The Story of Sophia Loren, A Hollywood Star Who Only Loved One Man For 50 Years

Illegitimate Child

Born in poverty, Sophia was an illegitimate baby of a single mother born in the charity ward of a hospital in Naples. Sofia Villani Scicolone would go on to live a real-life fairytale, and she transformed into one of the best and most loved stars of cinema. But her early life was not so glamorous, in fact, Loren shared a bed with at least three family members until she, her younger sister, and her mother moved from her mother’s family home.

She Escaped To The Theatre

Her last name came from her father, Riccardo Scicolone, who refused to marry her mother, Romilda Villani, and would not allow her younger sister to take his name. According to Loren, she was taunted as a child for being illegitimate. Even as a young girl, Sophia found herself drawn to the theatre, making many trips to see her favorite Hollywood stars on the screen. She would sometimes watch four shows in a single day. And even at the age of 11, she knew her future would lay in films.

Miss Eleganza

It was 1950, and a young Sophia appeared as a contestant in the Miss Eleganza beauty contest in Rome. As though a ploy by Cupid, Carlo — a renowned Italian film producer — was one of the competition judges, and from the moment she stepped on the stage, he could not take his eyes off of her. “I immediately knew that she was someone exceptional. Something played off her that gave her a kind of illumination,” Carlo Ponti said of the first time he saw her.

When They First Met

Sophia met the love of her life, Carlo Ponti, when she was just 17 years old. At first, he was just a director for her and Carlo took an interest in training her: he taught her manners, got rid her of accent, made her read books about art, and he insisted she learn English. He became a mentor to her, he protected her, and soon a strong feeling prevailed. It was their love that helped them overcome the many obstacles to happiness.