Sophia Loren biography, age, young photos, children, height 2024

Biography of Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren is a renowned global film diva. The Italian actress and singer is not only an icon of natural luxury and beauty but also a cultural figure of the 20th century. She was the first to win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Foreign Language Film (the legendary "Two Women" by Vittorio De Sica). She holds the title of Grand Officer of the Order of Saint Agatha of San Marino. She has received numerous awards and prizes, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, number 2000. In 2024 Sophia Loren celebrated her 90th birthday.

Childhood and Youth

A girl born in the fall of 1934 to Romilda Villani, a native of the fishing village of Pozzuoli, was named Sophia.

The young mother, who dreamt of becoming an actress, came to Rome to audition and become Greta Garbo's stand-in, and perhaps, who knows, even an independent actress. But she had to give up her possible brilliant future because she fell in love with engineer Riccardo Scicolone and got pregnant by him.

After this, her dreams of a film career went up in smoke. Her hopes of marriage were also ruined: Riccardo was married, and divorce in Italy at that time was nearly impossible.

Romilda gave birth to her first daughter in a shelter for single mothers. While Scicolone acknowledged paternity of their firstborn, he refused to recognize their second daughter, Anna-Maria. Despite this, Romilda hadn't given up hope after Sophia's birth. She became pregnant by him again three years later, clinging to the possibility of keeping her lover. However, fate had other plans. Romilda found herself raising the girls alone, forced to return to her village and her parents, Domenico and Luisa. Thankfully, they forgave their prodigal daughter and welcomed her back home.

The young mother never remarried, instead pouring all her energy into giving her daughters a chance at a better life than her own. To make ends meet, she gave piano lessons during the day and played at a local restaurant in the evenings. Despite her efforts, money was always scarce. Toys were an unaffordable luxury, so the girls crafted their own from bits of bread and clay. Even a proper bed was out of reach – the sisters shared a single mattress laid directly on the floor.

Modeling Career

School didn't bring much joy to Sophia. Because of her height, teenagers called her "Beanpole." She despaired when looking in the mirror: a long nose, too big a mouth, legs not right... Romilda, understanding the beauty her eldest daughter would become over time, convinced her to participate in the "Queen of the Sea" contest held annually in Pozzuoli, while sending her photos to various agencies.

Photo Collection of Young Sophia Loren

Fourteen-year-old Sophia made it to the top three winners and got a paid trip to Rome, where she attended castings. Her mother and sister also moved to the capital. Two years later, Sophia became Miss Elegance at the Miss Italy 1950 contest. She charmed the jury so much that they created the title just for her, as she walked the runway in shoes painted white and a dress made from pink tulle curtains.

Young Sophia Loren at the Miss Italy 1950 Pageant (second girl on the right)

For the next two years, the aspiring starlet dabbled in various jobs: modeling for fashion magazines, working as a movie extra, and even posing for risqué photos. But it was 1952 that brought her career-defining breakthrough. She clinched the silver medal in the Miss Rome beauty pageant, catching the eye of Italy's most influential film producer, Carlo Ponti. This chance encounter would prove to be a turning point in her life.

When they met, Carlo had a wife and two children, around twenty famous films, and had created the cinema star Gina Lollobrigida. He invited Sophia to a screen test and immediately felt her independent spirit: she categorically refused to change her appearance with plastic surgery.

Ponti, with his keen producer's eye, saw no need for drastic changes. Instead, he made two pivotal suggestions: that the budding actress adopt the stage name Sophia Loren, and that she sign a seven-year contract with him. For Sophia, who had been languishing in B-movies under the pseudonym Lazzaro, this was an offer she couldn't refuse. Her own instincts—distinctly feminine ones—told her that Carlo's interest extended beyond her acting potential. Yet, their relationship unfolded at a decidedly Italian pace, unhurried and deliberate.

The Start of a Film Career: Polishing a Diamond

Despite his growing affection, Carlo Ponti remained a shrewd businessman when it came to investments and contracts. He spared no expense in molding Sophia into a star. Top etiquette experts schooled her in grace and refinement, while dialect coaches worked tirelessly to smooth out her thick Neapolitan accent.

Makeup artists initiated her into the secrets of screen-ready cosmetics, and choreographers fine-tuned her walk, infusing it with a captivating sway. Not content with just surface improvements, Ponti insisted that Sophia immerse herself in classic literature and study the fundamentals of drama through timeless works. He was crafting not just an actress, but a cultural icon.

Loren obeyed everything that could benefit her future and diligently studied English and then French, as Carlo insisted she act in films beyond Italy. In one interview, Loren recalled how Ponti taught her to eat an omelet with just a fork, and she couldn't help but cry.

However, Sophia's family was quick to dispel any notions of a Pygmalion-Galatea dynamic between her and Carlo. In their eyes, the relationship was more akin to that of an athlete and coach—a partnership aimed at excellence. And indeed, this intensive "training" soon bore fruit. Before long, the newly polished yet uniquely captivating Sophia stood poised to take the world by storm. Her big break arrived when Clemente Fracassi set out to adapt the renowned opera "Aida" for the silver screen in 1953.

Aida. Sophia Loren

When Gina Lollobrigida turned down the role, which was to be voiced by renowned singer Renata Tebaldi, Sophia Loren jumped at the chance to portray Aida on screen. Her performance not only captivated audiences but also won over the critics, marking her arrival as a genuine star.

In an ironic twist of fate, Sophia's newfound fame led to an unexpected encounter with her long-absent father. Having caught wind of his illegitimate daughter's rise to stardom, he approached her with a proposition: money in exchange for officially acknowledging Anna-Maria, whose lack of paternal recognition was causing issues with her school certification. Without hesitation, Sophia handed over her first paycheck to Riccardo. Then, in a symbolic act of self-reinvention, she officially adopted her stage name, Loren, leaving behind the surname that tied her to her wayward father.

The Road to the Oscar

Ponti, who wanted his protégé to be known not only in Italy, arranged for Sophia to play Juana in Stanley Kramer's American project, "The Pride and the Passion." As was customary, the director hosted a party before filming began so the actors could get to know each other better.

Knowing she would be acting alongside Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant, Sophia carefully chose her dress and was extremely nervous. Her filmography already included Vittorio De Sica's "The Gold of Naples," where her signature walk captivated men. She used that same walk when she appeared at the party.

Cary Grant, who had hoped for Ava Gardner as his partner, arrived late on purpose to unsettle the "Italian upstart" and even started teasing her by calling her Gina (implying Gina Lollobrigida). However, within fifteen minutes, the rascal was pouring out his heart to Sophia, talking about his time with an acrobatic troupe and his three failed marriages. He then invited Loren to dinner, and afterwards, they spent nearly every evening together.

If there was ever a man Sophia might have married and stayed in America for, it was Grant. But at that time, Loren had already been secretly engaged to Carlo for three years. Despite being still married to General Fiastri's daughter, Ponti did not want to lose the treasure he had literally created with his own hands.

Sophie Loren - The Pride and the Passion

Sophia's mother, worried her daughter might repeat her own fate by getting involved with a married man, struggled to accept the situation. But Loren, faced with the choice of a lifetime, stayed with Carlo despite new passionate scenes with Grant in the Hollywood film "Houseboat." Ponti, seeing what was happening on screen and knowing his Sophia, urgently sought an official divorce from his estranged wife.

Later, Sophia confessed the reason for her final decision:

You know, I had to choose. But Carlo was Italian, he was from my world, and Cary Grant was not.

These words perfectly reflect the actress's American film career. Her energy was so powerful that Hollywood actors simply couldn't handle it. "Time" once remarked that "Sophia could swallow any of them," although the gastronomic advances from Hollywood's men were more than obvious.

Men were utterly intoxicated by Sophia's electrifying presence

For instance, Richard Burton poetically praised her "beautiful brown eyes on an almost devil face," while Peter O'Toole put it less elegantly: "The more time I spent with Sophia, the more edible she seemed to me."

Oscar for "Two Women" and "Marriage Italian Style"

As Loren later joked, she owed her Oscar and subsequent career to the capricious Anna Magnani. This actress turned down the role of widow Cesira, whose daughter Sophia was supposed to play in the drama "Two Women."

Anna, who literally looked up at Loren, sharply remarked that Sophia should play a fifty-year-old widow. George Cukor, who was supposed to direct the film, also left along with Magnani. Remembering her mother's life, Sophia seriously decided to change the role, resulting in Jean-Paul Belmondo becoming her partner, and Vittorio De Sica the director.

When you watch the film, you cry with my character. Before that, I was just a performer. This film made me a real actress.

Her undeniable acting talent impressed the Academy so much that for the first time in Oscar history, a foreign actress received the coveted statuette. Sophia did not expect to win and did not attend the ceremony, as fellow nominee Audrey Hepburn starred in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and Sophia was sure Audrey would win.

Early in the morning, Cary Grant called the actress and was the first to tell her the news. Loren still believes she would never have won the Oscar if she had continued her Hollywood career:

I knew my place was in Italy. I became famous in America because of Italian films.

And once again, Sophia was right. Despite starring in Hollywood films with celebrities like Clark Gable ("It Started in Naples"), Charlie Chaplin, and Marlon Brando ("A Countess from Hong Kong"), her greatest on-screen partnership of the 20th century was recognized with her fellow countryman Marcello Mastroianni.

Whenever she reminisces about her lifelong friend who passed away too soon, Loren always says that forty years of filming together brought her love for all their joint projects.

Sophia Loren winning Best Actress - 34th Oscars (1962)

A tender friendship in life and Italian passions on screen connected these two wonderful people and actors until the end of their days. Ponti explained this dizzying success as follows:

The whole trick is that they are two incredibly beautiful and at the same time extraordinarily funny people. Most beautiful people are not funny at all.

Just remember their "Marriage Italian Style" or "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," where both sparkle with humor, sexuality, and the fullness of life.

A shot from the movie 'Marriage Italian Style'

Many years later, in "Ready to Wear," they would appear together on screen again, repeating the seduction scene. It would be their swan song in the cinema. Two years later, a heartbroken friend would bury her faithful friend Marcello and rarely act herself. In 1991, she would receive an honorary Oscar as one of the treasures of cinema.

Sophia Loren's Dance

Personal Life of Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren always called Carlo Ponti the love of her life. Despite the long years she had to wait for his divorce, which took place not in Italy but in France, and despite their secret wedding in Mexico that they later had to annul, Sophia Loren officially became Mrs. Ponti in the spring of 1966.

Although Carlo was more than twenty years older than Sophia, they felt happy together. The only thing that clouded their joy for a long time was the absence of children. Hormonal imbalance led to two miscarriages, and Sophia, who desperately wanted to become a mother, fell into deep depression.

She endured the treatment stoically, and when she became pregnant for the third time, she was literally afraid to breathe, spending almost all her time in bed and communicating only with doctors, her husband, and her assistant Ines.

Sophia Loren's eldest son is named Carlo – in honor of his father

When their first child was born in 1968, named after his father, the parents were overjoyed. Little Carlo lay comfortably in his mother's arms while she, reclining on a gurney, answered reporters' questions with her husband right in the hospital lobby.

Four years later, Sophia became pregnant again. Although bed rest was not as strict this time, she still avoided filming and attending events. In 1972, Loren safely gave birth to their second son, named Edoardo.

Sophia Loren with her husband and children

The happy family lived in a 16th-century villa near Rome. The beautiful house, surrounded by orchards with fig trees, a swimming pool, a tennis court, stables, and an aqueduct, was their true family nest.

When the Carabinieri raided the villa in 1977, it was like a bolt from the blue. Carlo was accused of tax evasion and moving capital out of Italy, and their home was confiscated. Loren tried to save her beloved art collection, but she couldn't move it to their apartment in Paris, and she was detained at Rome's airport.

Thirteen years later, they returned the property, but Sophia spent seventeen days in a prison cell, and Carlo was sentenced to four years of community service. Journalists immediately spread rumors that the Italian government wanted to make an example of celebrities to show "who's in charge," and another version suggested it was revenge from the father of Carlo's first wife, who never forgave him for marrying an orphan, even if she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Ponti and Loren barely reacted to the newspaper gossip:

“We are a phenomenon beyond their understanding. I did everything out of love for Sophia. I always believed in her. For the press, I was always a philanderer. I do not claim to be as pure as the driven snow. But if I had all the affairs the journalists attributed to me, I wouldn't have had time to make movies,” Carlo once said.

Loren, busy raising her sons, brushed off the gossip like annoying flies. Motherhood, which made her so happy, also made her incredibly strong against any attacks. Only the death of her beloved husband, who passed away from pneumonia in her arms in 2007, was a cruel blow for Sophia:

“Time has passed since his death, but it hasn't gotten easier for me. I still miss my husband; he is always in my thoughts. I still talk to him. When I am with my family, we look at his empty chair as if waiting for him to appear at any moment. I decided to write an autobiography to maintain this unbreakable connection with him. In the book, there's a photo from 1954 where Carlo is brushing my hair. This shot speaks of our love more than a thousand words,” says the actress.

Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti were together until Carlo's death

Sophia Loren Now

At 90, the legendary movie goddess lives in Geneva with her long-time personal secretary, Ines Bruck. Her most recent role was Madame Rosa, which she played in the film directed by her younger son, Edoardo Ponti, "The Life Ahead."

Sophia Loren with her youngest son, Edoardo

Her older son, Carlo, conducts at the Vienna Opera. Her granddaughters visit with their parents on rare weekends and constantly stay in touch via Skype. Sophia understands that her sons have their own families, responsibilities, and beloved jobs.

Sophia Loren's eldest son became a conductor

She enjoys living her life, writing books (in addition to her autobiography "Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow – My Life," Loren has published several cookbooks), and savoring the moments she's lived.

The great Sophia wakes up at five in the morning. Not for anything specific, it's just a habit from her childhood and her film career when she had to get to makeup before shooting. She spends about half an hour exercising in her room, has breakfast, and goes for a walk.

Then she handles the rest of her daily tasks. Sometimes she goes to Rome for a couple of weeks to visit her sister. She reads a lot, catching up on what she couldn't read before due to lack of time, sometimes dedicating an entire day to it.

In September 2023, the actress slipped in the bathroom and fell, breaking her hip. However, her recovery went well, and within a few months, Loren returned to her active social life. In September 2024, she celebrated her 90th birthday. Numbers don't scare her:

When I look in the mirror, I am happy. I don't ask, 'Are you great?' or 'Are you beautiful?' No! What matters is how I feel inside, how confident and happy I am. That's what matters.