Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren, captured here in a 1957 sitting by photographer Bud Fraker. She was born Sofia Villani Scicolone on September 20, 1934 in Rome, Italy. Aptly nicknamed 'little stick,' she was shy and lean as a child and was subjected to extreme poverty for the first 15 years of her life. Her fortune changed at the age of 15 when she was spotted by a producer, her future husband, in a beauty pageant. Sophia's first role was in the film “Quo Vadis” (1951) as an extra. For her first starring role in “Aida” (1953), she received critical acclaim. Her breakthrough movie was “The Gold in Naples” (1954), directed by Vittorio De Sica. From there on, she went from being an unknown face to a Hollywood star, in films such as “Too Bad She's Bad” (1954), “Scandal in Sorrento” (1955), “Lucky to Be a Woman” (1956), “Boy on a Dolphin” (1957), “Legend of the Lost” (1957), and “The Pride and the Passion” (1957). She became an international star when Paramount Pictures signed a five-film deal with her in 1958, which included “Desire Under the Elms” (1958), “Houseboat” (1958) and “Heller in Pink Tights” (1960). Sophia was at the peak of her career when she received a million dollars for “The Fall of the Roman Empire” (1964). Some movies that she did during the second half of the 1960s are “Lady L” (1965), “Arabesque” (1966) and “A Countess from Hong Kong” (1967). She focused on her family during the 1970s. After becoming a mother, she acted in fewer movies, mostly Italian films. In the year 1974, she acted in 'The Voyage' and 'Brief Encounter.' Several prestigious awards are testimony to the fact that she was not just a pretty face but also a skilled actress. Unlike several of her contemporaries, whose personal lives were marred by controversies, Sophia Loren had a stable marriage with Carlo Ponti, a man 22 years her senior, and did not remarry after his death in 2007.

(www.hollywoodpinups.com)