An illegitimate child, born into poverty in the slums of Naples as Sofia Scicolone, Sophia Loren parlayed her physical charms into a film career, and in turn used her early movie appearances to craft a legitimate acting career that won the respect of critics and has endured for 6 decades so far.

American audiences have not seen many of Sophia Loren's appearances, since most of them have been in non-English films, the majority of which were not often shown in the United States. She made her American film debut in 1957 in Boy on a Dolphin and was the only person ever to win an acting Oscar for a foreign language film -- Two Women (1961) -- until fellow Italian Roberto Benigni did it in 1999.

There is no question that the key to her success was Italian producer Carlo Ponti, who discovered her, mentored her career, and eventually married her. He first encountered her as a judge in the Miss Rome competition when she was only a teenager, and signed her to an acting contract. It resulted in a small part in Fellinis Variety Lights (1950), bringing her to the attention of Italian audiences, who embraced her from the beginning. At the age of 19 she played the title role in Aida (1953), though she didn't sing. During the next few years she starred in films such as Attila (1954), Gold Of Naples (1954), Too Bad She's Bad (1955), and Lucky to Be a Woman (1956).

By 1957 Hollywood had taken note of her, resulting in a much ballyhooed appearance in Boy on a Dolphin (including a famous dripping wet photograph). During the next few years she appeared with well-known American actors like Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra in films such as Legend of the Lost (1957), The Pride and the Passion (1957), Desire Under the Elms (1958), The Key (1958) Houseboat (1958), The Black Orchid (1959), That Kind of Woman (1959), Heller in Pink Tights (1960), and A Breath of Scandal (1960). Cary Grant actually proposed to her in 1957, which resulted in Carlo Ponti getting a Mexican divorce from his wife and marrying Sophia, despite condemnation by the Vatican and other Italian conservatives.

By the end of the 50s she returned to Italy and filmed Two Women, which earned her the acting Oscar. While she did appear in some English-language films with international casts, most notably El Cid (1961), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), and Arabesque (1966), her home base remained Italy, where she spent much of her time appearing in noted Vittorio De Sica-directed films such as Boccaccio '70 (1962), Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (1964) and Marriage Italian-Style (1964).

Her career began to wind down in the 1970s. She moved to the United States later, and has appeared in some TV movies, promoted her perfume and eyewear, and wrote her autobiography, Sophia: Living and Loving. In 1991 she was awarded a special Oscar for career achievement. Her most notable recent appearance was in Robert Altman's Ready to Wear in 1994, once again teaming her with Mercello Mastroianni.

Part I: Introduction

Part II: Sophia Loren Tributes and Other Pages

Part III: Movie Reviews & Where to Find Her Movies

Part IV: Photos, Art, and Posters

Return to Bardot and Loren: A Double Tribute.