ITALIAN icon Sophia Loren is globally recognized for her award-winning performance in the '60s film, Two Women.

       The 89-year-old accredited actress was married to Carlo Ponti for over 50 years before his death.

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       Sophia Loren's husband, Carlo Ponti, passed away in 2007 Credit: Getty Images - Getty Who was Sophia Loren's husband, Carlo Ponti?

       Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. was born on December 11, 1912, in Italy.

       He was known as a film producer with over 140 productions to his name and is credited with popularizing Italian cinema in the post-World War II era.

       In 1954, Ponti won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for his work on La Strada. Another popular film of his included 1965's Doctor Zhivago.

       Ponti died of pulmonary complications on January 10, 2007, in Geneva, Switzerland.

       Who is Sophia Loren?

       Sophia Loren is an Italian actress who started her career at the age of 16 back in the '50s. The 89-year-old is known for her roles in films including:

       Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963) Marriage Italian Style (1964) Sunflower (1970) The Voyage (1974) A Special Day (1977)

       She received the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievements in 1991.

       When talking about her character, Madam Rosa, in the 2020 film, The Life Ahead - directed by her youngest son, Edoardo Ponti - Loren told the Independent: “The role, it was beautiful.

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       “She was strong, she was fragile, she was funny, touching… everything that a woman is and everything I have always wanted to bring on the screen.

       She added: "In my career, I’ve always tried to play women with a strong character.”

       Away from the Hollywood spotlight, Loren is a mother of two. Over the course of her decades-long marriage to Ponti, the pair welcomed two sons: Edoardo and Carlo Jr.

       Loren and Ponti tied the knot in 1966 after initially meeting in 1950 when she was only 15 years old and he was 37.

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       Legendary Italian actress Sophia Loren (C) and her two sons, director/actor Edoardo Ponti (L) and conductor Carlo Ponti Jr. (R) in 2014 Credit: Getty Images - Getty What happened to Sophia Loren?

       On September 24, 2023, Loren reportedly fell in her bathroom of Switzerland home.

       The incident resulted in the iconic actress breaking both her hip and a thigh bone, as per her agent, Andrea Giusti.

       On Monday, it was revealed that Loren was recovering from successful surgery for a leg fracture.

       According to the AP, Giusti explained in an email that the operation “went very well and now we only need to wait."