Sophia Loren has become an honorary citizen of Naples, the southern Italian city she grew up in, the city council ruled Monday on a proposal by Mayor Luigi de Magistris. The ruling cited "the feelings of friendship, esteem, gratitude, admiration and affection of the city of Naples" towards an artist who is "an authentic and absolute patrimony of Naples and our whole country". Loren, 81, will get the citizenship at a ceremony in city hall on Saturday at 10:30. The screen legend and Oscar winner was born in Rome but was raised by her grandmother in the Naples suburb of Pozzuoli.
After a sometimes rough upbringing in wartime Pozzuoli Loren was scouted by future husband Carlo Ponti and began her film career in 1950 at age 15. She appeared in several bit parts and minor roles in the early part of the decade, until her five-picture contract with Paramount in 1956 launched her international career. Notable film appearances around this time include The Pride and the Passion, Houseboat, and It Started in Naples.
Her talents as an actress were not recognized until her performance as Cesira in Vittorio De Sica's Two Women, from the novel by Alberto Moravia; Loren's performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1962 and made her the first artist to win an Oscar for a foreign-language performance. She holds the record for having earned six David di Donatello Awards (Italy's Oscars) for Best Actress, the most ever received: Two Women, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Marriage Italian Style (for which she was nominated for a second Oscar), Sunflower, The Voyage, and A Special Day. After starting her family in the early 1970s, Loren spent less time on her acting career and chose to make only occasional film appearances. In later years she appeared in American films such as Grumpier Old Men and Nine.
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