Cinema Legend Sophia Loren Celebrates 90 Years.

Sophia Loren Celebrates Her 90th Birthday

Today, September 20, Italian diva Sophia Loren celebrates her birthday: she turned 90. She is one of the last film stars of Hollywood's Golden Age. The birthday girl is the recipient of honorary awards from many film festivals. She is also the owner of an honorary "Oscar" (1991) with the wording "for a fantastic career and iconic roles".

Sophia Villani Scicolone was born on September 20, 1934, in Rome as the illegitimate child of an actress.

She lived in poverty in a poor part of Naples. Despite a difficult childhood, her mother managed to awaken and develop determination and great ambitions in her. She wanted Sophia to achieve what she could not. Sophia first started in a beauty contest at the age of 14 and won the title "Princess of the Seas." After that, her mother took her to Rome.

A successful modeling career was predicted for her, but in 1950, 16-year-old Sophia was noticed by the famous producer Carlo Ponti. He was fascinated by her beauty and offered her collaboration.

It was Ponti who discovered Sophia Loren as an actress. He did not just become her mentor and cast her in his films. He also helped her learn foreign languages, hired a personal stylist, and paid for acting and etiquette lessons. Even the pseudonym Loren was invented by him.

The couple hid their relationship for more than five years, but ten years after meeting, they got married. Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti had two sons: Carlo Ponti Jr., a conductor, and Edoardo, a film director.

Hollywood Career and Worldwide Fame

In the 1960s, the Hollywood career and worldwide fame of the movie star began. She starred with Gregory Peck and Paul Newman, Marlon Brando and Jean-Paul Belmondo, and with Marcello Mastroianni they formed one of the most beautiful duos in the history of world cinema.

In the film "Mother and Daughter" by director Vittorio De Sica, she created a tragic portrait of a mother in war-torn Italy. This role brought her the Cannes Film Festival award and the American "Oscar". She then acted in Italian, English, and American films. In Italian films, she created great roles, while in American cinema, more commercial ones. Among her favorite directors she worked with, she notes De Sica, George Cukor, Charlie Chaplin, Ettore Scola, Lina Wertmüller, and Alessandro Blasetti.

By the way, in the late 1960s, Sophia Loren visited Poltava region, where she was filming in the movie "Sunflowers" - an Italian-Soviet melodrama of 1970 directed by Vittorio De Sica, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren.

The village of Chernechy Yar was even jokingly called "Sophilorenvka". Local residents and Poltava residents also acted in the film; they were involved in the extras. During the filming, Sophia Loren made friends with many local residents, and meeting the actress became a significant event in their lives.

Awards and Achievements

The famous Italian woman has many awards from the American Film Academy. Sophia Loren received her first "Oscar" in 1962 for the lead role in Vittorio De Sica's drama "Two Women". In 1991, she received an honorary "Oscar" for her outstanding contribution to the development of world cinema.

At the age of 71, she became a model for the legendary Pirelli calendar. And ten years later, in 2016, she appeared in an advertisement for new Dolce & Gabbana perfumes. Sophia Loren admits that she enjoys watching films with her participation and likes herself on the screen.

Interestingly, in 2022, the actress appeared in public during the opening of a restaurant in her own chain. At the event, the star looked, as always, luxurious: she wore a snow-white trouser suit, a necklace, and earrings with many diamonds.

By the way, last year in Rome, the farewell to the famous Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida took place. The day before the funeral, Sophia Loren sent a farewell letter to the actress. "Yesterday I was too broken with grief and couldn't find the right words. Dear Gina, your body has dimmed, but the light of your star will forever shine over us and in our hearts. I love you, Gina!" - Spanish newspaper El Mundo quotes Sophia Loren according to Italian news agency Adnkronos.

The movie divas were called rivals in the acting profession. They competed for films and roles. The beauty of both was admired by the whole world.