Sophia
Loren Biography
original name Sofia Villani Scicolone
( 1934 – )
born
September 20, 1934, Rome, Italy) Italian film actress who rose above
her poverty-stricken origins in postwar Naples to become universally
recognized as one of Italy's most beautiful women and its most famous
movie star.
Before
working in the cinema, Sofia Scicolone changed her name to Sofia Lazzaro
for work in the foto-romanzo, popular pulp magazines that used still
photographs to depict romantic stories. Her first film role was as
an extra, one of many slave girls in the American production of Quo
Vadis? (1951). Under the tutelage of producer Carlo Ponti (her future
husband), Sofia Scicolone was transformed into Sophia Loren. Her career
was launched in a series of low-budget comedies before she attracted
critical and popular attention with Aida (1953), in which she lip-synched
the singing of Renata Tebaldi in the title role.
Loren's
beauty often overshadowed her enormous talents as an actress, but
her earthy charisma is evident even in such early works as Vittorio
De Sica's L'oro di Napoli (1954; The Gold of Naples). With Ponti's
help, Loren increased her international visibility by appearing in
Hollywood films opposite such major stars as Cary Grant, Clark Gable,
Frank Sinatra, Alan Ladd, William Holden, and Paul Newman. Such exposure
was undoubtedly instrumental in helping her win an Oscar for best
actress in De Sica's La ciociara (1961; Two Women), in which she delivered
a powerful performance as the courageous mother of a teenage girl
during World War II.
Two
other De Sica films showcased her comic talents and paired her with
another Italian film icon, Marcello Mastroianni: Ieri, oggi, domani
(1963; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow), a film that earned an Oscar
for best foreign film; and Matrimonio all'italiana (1964; Marriage,
Italian Style). The best performance of her late career, again with
Mastroianni, was for director Ettore Scola in Una giornata particolare
(1977, A Special Day). Loren's subsequent work included the television
movie Courage (1986) and the feature films Prêt-à-Porter
(1994), which was directed by Robert Altman, and the musical Nine
(2009).
International
recognition for Loren's distinguished acting career includes a lifetime
achievement Oscar in 1991 and a career Golden Lion from the Venice
Film Festival in 1998. She also made headlines in the 1990s for her
strong defense of animal rights.
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