Carlo Ponti, husband of Sophia Loren, dies at age 94
The legendary 'Doctor Zhivago' producer Carlo Ponti, husband of screen magnet Sophia Loren, died overnight in a hospital in Switzerland, his family announced on Wednesday.
Ponti, 94, had been hospitalized about 10 days ago in Geneva for pulmonary complications, the family said in a statement.
Ponti worked with well-known directors, including Federico Fellini, Jean-Luc Godard and David Lean.
Born near Milan in 1913, Ponti studied law and worked as a lawyer in the city before his move into film production and his meeting with the teenaged Loren.
He was nominated for an Oscar as producer of "Doctor Zhivago" in 1965. Other well-known films produced by Ponti included "Blow-Up," "The Cassandra Crossing," "The Verdict" and "The Squeeze."
Ponti was married to his first wife, Giuliana, when he met Loren, who was almost 25 years younger than he, in about 1950.
They tried to keep their relationship a secret in spite of huge media interest, while Ponti's lawyers went to Mexico to obtain a divorce.
Ponti and Loren were married by proxy in Mexico in 1957 - two male attorneys took their place and the happy couple only found out when the news was broken by society columnist Louella Parsons.
But they were unable to beat the stringent Italian divorce laws and the wrath of the Catholic Church. Ponti was charged with bigamy and Loren with being a concubine.
