Loren set for top Hollywood honor

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 29 (UPI) -- Hollywood's Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences says it plans to celebrate the life and career of Italian actress Sophia Loren at a gala this spring.

The Academy said its evening of film clips and personal remarks from Loren's friends and colleagues, concluding with an onstage conversation with the Oscar-winning actress, is scheduled to take place May 4 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Loren, 76, earned the first Academy Award presented to a lead performer in a non-English speaking role for "Two Women," directed by Vittorio De Sica, in 1961.

De Sica directed Loren to another Oscar nomination in "Marriage Italian Style" opposite her most frequent co-star, Marcello Mastroianni. The two also starred in "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," "A Special Day" and "Ready to Wear (Pret-a-Porter)."

Her film credits include "Houseboat," "It Started in Naples," "El Cid," "Arabesque," "A Countess from Hong Kong," "Man of La Mancha," "The Voyage," "Saturday, Sunday and Monday" and "Nine."

The Academy presented Loren with an Honorary Award in 1990, to acknowledge her as "one of the genuine treasures of world cinema who, in a career rich with memorable performances, has added permanent luster to our art form."