Career & Net Worth Of Sophia Loren

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Career & Net Worth Of Sophia Loren

Sofia Villani Scicolone Dame Grand Cross OMRI, known professionally as Sophia Loren is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as the 21st greatest female star of Classic Hollywood Cinema. She is currently the only living actress and highest-ranked living person mentioned on the list.

Early Life & Career

Sophia Loren was born as Sofia Villani Scicolone in 1934, in Rome, Italy. Her parents were Romilda Villani, a piano teacher, and Riccardo Scicolone, who was a construction engineer from a noble lineage. Loren's parents never married, and her father eventually left the family behind without financial support. When she was 15, Loren entered the 1950 Miss Italia beauty pageant under the name Sofia Lazzaro; selected as one of the three finalists, she was awarded the title of "Miss Elegance." Still using the name Lazzaro, she enrolled at Italy's national film school, the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. She subsequently appeared in an uncredited role in the 1951 historical epic "Quo Vadis." Around this time, Loren had bit parts in Italian movies such as "Brief Rapture," "Era lui… sì! sì!," "I Dream of Zorro," and "La Favorita."

In 1953, after adopting her current name, Loren had her first starring role in "Aida," an adaptation of the Verdi opera. She landed another leading role that same year in "Two Nights with Cleopatra." Her big breakthrough, however, came with the 1954 Vittorio De Sica anthology film "The Gold of Naples." Loren continued to have a prolific career on screen over the next couple of years, starring in such films as "Pilgrim of Love," "Too Bad She's Bad," "The Sign of Venus," and "The Miller's Beautiful Wife," her first of numerous films with Marcello Mastroianni.

Late Career

Loren's acting career continued to taper off in the 90s. In 1991, she received an Honorary Oscar for her contributions to world cinema, and received the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 1995. During this time, Loren appeared in films such as "Prêt-à-Porter" and the comedy sequel "Grumpier Old Men," with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. She also became active in other business areas, selling perfume, jewelry, and cookbooks.

In the early 2000s, Loren appeared in the independent Canadian film "Between Strangers." In 2009, she had one of her most prominent roles in years in the film adaptation of the musical "Nine." She landed an even bigger role in 2020, when she was cast as the lead actress of the Italian drama "The Life Ahead."

Personal Life

In 1957, Loren married by proxy Italian film producer Carlo Ponti, whom she had known since she was 16. Because Ponti was still wed at the time, the couple had their marriage annulled in 1962 to avoid charges of bigamy; however, they continued to live together. When Ponti finally got divorced, he married Loren in 1966. They later had two children, Carlo Ponti Jr. and Edoardo Ponti, and remained married until Ponti's passing in 2007.

Loren has primarily lived in Geneva, Switzerland since 2006; she also owns residences in Rome and Naples. The actress has four grandchildren.

Net Worth

Sophia Loren is a legendary Italian actress and model who has a net worth of $150 million dollars. She began acting in films as a teenager, before signing a five-picture contract with Paramount that launched her to global stardom. Among her credits are "Marriage Italian Style," "Sunflower," and "Two Women," the latter of which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.