Italys answer to Marilyn Monroe was born on September 20, 1934 in Pozzuoli, Campania, Italy. She once said sex appeal is 50% what you've got and 50% what people think you've got. She made the best of her 50%.

The star of some 92-plus films, she has ruled the European silver screen with her voluptuous physique and alluring acting. She had quite a few box-office hits in America as well, like the Houseboat (1958).

Among her memorial films are La Ciociara (1960), El Cid (1961), A Countess from Hong Kong (1967), C'era una Volta (1967), Mortadella, La (1971), Man of La Mancha (1972), and Verdict (1974).

Nominated twice for the Academy Award in 1962 and 1965, Loren won the Oscar in 1965 for her role in La Ciociara (1960) as the Best Actress in a Leading Role. She was honored once again in 1991 by the Academy with a life-time achievement honorary Oscar.

Although married to the famous Italian producer Carlo Ponti, Loren had been close to Cary Grant as well. Some biographers claim that Grant loved no woman in his life more than he did Sophia Loren. Together they starred in Houseboat (1958).

Did you know these trivia facts about Sophia Loren?

1. When she was a kid she was so tall and skinny they called her toothpick.

2. In 1982 she got into trouble for not paying her taxes and had to spend 18 days in prison.

3. Besides acting, she had a modest success as a singer as well. Her duets with Peter Sellers topped the UK charts in 1960 and 1961. The Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf album she recorded with former US President Bill Clinton and former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev for children won the Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

4. Her stage-fright was so intense she refused to take part in any theatrical production.

5. In 1991, People magazine has selected her as one the Most Beautiful 50 People in the world.