Editing Sophia Loren (section)

== Career ==
=== Early roles ===
[[File:'La baia di Napoli".jpg|thumb|Loren in ''It Started in Naples'' (1959), in which she sang "[[Tu vuò fà l'americano]]"|244x244px]]
Sofia Lazzaro enrolled in the [[Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia]], the national film school of Italy and appeared as an uncredited extra in [[Mervyn LeRoy]]'s 1951 film ''[[Quo Vadis (1951 film)|Quo Vadis]]'', when she was 16 years old.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/59900 |title=Quo Vadis |author=Celia M. Reilly |publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]] |access-date=5 May 2017 |archive-date=4 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204182419/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/59900%7C0/Quo-Vadis.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Small|first=Pauline|title=Sophia Loren: Moulding the Star|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4QhnLOpcLfcC&pg=PA24|access-date=5 May 2017|year=2009|publisher=Intellect Books|isbn=978-1-84150-234-2|page=24}}</ref>

That same year, Loren appeared in the Italian film ''[[Era lui... sì! sì!]]'', in which she played an [[odalisque]], and was credited as ''Sofia Lazzaro''. In the early part of the decade, she played bit parts and had minor roles in several films, including [[La Favorita (film)|''La Favorita'' (1952)]].<ref>La Favorita – 1952 – https://pics.filmaffinity.com/la_favorita-233461134-large.jpg</ref>

[[Carlo Ponti]] changed her name and public image to appeal to a wider audience as ''Sophia Loren'', being a twist on the name of the Swedish actress [[Märta Torén]] and suggested by [[Goffredo Lombardo]]. Her first starring role was in ''[[Aida (1953 film)|Aida]]'' (1953), for which she received critical acclaim.<ref name="yahoo1">{{cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018204/bio|title=Sophia Loren biography at|publisher=Yahoo! Movies|access-date=15 March 2010|archive-date=3 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103122020/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018204/bio|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After playing the lead role in ''[[Two Nights with Cleopatra]]'' (1953), her breakthrough role was in ''[[The Gold of Naples]]'' (1954), directed by [[Vittorio De Sica]].<ref name="yahoo1" /> ''[[Too Bad She's Bad]]'', also released in 1954, and ''[[The Miller's Beautiful Wife|La Bella Mugnaia]]'' (1955) became the first of many films in which Loren co-starred with [[Marcello Mastroianni]]. Over the next three years, she acted in many films, including ''[[Scandal in Sorrento]]'', ''[[Lucky to Be a Woman]]'', ''[[Boy on a Dolphin]]'', ''[[Legend of the Lost]]'' and ''[[The Pride and the Passion]]'' (1957), the latter film a Napoleonic era war-epic set in Spain starring [[Cary Grant]] and [[Frank Sinatra]].

=== International stardom ===
[[File:Sophia Loren - 1959.jpg|thumb|200px|Loren in 1959]][[File:Sophia Loren 1961.jpg|thumb|Drawing of Loren by [[Nicholas Volpe]] after she won an Oscar for ''Two Women'' (1961)|left|230x230px]]
Loren became an international film star following her five-picture contract with [[Paramount Pictures]] in 1958. Among her films at this time were ''[[Desire Under the Elms (film)|Desire Under the Elms]]'' with [[Anthony Perkins]], based upon the [[Eugene O'Neill]] play; ''[[Houseboat (film)|Houseboat]]'', a romantic comedy co-starring [[Cary Grant]]; and [[George Cukor]]'s ''[[Heller in Pink Tights]]'', in which she appeared as a blonde for the first time. In 1960, Loren starred in [[Vittorio De Sica]]'s ''[[Two Women]]'', a stark, gritty story of a mother who is trying to protect her 12-year-old daughter in war-torn Italy. The two end up gang-raped inside a church as they travel back to their home city following cessation of bombings there. Originally cast as the daughter, Loren fought against type and was eventually cast as the mother (actress [[Eleonora Brown]] would portray the daughter). Loren's performance earned her many awards, including the [[Cannes Film Festival]]'s best performance prize, and an [[Academy Award for Best Actress]], the first major Academy Award for a non-English-language performance or to an Italian actress. She won 22 international awards for ''Two Women''. The film was extremely well received by critics and a huge commercial success. Though proud of this accomplishment, Loren did not show up to this award, citing fear of fainting at the award ceremony. Nevertheless, Cary Grant telephoned her in Rome the next day to inform her of the [[Oscar award]].{{sfn|Loren|2015|pp=135–140}}
During the 1960s, Loren was one of the most popular actresses in the world, and continued to make films in the United States and Europe, starring with prominent leading men. In 1961 and 1964, her career reached its pinnacle when she received $1 million to appear in [[El Cid (film)|''El Cid'']] and ''[[The Fall of the Roman Empire (film)|The Fall of the Roman Empire]]''. In 1965, she received a second Academy Award nomination for her performance in ''[[Marriage Italian-Style]]'' opposite Marcello Mastroianni.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Oscar's Favorite Actors: The Winningest Stars (and More Who Should Be)|last=Leslie|first=Roger|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|year=2017|isbn=9781476669564|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|pages=277}}</ref>

Among Loren's best-known films of this period are [[Samuel Bronston]]'s [[epic film|epic production]] of ''El Cid'' with [[Charlton Heston]], ''[[The Millionairess]]'' (1960) with [[Peter Sellers]], ''[[It Started in Naples]]'' (1960) with [[Clark Gable]], Vittorio De Sica's triptych ''[[Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow]]'' (1963) with Marcello Mastroianni, [[Peter Ustinov]]'s ''[[Lady L]]'' (1965) with [[Paul Newman]], ''[[Arabesque (1966 film)|Arabesque]]'' (1966) with [[Gregory Peck]], and [[Charlie Chaplin]]'s final film, ''[[A Countess from Hong Kong]]'' (1967) with [[Marlon Brando]].

Loren received four [[Golden Globe Award]]s between 1964 and 1977 as "World Film Favorite&nbsp;– Female".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/sophia-loren |title=Sophia Loren |website=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Sophia Loren in "Judith", 1966.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Sophia Loren in a still from ''[[Judith (1966 film)|Judith]]'' (1966)]]

=== Continued success ===
Loren appeared in fewer movies after becoming a mother in 1968. During the next decade, most of her roles were in Italian features. During the 1970s, she was paired with [[Richard Burton]] in the last De Sica-directed film, ''[[The Voyage (1974 film)|The Voyage]]'' (1974), and a remake of the film ''[[Brief Encounter (1974 film)|Brief Encounter]]'' (1974). The film had its premiere on US television on 12 November 1974 as part of the ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' series on NBC. In 1976, she starred in ''[[The Cassandra Crossing]]''. It fared extremely well internationally, and was a respectable box office success in the US market. She co-starred with [[Marcello Mastroianni]] again in [[Ettore Scola]]'s ''[[A Special Day]]'' (1977). This movie was nominated for 11 international awards such as two Oscars (best actor in leading role, best foreign picture). It won a Golden Globe Award and a César Award for best foreign movie. Loren's performance was awarded with a David di Donatello Award, the seventh in her career. The movie was extremely well received by American reviewers.
Following this success, Loren starred in an American thriller ''[[Brass Target]]''. This movie received mixed reviews, although it was moderately successful in the United States and internationally. In 1978, she won her fourth Golden Globe for "world film favorite". Other movies of this decade were Academy Award nominee ''[[Sunflower (1970 film)|Sunflower]]'' (1970), which was a critical success, and Arthur Hiller's ''[[Man of La Mancha (film)|Man of La Mancha]]'' (1972), which was a critical and commercial failure despite being nominated for several awards, including two Golden Globes. [[Peter O'Toole]] and [[James Coco]] were nominated for two NBR awards, in addition the [[National Board of Review of Motion Pictures|NBR]] listed ''Man of La Mancha'' in its best ten pictures of 1972 list.<ref name="yahoo1" /> Loren headlined the action thriller ''[[Firepower (1979 film)|Firepower]]'' (1979) co-starring [[James Coburn]] and [[O. J. Simpson]], whom she had previously worked with on ''The Cassandra Crossing''.

[[File:Sophia Loren Com L28-0277-0001-0001.jpg|left|thumb|280x280px|Loren in 1979]]

In 1980, after the international success of the biography ''Sophia Loren: Living and Loving, Her Own Story'' by [[A. E. Hotchner]], Loren portrayed herself and her mother in a made-for-television [[biopic]] adaptation of her [[autobiography]], ''Sophia Loren: Her Own Story''. Ritza Brown and Chiara Ferrari each portrayed the younger Loren. In 1981, she became the first female celebrity to launch her own [[perfume]], 'Sophia', and a brand of eyewear soon followed.<ref name="yahoo1" />

Loren acted infrequently during the 1980s, preferring to devote more time to raising her sons.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hall |first=Jane |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20088965,00.html |title=Sophia's Choice&nbsp;– Kids & Family Life, Sophia Loren |work=People |date=22 October 1984 |access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/Actors-and-Actresses-Le-Ma/Loren-Sophia.html |title=Sophia Loren&nbsp;– Actors and Actresses&nbsp;– Films as Actress:, Publications|publisher=Film Reference|access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref> In 1981 she turned down the role of [[Alexis Carrington]] in the television series ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''. Although she was set to star in 13 episodes of CBS's ''[[Falcon Crest]]'' in 1984 as Angela Channing's half-sister Francesca Gioberti, negotiations fell through at the last moment and the role went to [[Gina Lollobrigida]] instead. She played the title role in the 1984 TV movie ''[[Aurora (1984 film)|Aurora]]'', in which she acted alongside her 11-year-old real-life son [[Edoardo Ponti]].

Loren has recorded more than two dozen songs throughout her career, including a best-selling album of comedic songs with [[Peter Sellers]]; reportedly, she had to fend off his romantic advances. Partly owing to Sellers's infatuation with Loren, he split with his first wife, Anne Howe. Loren has made it clear to numerous biographers that Sellers's affections were reciprocated only [[platonic love|platonically]]. This collaboration was covered in ''[[The Life and Death of Peter Sellers]]'' where actress [[Sonia Aquino]] portrayed Loren. The song "[[Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?]]" by [[Peter Sarstedt]] was said to have been inspired by Loren.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/peter-sarstedt-singer-where-do-you-go-my-lovely-dies-aged-75-1599940 |newspaper=[[International Business Times]] |last=Keating |first=Fiona |title=Peter Sarstedt, singer of Where Do You Go To My Lovely? dies aged 75 |date=1 February 2017 |access-date=12 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=A Smudge on My Lens |isbn=978-1-906510-78-7 |page=97 |last=Spencer |first=Dave |publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd |year=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MXkF1c8uRsoC&pg=PA97}}</ref>
[[File:Sophia Loren L.A..jpg|right|thumb|280x280px|Loren in 1986, photo by [[Allan Warren]]]]

=== Later career ===
In 1991, Loren received an [[Academy Honorary Award]], which described her as "One of the genuine treasures of [[world cinema]] who, in a career rich with memorable performances, has added permanent luster to our art form." In 1995, she received the [[Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/2011/05/sophia-loren-reflects-on-her-hollywood-career/|title=Sophia Loren reflects on her Hollywood|publisher=Golden Globes|access-date=19 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313215729/http://www.goldenglobes.org/2011/05/sophia-loren-reflects-on-her-hollywood-career/|archive-date=13 March 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> a similar honorary award, bestowed by the [[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]], for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.

She presented [[Federico Fellini]] with his honorary Oscar in April 1993. In 2009, Loren stated on ''[[Larry King Live]]'' that Fellini had planned to direct her in a film shortly before his death in 1993.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0912/15/lkl.01.html|title=CNN.com&nbsp;– Transcripts|publisher=CNN|date=15 December 2009|access-date=15 March 2010}}</ref> Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Loren was selective about choosing her films and ventured into various areas of business, including cookbooks, eyewear, jewelry, and perfume. She received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in [[Robert Altman]]'s film ''[[Prêt-à-Porter (film)|Ready to Wear]]'' (1994), co-starring [[Julia Roberts]].

In 1994, a Golden Palm Star on the [[Palm Springs, California|Palm Springs]], California, [[Palm Springs Walk of Stars|Walk of Stars]] was dedicated to her.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.palmspringswalkofstars.com/web-storage/Stars/Stars%20dedicated%20by%20date.pdf |title=Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013165655/http://www.palmspringswalkofstars.com/web-storage/Stars/Stars%20dedicated%20by%20date.pdf |archive-date=13 October 2012 |website=Palm Springs Walk of Stars |url-status=usurped |access-date=31 January 2015}}</ref>

In ''[[Grumpier Old Men]]'' (1995), Loren played a ''[[femme fatale]]'' opposite [[Walter Matthau]], [[Jack Lemmon]], and [[Ann-Margret]]. The film was a box-office success and became Loren's biggest US hit in years.<ref name="yahoo1" /> At the [[20th Moscow International Film Festival]] in 1997, she was awarded an Honorable Prize for contribution to cinema.<ref name="Moscow1997">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1997|title=20th Moscow International Film Festival (1997)|access-date=22 March 2013|work=MIFF|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322163106/http://moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1997|archive-date=22 March 2013}}</ref> In 1999, the [[American Film Institute]] named Loren among the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars|greatest female stars of American film history]].<ref name="AFIlist">{{cite press release |url= http://www.afi.com/100Years/stars.aspx |title= AFI Recognizes the 50 Greatest American Screen Legends |publisher= [[American Film Institute]] |date= 16 June 1999 |access-date= 22 April 2016 |archive-date= 13 January 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130113043532/http://www.afi.com/100years/stars.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2001, Loren received a Special Grand Prix of the Americas Award at the [[Montreal World Film Festival]] for her body of work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ffm-montreal.org/palmares/en_2001.html |title=Awards 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916005515/http://www.ffm-montreal.org/palmares/en_2001.html |archive-date=16 September 2009 |url-status=usurped |website=Festival des Films du Monde}}</ref> She filmed two projects in Canada during this time: the independent film ''[[Between Strangers]]'' (2002), directed by her son Edoardo and co-starring [[Mira Sorvino]], and the television miniseries ''[[Lives of the Saints (TV miniseries)|Lives of the Saints]]'' (2004).

[[File:Sophia Loren in June 2009.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Loren in 2009]]
In 2009, after five years off the set and 14 years since she starred in a prominent US theatrical film, Loren starred in [[Rob Marshall]]'s film version of ''[[Nine (2009 live-action film)|Nine]]'', based on the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical that tells the story of a director whose midlife crisis causes him to struggle to complete his latest film; he is forced to balance the influences of numerous formative women in his life, including his deceased mother. Loren was Marshall's first and only choice for the role. The film also stars [[Daniel Day-Lewis]], [[Penélope Cruz]], [[Kate Hudson]], [[Marion Cotillard]], and [[Nicole Kidman]]. As a part of the cast, she received her first nomination for a [[Screen Actors Guild Award]].

In 2010, Loren played her own mother in a two-part Italian television miniseries about her early life, directed by Vittorio Sindoni with [[Margareth Madè]] as Loren, entitled ''La mia casa è piena di specchi'' (''{{interlanguage link|My House Is Full of Mirrors|it|La mia casa è piena di specchi (miniserie televisiva)}}''), based on the [[memoir]] by her sister Maria. In July 2013 Loren made her film comeback in an Italian short-film adaptation of [[Jean Cocteau]]'s 1930 play ''[[The Human Voice]]'' (''La voce umana''), which charts the breakdown of a woman who is left by her lover&nbsp;– with her younger son, [[Edoardo Ponti]], as director. Filming took under a month during July in various locations in Italy, including Rome and Naples. It was Loren's first theatrical film since ''Nine''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-italy-loren-idUSBRE9680PO20130709|work=Reuters|title=Sophia Loren to return to big screen in son's film|date=9 July 2013|access-date=2 July 2017|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924182806/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/09/entertainment-us-italy-loren-idUSBRE9680PO20130709|url-status=live}}</ref> She returned to feature-length film, as [[Holocaust survivor]] Madame Rosa, in Ponti's 2020 feature film ''[[The Life Ahead]]''. In 2021 she received [[AARP]] Best Actress and [[Alliance of Women Film Journalists|AWFJ]] Grand Dame awards for her role.<ref>{{cite web|title=AARP Movies for Grownups Awards: 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' Named Best Picture|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/aarp-movies-for-grownups-awards-the-united-states-vs-billie-holiday-named-best-picture-4143393/|first=Hilary|last=Lewis|date=4 March 2021|access-date=23 October 2021|website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> After turning 90 in September 2024, despite having been inactive since the release of ''The Life Ahead'', Loren dismissed rumors about her retirement and expressed her hopes to star in new productions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sophia Loren, Now 90, Hopes to 'Never' Retire: 'I Don't Want to Think About Legacy'|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/sophia-loren-90-shares-her-plans-to-never-retire-from-hollywood/|first=Mike|last=Vulpo|date=8 November 2024|access-date=6 December 2024|website=[[US Weekly]]}}</ref>

[[File:Gala de Închidere TIFF 2016 (27248653590) (cropped).jpg|thumb|245x245px|Loren in 2016]]
On 16 November 2017, Loren received a star at [[Almeria Walk of Fame]] in Spain for her work on ''[[White Sister (film)|White Sister]]''.<ref>{{cite news |author=Europa Press |author-link=Europa Press (news agency) |title=Sophia Loren ya luce su estrella en el Paseo de La Fama de Almería |url=http://www.elmundo.es/andalucia/2017/11/18/5a105753468aeb8e308b4668.html |date=18 November 2017 |access-date=2 December 2017 |newspaper=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]] |language=es |location=Almeria}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sophia Loren descubre su estrella en el Paseo de la Fama de Almería |url=http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/telediario/sofia-loren-recibira-premio-especial-del-festival-cine-almeria/4312088/ |date=18 November 2017 |access-date=2 December 2017 |newspaper=[[Radiotelevisión Española]] |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Martínez|first=Evaristo|date=16 November 2017|title=El Paseo de las Estrellas ya espera a Sophia Loren|language=es|newspaper=[[La Voz de Almería]]|url=https://www.lavozdealmeria.com/noticia/5/vivir/141666/el-paseo-de-las-estrellas-ya-espera-a-sophia-loren|access-date=2 December 2017}}</ref> She received the Almería Tierra de Cine award.<ref>{{cite news|date=29 October 2017|title=Sophia Loren recibe el premio 'Almería Tierra de Cine' y tendrá su estrella en el paseo de la Fama|language=es|newspaper=[[La Voz de Almería]]|url=https://www.lavozdealmeria.com/noticia/5/vivir/140547/sophia-loren-recibe-el-premio-almeria-tierra-de-cine-y-tendra-su-estrella-en-el-paseo-de-la-fama|access-date=2 December 2017}}</ref>