Sophia Loren turns 92: the timeless legend

Ninety-two candles for a living legend of the seventh art. Sophia Loren celebrates today, September 20th, a milestone intertwined with the very history of world cinema. Her list of honors, among the most extensive ever, speaks for itself: two Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, a Grammy Award, a Volpi Cup in Venice, the Prix in Cannes, the Golden Bear in Berlin, and a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.

From the Miss Italy catwalks to meeting Carlo Ponti

The legend's first steps began in Rome, where a very young Sofia Scicolone participated in several beauty contests, winning the "Miss Elegance" sash at Miss Italy in 1950. The turning point came in 1951: spotted by producer Carlo Ponti, she signed a seven-year contract and permanently adopted the stage name Sophia Loren.

Her first notable roles were not long in coming: she played Cleopatra opposite Alberto Sordi, then appeared in Vittorio De Sica's The Gold of Naples, Alessandro Blasetti's Too Bad to Be a Scoundrel—a film that marked her historic first encounter with Marcello Mastroianni—and Poverty and Nobility with Totò. After Bread, Love and... and The Sign of Venus, director Mario Soldati gave her her first dramatic role in The Woman from the River.

The conquest of Hollywood and the consecration with "Two Women"

In the second half of the 1950s, Loren crossed national borders and entered Hollywood through the front door. She worked with the biggest stars of the era: Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant in The Pride and the Passion, John Wayne in Timbuktu, Anthony Quinn in The Devil in Pink Shorts, and Grant again in A Husband for Cynthia.

Her definitive consecration and entry into cinema history, however, came with Vittorio De Sica's Two Women (1960), based on the novel by Alberto Moravia. At just 25 years old, playing the dramatic role of Cesira, Loren won the Oscar for Best Actress—the first time for a non-English speaking performance—as well as the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the BAFTA, the David di Donatello, and the Nastro d'Argento.

The great partnerships, private life and international successes

The 1960s and 1970s consolidated her status as a global icon. She directed unforgettable masterpieces such as El Cid with Charlton Heston, A Countess from Hong Kong directed by Charlie Chaplin alongside Marlon Brando, and De Sica's celebrated films with Mastroianni: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Marriage Italian Style (which earned her another Oscar nomination), and Sunflowers.

Her private life unfolded in parallel: from her union with Carlo Ponti, her sons Carlo Jr. were born in 1968 and Edoardo in 1973. Her artistic career continued with iconic films such as A Special Day (1977) by Ettore Scola, in an intense authorial interpretation always alongside Mastroianni.

From television to returning to the set with his son Edoardo

In the 1980s and 1990s, Loren's appearances on the big screen became less frequent, successfully dedicating herself to major television productions and historic cinematic events—including Roberto Benigni's Oscar win in 1999. Her film credits include Robert Altman's Prêt-à-Porter, featuring the historic homage to striptease in Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, and That's Amore with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

More recently, after several successful TV series and her experience as a voice actress for Pixar's Cars 2, Sophia Loren has shown she hasn't lost the dramatic brilliance of her early career. In 2020, directed by her son Edoardo Ponti in The Life Ahead, she delivered a masterful performance that earned her, decades after her first, yet another David di Donatello Award for Best Actress. Further confirmation of her ageless talent.