Hollywood icon Sophia Loren to chat with Jonathan Ross and meet UK fans

An Evening with Sophia Loren will be held at Aldwych Theatre, London, on Sunday, October 28.

BUY TICKETS: Ticket are £96.50, £136.50 and £236.50, subject to booking fees - visit www.nederlander.co.uk/whats-on.

A true goddesses of the silver screen, the now 84-year-old Italian acting legend is famously reluctant to give interviews and is rarely seen out in public.

And that makes her West End debut even more special, says Yorkshire man Rocco Buonvino, who is bringing her to the capital.

Rocco, originally from Bradford, has also promoted evenings with pals Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino, Hulk Hogan and more.

He says of bringing Loren to the UK:" This is a unique, once in a lifetime experience not to be missed.

"A sublime actress who has starred opposite nearly every major leading man you care to mention, October 28 is sure to be a fascinating evening. Who better to host then than Jonathan Ross" He's well known for his own love of movies and knowledge of all things filmic.

"It will, without doubt, be a truly memorable night."Born Sofia Villani Scicolone, she was encouraged to enrol in acting lessons after entering a beauty pageant.

Loren began her film career in 1950, aged 16.

She appeared in several bit parts and minor roles in the early part of the decade, until her five-picture contract with Paramount in 1956 launched her international career. Notable film appearances around this time included co-starring with Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant in The Pride and the Passion.

She also appeared n Houseboat, and It Started in Naples.

Her talents as an actress were not recognised until her performance as Cesira in Vittorio De Sica's Two Women; Loren's performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1962 and made her the first actress to win an Oscar for a foreign-language performance.

She holds the record for having earned six David di Donatello Awards for Best Actress: Two Women; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; Marriage Italian Style (for which she was nominated for a second Oscar);

Loren chose to make only occasional film appearances. In later years, she has appeared in American films such as Grumpier Old Men (1995) and Nine (2009).

Aside from the Academy Award, she has won a Grammy Award, five special Golden Globes, a BAFTA Award, a Laurel Award, the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival, the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Honorary Academy Award in 1991.

In 1995, she received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievements, one of many such awards. In 1999, Loren was acknowledged as No. 21 of the top 25 female American screen legends in the American Film Institute's survey, AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, and she is currently the only living actress on the list.

She has a strong work ethic that has seen her appear in more than 90 films. She represents one of the truly golden eras of cinema and, even today, she still works on selected projects.