15 Facts About Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren was born Sofia Villani Scicolone in Rome in 1934 and grew up in Pozzuoli near Naples. Her father left the family, and her mother had to raise the children alone in cramped conditions, often without enough food. Sophia was so thin as a child that she was nicknamed 'the stick' (stuzzicadenti, 'toothpick').

During World War II, the Naples area was heavily bombed. Sophia and her family had to shelter in railway tunnels while bombs destroyed the city. As a child she was hit by shrapnel and was left with a small scar on her chin.

Sophia's mother, Romilda Villani, was a talented piano teacher and a Greta Garbo lookalike. She once won a Garbo lookalike contest with a trip to Hollywood as the prize, but her own mother forbade her to go. Sophia inherited her mother's beauty, and her mother pushed her to become an actress.

Sophia's father, Riccardo Scicolone, recognized her as his child but refused to marry her mother and provided little financial support. Sophia's relationship with him remained painful throughout her life.

As a teenager Sophia entered beauty contests, which led to modeling work, including photo-novels. Her first roles were small parts and extra work in Italian films, often as the seductive beauty. Her big breakthrough came in the mid-'50s with films like The River Girl (La Donna del Fiume, 1955).

When Sophia started out, cameramen and studio people told her that her nose was too long and her mouth too big. She refused plastic surgery, and fortunately her natural Italian beauty later became her trademark.

Sophia's great love was film producer Carlo Ponti. The problem? He was already married, and divorce was illegal in Italy. They married by proxy in Mexico in 1957, but the marriage was annulled to avoid bigamy charges. Only in 1966, after Ponti became a French citizen and obtained a divorce, could they officially marry in France.

In 1957 Sophia attended a Hollywood dinner in her honor where sex symbol Jayne Mansfield showed up in an extremely low-cut dress. Sophia's sideways glance at Jayne's cleavage became one of the most famous paparazzi photos ever. Sophia has refused to sign that photo, saying she was afraid something would pop out.

In 1962 Sophia became the first actor ever to win an Oscar for a non-English-language performance, for Two Women (La Ciociara). She beat greats like Audrey Hepburn and Natalie Wood, a huge achievement for an Italian actress.

In 1982 Sophia Loren served 17 days in an Italian women's prison for tax evasion. She always maintained she was innocent and blamed her advisers, and decades later Italy's highest court cleared her.

Sophia had two sons with Carlo Ponti and cut back significantly on acting in the '80s and '90s, turning down many roles to focus on her family. For her, family always came before fame.

Sophia Loren shared the screen with legends like Cary Grant, Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, Paul Newman and Marcello Mastroianni, with whom she made more than a dozen films. Cary Grant famously fell in love with her during filming.

Sophia always wanted to be a mother but suffered two miscarriages before finally having her first son in 1968. She had to spend months on bed rest to make sure her pregnancies went well.

While many stars have their faces reshaped, Sophia Loren has always been proud of her natural beauty. She credits Italian food, plenty of sleep and a positive mindset as the secret to her youthful look.

Sophia Loren is one of the very few remaining stars from the golden age of cinema. She remains graceful, timeless and influential, and is regarded worldwide as one of the greatest actresses ever.