Born: September 20, 1934, Rome, Italy
Sophia Loren is an Italian motion-picture actor, who progressed from international sex symbol to Academy Award-winning actress. Born in Rome, Loren was a beauty contest winner and was discovered at the age of 15 by movie producer Carlo Ponti, who later became her husband. She became a star by the age of 20, though her early films were not notable. Her most noteworthy Hollywood film was the Western Heller in Pink Tights (1960).
Loren returned to Italy and acted in the powerful wartime tale directed by Vittorio De Sica, Two Women (1961), for which she earned her first Academy Award. De Sica also cast Loren in a series of earthy Italian comedies opposite Marcello Mastroianni, starting with Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (1964) and Marriage Italian Style (1964); the latter brought her another Oscar nomination. Loren has moved freely between European and Hollywood projects. Her films include Gold of Naples (1954), Houseboat (1957), The Black Orchid (1959), El Cid (1961), A Countess from Hong Kong (1967), and A Special Day (1977). Loren received an honourary Academy Award in 1991.
