Carlo Ponti, Italian movie producer and husband of actress Sophia Loren, is dead at age 94. During his long career, Ponti worked with some of the world’s great directors and several film classics. Among Ponti’s productions were Federico Fellini’s La Strada, Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt, and Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up and The Passenger.

Ponti also produced most of the films starring Sophia Loren, including such Hollywood productions as Black Orchid and Heller in Pink Tights, as well as the popular films Loren made with Marcello Mastroianni. Ponti was nominated for an Academy Award for producing David Lean’s film of Dr. Zhivago. Ponti died in Geneva, Switzerland, in his sleep, following a ten day bout with pulmonary complications.