Sophia Loren

Italian actress Sophia Loren is shown in a 1960s photo. Loren, was born Sofia Scicolone on Sept. 20, 1934, in Rome. She was discovered at age 15 by movie producer Carlo Ponti, 22 years her senior who later became her husband. He died in January 2007 at age 94.

American actor John Wayne and Italian actress Sophia Loren arrive in Rome from Africa after Wayne broke his leg during the shooting of "The Legend of the Lost".

French actor-singer Maurice Chevalier and Italian actress Sophia Loren chat together on June 17, 1959 in Vienna on the stage of Michael Curtiz's film "A Breath of Scandal." In 1961, she received a number of awards, including an Academy Award for "La Ciociara" ("Two Women").

Italian actress Sophia Loren at the Cannes Film Festival in 1964. She became one of the major sex symbol of the 1960s and was often referred to as the Italian Marilyn Monroe.

Italian actress Sophia Loren at the Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera, 1964. Two years later, she presided over the film festival as president of the jury.

Actress Sophia Loren, made up with a black eye, sits in a cab on set during the 1974 filming of a movie in Italy. She played the role of Pupa in the movie "La Pupa Del Gangster."

Italian actress Sophia Loren is all smiles as she arrives at the 65th Academy awards ceremony in Los Angeles, March 23, 1993.

Italian actress Sophia Loren holds up her Golden Globe award as she poses with long-time friend Charlton Heston Jan. 21, 1995, at the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills. Loren won the Cecil B. DeMille award for her career achievements.

Actress Sophia Loren applauds former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev during Time Magazine's 75th Anniversary celebration at Radio City Music Hall March 3, 1998, in New York. More than 90 Time cover subjects attended the event to mark the first day the magazine was published in 1923.

Italian director Roberto Benigni is led off the stage by presenter-actress Sophia Loren, right, after winning the Oscar for Foreign Language Film for his movie "Life is Beautiful" during the 71st Academy Awards, March 21, 1999, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Italian actress Sophia Loren, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees goodwill ambassador, tries to give water to a child suffering from starvation at a Red Cross feeding center in Baidoa, Nov. 23, 2000, where children were dying at a rate of 30 to 40 a day.

Italian actress Sophia Loren speaks during a press conference in Montreal on Aug. 26, 2001, for the city's annual international film festival, where her film "Francesca e Nunziata" was premiered.

Italian actress Sophia Loren and her son, director Edourdo Ponti, attend the opening ceremony of the 59th Venice Film Festival on Aug. 29, 2002, in Venice, Italy. The annual 10-day film festival is one of the oldest and most prestigious cinema events in Europe and traditionally showcases non-Hollywood films.

Actress Sophia Loren and actor Marcello Mastroianni are shown filming their 1977 movie "Una Giornata Particolare" (A Special Day) in Rome, Italy. Loren promoted the release of a restored version of the film June 9, 2003, in Rome. Loren and Mastroianni starred in a number of films together.

Italian actress Sophia Loren, right, stands with her son, Carlo Ponti Jr., as they wait to enter the Basilica in Budapest for Ponti's wedding with Andrea Meszaros on Sept. 18, 2004.

Actor Tom Hanks is congratulated by Italian actress Sophia Loren after he was awarded a Bambi in the category "International Film" during the 56th Bambi Media Awards ceremony, Nov. 18, 2004, in Hamburg, Germany. The Bambis are one of Germany's most prestigious awards.

Italy's Sophia Loren leads Chilean writer Isabel Allende, actress Susan Sarandon, Nobel prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya, Olympic gold medal winners, Nawal El-Moutawakel of Morocco, Manuela Di Centa of Italy, Maria Mutola of Mozambique and Cambodian human rights activist Somaly Mam during the opening ceremony for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games Feb. 10, 2006 in Torino, Italy.

Sophia Loren arrives in Magenta, Italy, Friday, Jan. 12, 2007, to attends the funeral service of her husband Italian producer Carlo Ponti. Ponti, whose movies include "Doctor Zhivago" and "La Strada," and who discovered Sophia Loren, launched the movie icon's career and married her despite threats of bigamy charges and excommunication, died late Tuesday at a Geneva hospital. He was 94.

Actress Sophia Loren receives the lifetime achievement award Il Campidoglio from the city of Rome during the 2nd Rome Film Festival on Oct. 20, 2007, in Italy.

Sophia Loren reaches out to Daniel Day-Lewis in a scene from Rob Marshall's "Nine." In the musical film, Loren plays the mother of Day-Lewis' character, a famed director reflecting on all the women in his life.