by Murray Fri May 18, 2007 7:19 pm
Loren gives Napoli a sexy incentiveItalian actress Sophia Loren at sea on a motor boat, circa 1965. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Veteran screen siren Sophia Loren has promised to perform a strip tease for the players of her beloved Napoli if they are promoted to Serie A this season. The 72-year-old star is a huge fan of Napoli, who are currently third in the Serie B table, 11 points behind leaders Juventus and five behind Genoa who occupy the second automatic promotion place, with five games left. The next four teams will then play-off to decide the third promoted side.
And Loren is so eager for her team to reach Italian football's top flight she has given them a sexy incentive.
"I hope Napoli win these last few games," Loren said. "You watch, if we go up I will do a striptease. The fans have a total passion, the city deserves promotion."
The Oscar winning actress caused outrage in her home country when she disrobed for the 2007 Pirelli Calendar. The Italian star is renowned for her beautiful body and famously performed a striptease for co-star Marcello Mastroianni in the 1963 movie "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow', a scene she recreated for Robert Altman's 'Pret-a-Porter' in 1994.
Born Sofia Scicolone on September 20, 1934, she and her single mother lived in abject poverty in the war-torn slums of Naples. At 14, she began entering area beauty contests, later becoming a model and appearing in a number of uncredited bit parts in films.
After winning a beauty contest in Rome, she was signed to a film contract by producer Carlo Ponti, whom she later married.