Sophia Loren - 85: What Audiences Don't Know About The World Cinema Legend

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

September 20 marks 85 years of the world famous Italian actress Sophia Loren. Looking at her, these numbers are hard to believe - at 71 she was recognized as the most beautiful woman on the planet, at 73 she starred naked for the Pirelli calendar, and at 84, after an 8-year hiatus, she again appeared in films. Why Sophia Loren married Carlo Ponti twice, for which she and her husband were stigmatized in their native Italy, and the actress herself was sent to jail, and other little-known facts - further in the review.

The real name of the actress is Sofia Villani Shikolone. She was born in Rome, but soon after her birth, her mother returned to her hometown of Pozzuoli - Sofia's father Ricardo Shicolone acknowledged his paternity and gave her his last name, but refused to register the marriage with her mother. As a child, Sofia was very thin and tall, for which she received the nickname Stekchetto - Perch. She was not popular with her peers, and she considered herself ugly. But already at the age of 14, Sofia participated in a local beauty contest, where she received a cash prize and a ticket to Rome as an award. Two years later, she took part in the Miss Italy competition, and although she did not win it, she received the Miss Elegance title, established by the jury additionally especially for her. At the same time, an event happened that changed her life forever: at a beauty contest, 16-year-old Sophia met 38-year-old producer Carlo Ponti, who later became her husband.

The 22-year age difference was not the only obstacle in their relationship - Carlo Ponti was married, and in order to file a divorce he needed to get permission from the Vatican, which had to wait for a very long time. Carlo and Sofia secretly got married in Mexico, but were later forced to file a divorce, since the producer was accused of bigamy in his homeland, excommunicated, branded with shame and even called on viewers to boycott his films. And only in 1966, 16 years after they met, Carlo and Sofia were able to legalize their marriage a second time. Since then, they have celebrated their wedding anniversary twice a year.

Despite the fact that her husband was a producer, at first her acting career did not work out - she was offered only episodes, the role of extras or erotic scenes. Later, Carlo Ponti bought all the films of the young actress, where she was naked, so as not to spoil her reputation after she became famous. In the credits of her first films, she was mentioned under the pseudonym Sophia Lazarro, and later Carlo Ponti suggested that she change her surname to "Lauren" - this was consonant with the surname of the Belgian actress Martha Toren, who was widely known at that time.

Ponti worked with his wife, like Pygmalion with Galatea: he not only invented a new name for her, but also taught her to dress elegantly, conduct small talk, speak correctly, getting rid of the Neapolitan accent, instilled a taste for good literature, forced her to learn foreign languages, hired a personal stylist and etiquette teacher, put on an inimitable gait with swaying hips (she had to go along a row of open bedside tables so that their doors slammed). The only thing she refused to do was plastic surgery to reshape her nose. Sophia Loren then said: ""

Even in her youth, Sophia Loren learned to ignore all the criticisms about her appearance: the directors refused to shoot her, considering her non-cinematic due to her too long nose and excess weight. But the actress considered her nose and curvaceous forms to be her highlight and soon achieved recognition of her beauty all over the world. Lauren said: "".

The Archbishop of Genoa once joked that although the Vatican does not approve of cloning, he could have made an exception at least for Sophia Loren. She was never overly self-confident and narcissistic, and, acting with the recognized masters of European cinema, she always experienced excitement and fear, but no one knew about this except herself. She said that it is simply unacceptable to demonstrate your fears to others - "otherwise you risk losing the battle."

By the mid-1950s. Sophia Loren was already a star of Italian cinema and a recognized standard of female beauty in her country. And this happened not only thanks to the efforts of her husband-producer - she soon proved that she has an outstanding acting talent. For the leading role in the film Chochara, played at the age of 26, Lauren received an Oscar in the nomination for Best Actress. By 1980, the Italian actress was already known all over the world. Throughout her film career, Sophia Loren has been awarded prizes at all major film festivals. She won five Golden Globes and two Oscars. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Lauren as one of the 25 Greatest Actresses in Film History.

Despite world recognition, the actress and her husband had many problems in their native Italy. In addition to bigamy, Carlo Ponti was accused of illegal export of funds from the country, and the actress herself was accused of tax evasion. In 1982, she even ended up behind bars because of this! The court found her guilty and sentenced her to a month in prison. As a result, Sophia Loren spent 17 days out of 30 in a women's prison, after which she was released ahead of schedule for diligent behavior. However, the litigation continued for almost 40 years, and it was only in 2013 that the case, opened back in 1974, was finally closed, the charges were finally dropped, and the prosecution of the movie star ended.

When, at the age of 76, Sophia Loren starred in the film "My House Is Full of Mirrors", everyone was sure that this was her last film work. But the actress is not going to retire - after an 8-year hiatus at 84, she reappeared on the set: her son, director Edoardo Ponti, convinced her to star in the drama Life Before Us. Casual passers-by, seeing a movie star in a wheelchair on the streets of Rome, were worried about her health. But, as it turned out, this was simply demanded by her role according to the script.

Even today the whole world is amazed at the unfading beauty of Sophia Loren. And the actress herself says: "". All that remains is to wish her many years of life and to thank her for those works that have delighted viewers all over the world during her 68-year film career!

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