Sophia Loren is hospitalized and in recovery after a severe fall on Sunday, which led to several fractures, including her hip and femur.
The incident, which occurred in her Swiss home and was confirmed by an Instagram post from a restaurant she was due to open in Bari on Sept. 26, required surgery. The legendary Italian actress, who turned 89 on Sept. 20, “will now have to undergo a short period of convalescence followed by a rehabilitation process,” the announcement read.
Translated to English from its Italian text, the post in full reads: “Today, a fall at her home in Geneva caused Mrs. Loren to suffer hip fractures. Having undergone a successful operation, she will now have to undergo a short period of convalescence followed by a rehabilitation process. Fortunately everything went well and the Lady will be back with us very soon. The entire Sophia Loren Restaurant team takes this opportunity to wish her a speedy recovery.”
The Sophia Loren Restaurant in Bari, which was to celebrate its opening by granting the actress honorary citizenship to the city, will be the fourth such establishment bearing her name. Planned public appearances for the foreseeable future have reportedly been canceled.
In 1961, Loren became the first person ever to win an acting Oscar for a performance not in English for her starring role in “Two Women” from filmmaker Vittorio De Sica. Recent years have seen a pause to her acting career, which consists of nearly 100 screen credits. In 2021, she returned to the screen after an 11 year hiatus for “The Life Ahead,” her son Edoardo Ponti’s adaptation of the Romain Gary novel about a former prostitute who cares for at-risk children. Loren’s performance as Madame Rosa earned her the David di Donatello Award for Best Actress.
That same year, Loren was the subject of Netflix documentary “What Would Sophia Loren Do?” from director Ross Kauffman.
