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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