Loren is widely recognized as Italy's most renowned and honored actress. She was the first actress of the talkie era to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance, for her portrayal of Cesira in Vittorio De Sica's Two Women. Her other awards include a Grammy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Laurel Award. In 1995 she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievements, one of many such awards.

Her films include: Houseboat (1958), El Cid (1961), Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), Marriage Italian-Style (1964), and A Special Day (1977). In later years she has appeared in American blockbusters such as Grumpier Old Men (1995), and Nine (2009). In 1994 she starred in Robert Altman's Prêt-à-Porter, which earned her a Golden Globe nomination the same year. She has also achieved critical and commercial success in TV movies such as Courage (1986).

Personal life, she told the Gazzetta dello Sport that she would do a striptease if the team won.

Loren's primary residence has been in Geneva, Switzerland since late 2006. She also owns homes in Naples and Rome.

In September 1999 Loren filed a lawsuit against 76 adult websites for posting altered nude photos of her on the internet.

Loren is a huge fan of the football club S.S.C. Napoli. In May 2007, when the team was third in Serie B

Loren posed scantily-clad at 72 for the 2007 Pirelli Calendar along with such actresses as Penélope Cruz and Hilary Swank.

Loren is a devout Roman Catholic.