Sofia Villani Scicolone, popularly by her screen name Sophia Loren, is an Italian film star. Counted amongst the most beautiful and talented actresses to have ruled the cinema world, she was a major star from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Born to an unwed mother, she had a difficult childhood. Being an illegitimate child meant no father figure and extreme poverty in the first 15 years of her life. Aptly nicknamed 'little stick', she was shy, ugly and lean as a child, and little did she know that one day she would become a sex symbol in the entire US and Europe.
Her fortune changed when at the age of 15 she was spotted by a producer, her future husband, in a beauty pageant. From there on she went from being an unknown face to a Hollywood star and in no time garnered a huge following of admirers. Several prestigious awards certify that she was not just a pretty face but a complete and true actress.
Unlike several of her contemporaries whose personal lives were marked by controversies, Sophia Loren had a stable marriage with Carlo Ponti, a man 22 years older to her, and did not remarry after his death in 2007.
Below is a collection of 35 color photos of a young Sophia Loren from between the 1950s and 1960s.
Born to an unwed mother, she had a difficult childhood. Being an illegitimate child meant no father figure and extreme poverty in the first 15 years of her life. Aptly nicknamed 'little stick', she was shy, ugly and lean as a child, and little did she know that one day she would become a sex symbol in the entire US and Europe.
Her fortune changed when at the age of 15 she was spotted by a producer, her future husband, in a beauty pageant. From there on she went from being an unknown face to a Hollywood star and in no time garnered a huge following of admirers. Several prestigious awards certify that she was not just a pretty face but a complete and true actress.
Unlike several of her contemporaries whose personal lives were marked by controversies, Sophia Loren had a stable marriage with Carlo Ponti, a man 22 years older to her, and did not remarry after his death in 2007.
Below is a collection of 35 color photos of a young Sophia Loren from between the 1950s and 1960s.
