Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren in 1955.

Sophia Loren (born September 20, 1934) is the most famous Italian actress. She was born Sofia Villani Scicolone in Pozzuoli, Italy, the illegitimate daughter of Romilda Villani and Riccardo Scicolone. She grew up there in poverty but found her way into small parts in films in the 1950s. She was "discovered" by her future husband Carlo Ponti, who produced many of her films.

Notes

Received an Oscar for the 1961 film Two Women.
Often appeared with Marcello Mastroianni
Her childhood nickname: "Toothpick"
Other notable film roles were: Jimena (Charlton Heston's love interest) in El Cid; Lucilla in The Fall of the Roman Empire with Alec Guinness; and Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha with Peter O'Toole.

Quotes

"Mistakes are a part of the dues one pays for a full life."
"Sex appeal is 50% what you've got and 50% what people think you've got."
When asked why she stopped doing nude scenes: "When Sophia Loren is naked, that is a lot of nakedness."
"A woman's dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view."
"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti."
"Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent."
"It's a mistake to think that once you're done with school you need never learn anything new."
"The two big advantages I had at birth were to have been born wise and to have been born in poverty."
"If you haven't cried, your eyes can't be beautiful."

External links

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