Sophia Loren

Who is Sophia Loren?

Sophia Loren is an Italian actress. Loren is widely recognized as Italy's most renowned and honored actress.

After entering a beauty pageant in 1949 aged 14, Loren was encouraged to enroll in acting lessons and appeared in several 'bit parts' and minor roles until the late 1950s where Loren's five-picture contract with Paramount launched her career as an international movie star. Notable film appearances around this time including; Houseboat, That Kind of Woman and It Started in Naples.

It was not until her deglamorized performance as Cesira in Vittorio De Sica's Two Women that confirmed her status as an acclaimed actress. Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1962 for her performance which made Loren the first artist to win an Oscar for a foreign-language performance. Later notable films include El Cid; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; Marriage Italian-Style; Sunflower; and The Voyage. After starting a family in the early 1970s, Loren spent less time on her acting career and chose to make only occasional film appearances. In later years, she has appeared in American films such as Grumpier Old Men and Nine.