In 1950, Loren, then 15, met her future husband Carlo Ponti, 37 at the time, when she was competing in a beauty contest that he was judging. They married in 1957, but because of legal complications from Ponti’s previous marriage, which was never legally ended, had to have their marriage annulled in 1962 to spare Ponti bigamy charges. They officially married again in 1966.

By the 1950s Loren was starring in Italian movies. She made the leap to U.S. cinema with “The Pride and the Passion” alongside Cary Grant in 1957.

The actress, sometimes called the Italian Marilyn Monroe, won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film “La Ciociara” (“The Women”), playing a woman living in war-torn Italy who is raped while trying to protect her daughter. She was the first actress to win an Oscar for a non-English speaking performance.

The 1960s and ’70s were the peak of her film career when she starred opposite stars such as Marlon Brando, Paul Newman and Charlton Heston. From the ’80s onward the film star’s roles became rare, although she did star in an autobiographical film titled “Sophia Loren: Her Own Story.” She also launched several business ventures, including a fragrance and eye wear.

In 2007, she appeared in the Pirelli Calendar at 72, the oldest model in its history. Tragically, that year she also lost her husband of 50 years and the father of her two children. She was seen on-screen again in 2009, when she costarred in the musical “Nine.”

The actress has inspired a new generation of movie stars and filmmakers. She was cited as one of Drew Barrymore’s early role models. Barrymore spent summers at Loren’s L.A. area ranch when she was a pre-teen.