) with Gregory Peck and 'A Countess from Hong Kong' (1967) with Marlon Brando.
Career:-
She focused on her family in the 1970s and after becoming a mother, she acted less and that too mostly in Italian films. In the year 1974, she acted in 'The Voyage' and 'Brief Encounter'.
The movie 'The Cassandra Crossing' came out in 1976 starring her alongside Richard Harris and Martin Sheen. It was an international hit.
The movie 'A Special Day' was released in 1977. It was directed by Ettore Scola and starred Marcello Mastroianni opposite her. The movie was a box-office hit and was nominated for 11 international awards.
In 1980, A. Hotchner wrote an internationally successful biography on her titled 'Sophia Loren: Her Own Story'. Soon the book's made-for-TV biopic came out, where Sophia portrayed herself and her mother.
In 1981, she launched her own perfume and became the first celebrity to do so. Soon, a brand of eyewear followed.
She starred in Howard Deutch's 'Grumpier Old Men' which was released in 1995 and co-starred Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon and Ann-Margret. It was a box-office success and personally one of her biggest hits in years.
In 2009, Rob Marshall directed the film version of the Broadway musical 'Nine' with a star-cast that included Sophia Loren, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Marion Cottillard and Nicole Kidman. The cast was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Awards & Achievements
For the movie 'Two Women', Sophia Loren won a total of 22 international awards including Cannes Film Festival Best :-Actress Award and Academy Award for Best Actress.
In 1991, she received the Academy Honorary Award for her contribution to world cinema and
In 1995 she was honoured with the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award.
For her contribution to cinema, she was awarded an Honorable Prize at the 20th Moscow International Film Festival in 1997, and in 2001 a Special Grand Prix of the Americas Award at the Montrel World Film Festival.