[custom_adv] Sophia Loren's success story is unlike other tales from Old Hollywood. Despite sharing the calling cards of other starlets like a self-given name, a love triangle, and some run-ins with the law, Loren did not let the fast life catch up to her. [custom_adv] Now 84, the Italian actress has lived an inspiring life that took her from an impoverished childhood in Naples to her status as a living legend. Here, we look back on the defining moments of Loren's life, as well as the one's that may have slipped into the shadows of the spotlight. [custom_adv] Sophia Loren was born as Sofia Scicolone at the Clinica Regina Margherita in Rome, Italy, on September 20, 1934. Her father, Riccardo Scicolone, was married to another woman and refused to marry her mother, Romilda Villani, despite the fact that she was the mother of his two children (Sophia and her younger sister Maria Scicolone). [custom_adv] Encouraged to enroll in acting lessons after entering a beauty pageant, Loren began her film career at age 16 in 1950. 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. [custom_adv] Notable film appearances around this time include The Pride and the Passion, Houseboat, and It Started in Naples. [custom_adv] Sofia Villani Scicolone Dame of the Grand Cross OMRI (born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren, is an Italian film actress and singer. She is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. [custom_adv] Now 84 years old, one might assume that Loren's been taking it easy for the past few years -- but one would be mistaken. Still stunning as an octogenerian, Loren remains a staple on red carpets across the globe, from the Cannes Film Festival to the Academy Awards. [custom_adv] Earlier this year, in March 2019, she looked glamorous as ever in a blush pink gown in Southampton. In 2007, Loren posed nearly nude for the annual Pirelli Calendar, proving that sexiness is truly ageless.