In 1934, Sophia Loren was born Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Sciocolone in a small clinic in Rome. Her background wasn’t glamorous. Her mother was a piano teacher and her father, who soon abandoned his wife and two daughters, struggled to find work as an engineer. The family moved to Naples to live with Loren’s grandmother, and in years to come the actress would sometimes lie about her childhood, telling fans that she was the Viscountess of Pozzuoli. In 1950, at 15, Loren placed second in the Miss Italia contest and won the title of Miss Elegance. The attention propelled her into acting. First came Melvyn LeRoy’s 1951 Quo Vadis, followed by La Favorite, Aida, The Gold of Naples, and international stardom. In collaboration with Cinecittà, Film at Lincoln Center is screening a retrospective of Loren’s 14 most important features—including Vittorio De Sica’s classic Two Women (1960). —Elena Clavarino