Sophia Loren's story in fascinating facts

Sophia Loren - an iconic actress, a talented singer, and just a delightful woman. When she was a child, it seemed impossible that she could ever become a star. She grew up in a tiny town in southern Italy, far from glitz, glamour, and fortune. She was poor, malnourished, at risk of death every day... But still - she managed to turn her adversity into a success. to the advantage ofand become an icon of her time. Her hometown and the life she led before she became a celebrity were fundamental to her career. Her strong determination and unwavering self-confidence meant that circumstances would not dictate her life path.

It was only through a little luck and a great deal of zealous ambition that Sophia Loren became one of the of the most charismatic and unrivalled actresses of all time.

Looking back, Lauren views her youth as a luxury. She considers the two greatest advantages she ever had, being born into poverty and being born wise. Although she rose from poverty and reached the peak of Hollywood fame, at heart she has always remained a "just a girl.".

"Petrel."

Living in poverty and constant danger during World War II, Sophie grew up amid the wreckage of bombs and roaring sirens in a fishing town Pozzuoli. Her childhood was a constant struggle for survival, and even after the war ended, food and shelter were often scarce. As a young girl, she was so thin that she was nicknamed "Petrel." (along with her thinness, this nickname was reinforced by her tall stature). But Lauren also craved emotional survival, which she found in cinema. Literally.

During air raids, she sought refuge in local cinemas, which gave her a real escape from the atrocities of everyday life. Watching the beautiful actresses on the cinema screen planted the seeds in Sophie's mind early on. Finally, having won beauty contest in 1950 - inspired by the legends she had watched over the years, which gave her a brief refuge and distraction from reality, she moved to the Rome with a cash prize and began a career in the film industry.

After climbing out of poverty, Lauren managed to build a a dazzling film career! Thanks in large part to an abusive childhood that tempered her character. And also. motherswho was her main example of an ideal woman. Similar to Greta Garbo, Sofia's mother was a fragile but very wise Italian woman. In her youth, she too aspired to fame, but did not possess the drive, which, fortunately, managed to develop in her daughter. The father was almost completely absent from his children's lives, and it was her fragile shoulders that bore all the troubles Romilda Villani (mother). Subsequently, Lauren often said that half of her success - the merit of her mother. Her influence on the actress was obvious. For example, when it came to the roles of maternal figures, Sophie seemed to draw inspiration from an image familiar to her from early childhood...

A secret wedding and a scandalous reputation.

At another beauty pageant, Sophie met her future husband and producer Carlo Ponti. Their marriage turned out to be a life-long one: they lived soul to soul until 2007, when the man passed away... He was older than his beloved by a 22 years oldbut the age difference has never been a barrier. Neither were the Vatican's strict rules. Ponti was married to another woman when they met. But his love for Sophie was so strong, and most importantly mutual, that the two took a desperate step: they secretly married in Mexico. Alas, a Catholic can't just get a divorce. So the lovers had to wait until in 1966 they were able to make their relationship official.

Lauren and Ponti's relationship has been described in many different ways. tall tales! Some are sure that the man used the ambitions of his young and beautiful wife, "exploited" her sexual image. Others, on the contrary - believe that it was Sophie who used Carlo for her own purposes, to achieve fame and all that kind of thing. The personal life of media people is impossible without dirt... Lauren herself said the following about it:

"All we had in common was love. Some people say that I found in Carlo a protector, a father. That's not true. It's a load of rubbish! I don't like the word 'protector'. Rather, he believed in me..."

Iron training

Sophie has acted in dozens of films in her career, and has built a reputation of Italy's sex icon. She has also recorded and released singles, some of which have enjoyed a great success in Italy! But speaking of film careers - she was particularly good at the roles of ordinary, "down-to-earth" women. Largely because of what she experienced in her younger years. The icon once said:

"In my career, I've always tried to play women of strong character. These heroines have always been particularly close to me."

Now, after an acting career spanning more than 70 years and over 100 films under her belt, Lauren may know better than anyone what it means to be as a woman in show business. In an interview, she once stated:

"You have to be well prepared, and you have to be psychologically strong to withstand anything that comes your way. That's why many actresses are not prepared for success when they achieve it..."

From the very beginning of her career at a very tender young age, her own self-confidence protected her from the many pitfalls that came her way. At early auditions, she was told that she should consider a nose job and lip job to be successful. Suffice it to say, Lauren was not followed their advice and still achieved global success because of her charismatic authenticity rather than the unsubstantiated recommendations of others.