Italian star Sophia Loren, a cinema icon with two Oscars to her name in Hollywood, celebrates her 90th birthday in Rome Friday, just a few days before French actress Brigitte Bardot. The two divas helped define film in the 20th century, becoming international cultural icons and revered by millions around the world. “Sophia Loren, the myth is 90 years old”, crooned the headline on Il Corriere della Sera daily. Loren, who was born in Rome on September 20, 1934, will blow out her 90 candles at a private party in a luxury hotel in the historic centre of the Italian capital.