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

Sophia Loren was known to many as an amazing actress, but only known as a soulmate by one - Carlo Ponti. Sophia's dark, exotic eyes and long, bronzed limbs gave her an unparalleled beauty that stole the hearts of men the world over...

Born in poverty, Sophia was an illegitimate baby of a single mother in Naples. Sofia Villani Scicolone would go on to live a fairytale, and she transformed into one of the most loved stars of cinema. But her early life was not so glamorous...

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.

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.

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.