The Italian actress Sophia Loren, who was considered the goddess of the screen in her heyday, reigned in the film industry from the 1950s until the end of the 2000s when her activity slowly began to wane. She was nominated four times for an Oscar and won once for her role as Cesira in the 1960s Two Women, which also earned her a BAFTA prize for the best foreign actress. Loren is considered a living legend in many ways. Here is a look at her journey to television fame and fortune.
Sophia Loren Bio (Age)
Sophia Loren was born out of wedlock with Romilda Villani and Riccardo Scicolone on September 20, 1934, at the Clinica Regina Margherita in Rome, Italy. At birth, she was named Sofia Villani Scicolone. Her father, who was a civil engineer, left her mother and left her to take care of young Sophia exclusively. Sophia hated her father all her early life for abandoning her but forgave him on his deathbed.
Sophia’s mother was an aspiring actress and piano teacher. After the Second World War, Sophia began participating in beauty pageants at the age of 16. This path was to lead her to an acting career in 1951, at the age of 17. Loren started with uncredited supporting roles, developed slowly, and began to get smaller roles.
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Her career took a turn for the better when she met the filmmaker Carlo Ponti, whom she would later marry. Ponti renewed her image including her name and changed it from Sofia Lazzaro to Sophia Loren, following the Swedish actress Märta Torén. Sophia Loren then received her first leading role in Aida (1953), which received rave reviews.
Loren made rapid progress in her career, and in the late 1950s, she began starring in Hollywood films that helped her reach a wider audience. She played with big names like Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, and others. Loren’s ravishing beauty helped her to take many directions.
In the 1970s she became less active after the birth of her children. Her works from this period include The Voyage and A Special Day. Sophia’s later works include Prêt-à-Porter (1994), Nine (2009), My House Is Full of Mirrors, based on the autobiography of her sister Maria, and many others.
Sophia Loren has made solid contributions to theater and film and has received many honorary awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.
Sophia Loren Net Worth
Sophia Loren has enjoyed unprecedented success in her career. In addition to the huge salary roles she received, which peaked at $1 million per film in the mid-1960s, Sophia Loren also earned through sponsorship and business ventures. She was the first female celebrity to launch a fragrance line. As her on-screen activity began to decline, Loren shifted her focus to her business ventures, which included jewelry, cookbooks, and eyewear. Her net worth was estimated at $75 million.
Her Children
Sophia Loren has two children from her relationship with her longtime partner, film producer Carlo Ponti, to whom she was married for half a century until his death in 2007. Her children are sons, Carlo Ponti Jr. and Edoardo Ponti, born on December 29, 1968, and January 6, 1970, respectively. Loren had lost her early pregnancies before giving birth to her two sons by cesarean section.
Loren’s children grew up to follow in her entertaining footsteps. Carlo became an orchestra conductor, and his works gained international recognition. Since 2000, he has been deputy conductor of the Russian National Orchestra. Carlo has received several awards for his contribution to the promotion of young musical talent through music education. Many of his performances have been broadcast on US radio. He is married to Andrea Meszaros.
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For his mother’s 80th birthday Carlo commissioned a symphony, the Sinfonietta per Sofia (for love and laughter), to be written by Daniel Brewbaker. He conducted the orchestra, which was performed in the Nappa Valley in 2014.
Loren’s other son Edoardo Ponti followed in his father’s footsteps to become a film director. He holds a BA degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California and a Master’s degree in Film Directing & Production from the USC School of Cinema and Television.
Ponti received his Master’s degree in 1997 and made his debut as a director and writer in 2002 with the feature film Between Strangers starring his mother Sophia. His other directorial works include the romantic comedy Coming & Going, Il Turno di Notte lo Fanno le Stelle (his first Italian film), The Girl from Nagasaki, and Voce Umana (The Human Voice). Edoardo is married to the actress Sasha Alexander, who has Serbian roots. They have two children together.
Height and Body Measurements
Sophia Loren in her best years was genetically enormously blessed. Even deep into her 50s, she maintained a voluptuous body and still turned heads at red carpet events. She is about 6 feet tall, a trait that made many actors hesitate to be paired with her, as she looked much taller than she did, especially after wearing her heels. Her hourglass body measures 38-25-38 inches.
