Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren was born Sofia Villani Scicolone on September 20, 1934 to Romilda Villani and Riccardo Scicolone. Her mother Romilda Villani was a piano teacher and aspiring actress.



Sophia grew up in the slums of Pozzuoli, just outside Naples. During World War II, she was injured during a bombing by the allies when shrapnel struck and wounded her chin.

Since here film debut in Il voto (1950) she has appeared in hundreds of foreign and American films.

Her first American film was Boy on a Dolphin (1957). She has also appeared in such American films as The Pride and the Passion (1957), The Key (1958), That Kind of Woman (1959), Houseboat (1958), Operation Crossbow (1965), , Grumpier Old Men (1995).



Her next American film will be released on November 25, 2009, it is entitled Nine and stars Daniel Day Lewis.

In 2010, she will play her mother Romilda Villani in the Italian film La mia case e piena di specchi.

Sophia Loren suffered from stage fright and, therefore, never appeared in a theatrical production.

She won a Grammy award in 2004 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for her work in "Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus" along with former US President Bill Clinton and former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Her "Best Actress" Academy Award was the first Oscar ever given for a performance in a "foreign-language" film for La cioiara (1960)/ Two Women, becoming the first actor to win an Acadmey Award for a non-English-speaking performance.

In 1991, she was the recipient of the Honorary Academy Award for life time achievement



Sophia Loren was married to Carlo Ponti from September 17, 1957 to 1962 when the marriage was annulled. She later remarried Carlo Ponti on April 9, 1966 and remained married until his death in on January 10, 2007. She is the mother with Carlo of Carlo Ponti Jr. and Edoardo Ponti. Her son Edoardo Ponti is married to former NCIS actress Sasha Alexander.

She is also the godmother of Drew Barrymore.

Her sister Anna Maria Sciolone Mussolini was married to dictator Benito Mussolini's son Romano.

In addition to her talents as an actress, she is also an acclaimed cook. She has authored two cookbooks: "Sophia Loren's Recipes and Memories" and "In the Kitchen with Love".