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About
Former actress internationally known for being the mother of iconic model and performer Sophia Loren, as well as her younger sister, Anna Maria Villani Scicolone. Her sole film credit is in the role of a Slave Girl in the 1951 Academy Award-nominated biographical drama and romance film Quo Vadis, which starred Deborah Kerr and Peter Ustinov.
Before Fame
Her partner and the father of both of her daughters, Riccardo Scicolone, refused to marry her despite his paternity of their girls. A piano teacher, aspiring actress, and single mother of 2 girls, she faced constant financial struggle attempting to provide for their family alone.
Trivia
During her daughters' youth, they lived with her mother in Pozzuoli. They briefly relocated to Naples to stay with relatives during World War II; however, when they returned to her mother's home after the war had ended, she opened a makeshift pub in the living room where she sold her homemade cherry liquor. She would play the piano and have daughter Maria sing to entertain their guests. Sophia helped by tending to the tables and washing dishes.
Family Life
She was the daughter of Domenico and Luisa Villani. Her 2 children with partner (but never husband) Riccardo Scicolone were Anna Maria Villani Scicolone and Sophia Loren. She was grandmother to Carlo Ponti, Jr. and film producer Edoardo Ponti, as well as Alessandra and Elisabetta Mussolini. She was also a great-grandmother to six great-grandchildren.
Associated With
Some of her daughter Sofia's most notable and highly lauded roles were in the films of director Vittorio De Sica.
