Italian actress Sophia Loren played up Cleopatra’s reputation as a temptress for her portrayal of the famed Egyptian ruler in 1954’s “Two Nights with Cleopatra.” This comedic film had Loren playing both Cleopatra and a slave girl who sometimes pretended to be the queen so that Cleopatra could go to see her lover Mark Antony, per Rotten Tomatoes. While Cleopatra’s away, her stand-in gets involved with one of the queen’s guards. The confusion between the real queen and her imposter is played for laughs.
Loren starred in “Two Nights with Cleopatra” early on in her career, performing alongside Alberto Sordi, a well-known comedic film star, in the project (via IMDb). She earned greater recognition for another movie released that same year, “L’oro di Napoli” (The Gold of Naples), which was directed by Vittorio De Sica, according to Britannica. By the 1960s, Loren had become an international film star and worked with such big names as Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, and William Holden. It was an Italian film, however, that earned her an Academy Award. She starred in the 1960 World War II drama “La Ciociara” (Two Women) directed by De Sica, which brought her an Oscar in 1962. Loren received a lifetime achievement award from the academy in 1991.
