115 Facts About Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone is an American actor and filmmaker.

Sylvester Stallone is one of only two actors in history to have starred in a box-office No 1 film across six consecutive decades.

Sylvester Stallone achieved his greatest critical and commercial success starting in 1976 with his iconic role as boxer Rocky Balboa in the first film of the successful Rocky franchise, which he wrote.

Sylvester Stallone portrayed the PTSD-plagued soldier John Rambo in First Blood, a role he would play across five Rambo films.

Sylvester Stallone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1984.

At the height of his career, Sylvester Stallone was known for his rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Sylvester Stallone continued his established roles in Rocky Balboa and Rambo before launching The Expendables film franchise, in which he starred as the mercenary Barney Ross.

Sylvester Stallone starred in the sequel Creed II and portrayed Stakar Ogord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

Sylvester Stallone has occasionally ventured from the action genre, with mixed results.

Sylvester Stallone starred in the 1997 drama Cop Land, for which he temporarily shed his sculpted physique and gained weight for his role as a powerless sheriff.

Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City's Manhattan borough on July 6,1946, the elder son of women's professional wrestling promoter Jacqueline "Jackie" Stallone and hairdresser Francesco "Frank" Stallone Sr.

Sylvester Stallone's mother was an American from Washington, DC, with Breton French and Ukrainian Jewish ancestry, while his father was an Italian immigrant from Gioia del Colle who moved to the US in the 1930s.

Complications during Sylvester Stallone's birth forced his mother's obstetricians to use two pairs of forceps while delivering him, accidentally severing a nerve in the process.

Sylvester Stallone spent part of his infancy in foster and boarding care, rejoining and moving back with his family to Maryland when he was five.

Sylvester Stallone initially stayed with his father following his parents' divorce when he was 11, but joined his remarried mother in Philadelphia when he was 15.

At one point, Sylvester Stallone was voted "Most Likely To End Up In The Electric Chair" in high school; nevertheless, Sylvester Stallone attended Notre Dame Academy and Abraham Lincoln High School in Philadelphia, and Charlotte Hall Military Academy in Charlotte Hall, Maryland, prior to attending Miami Dade College.

Sylvester Stallone spent two years, from September 1965 to June 1967, at the American College of Switzerland.

Sylvester Stallone returned to the United States to study as a drama major at the University of Miami, from 1967 to 1969, but did not graduate.

Sylvester Stallone had his first starring role in the softcore pornography feature film The Party at Kitty and Stud's.

Sylvester Stallone later explained that he had done the film out of desperation after being evicted from his apartment and finding himself homeless for several days.

Sylvester Stallone has said that he slept three weeks in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City prior to seeing a casting notice for the film.

Sylvester Stallone starred in the erotic off-Broadway stage play Score which ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 to November 15,1971, and was later made into the 1974 film Score by Radley Metzger.

Sylvester Stallone took odd jobs around this time, including being a cleaner at a zoo, and a theater usher; he was fired from the latter for scalping tickets.

Sylvester Stallone furthered his writing skills by frequenting a local library, and became interested in the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

In 1972, Sylvester Stallone was on the verge of giving up on having an acting career; in what he later described as a low point, he tried and failed to get a job as an extra in The Godfather.

Sylvester Stallone happened to be acting in a play that a friend invited him to partake in, and an agent in attendance thought that Sylvester Stallone fit the role of Stanley, a main character in The Lords of Flatbush, which had a start-stop schedule from 1972 to 1974 over budget issues.

Sylvester Stallone had his second starring role in 1974, in The Lords of Flatbush.

Sylvester Stallone made guest appearances on the TV series Police Story and Kojak.

Sylvester Stallone gained worldwide fame with his starring role in the smash hit Rocky, a sports drama about a struggling boxer, Rocky Balboa, taking on heavyweight champion Apollo Creed.

On March 24,1975, Sylvester Stallone saw the Muhammad Ali vs Chuck Wepner fight.

That night Sylvester Stallone went home, and after three days he had completed the first draft of Rocky.

Sylvester Stallone subsequently denied that Wepner provided any inspiration for the script; however, Wepner filed a lawsuit which was eventually settled with Sylvester Stallone for an undisclosed amount.

Sylvester Stallone attempted to sell the script to multiple studios, with the intention of playing the lead role himself.

Sylvester Stallone made his directorial debut and starred in the 1978 film Paradise Alley, a family drama in which he played one of three brothers who get involved in professional wrestling.

In 1982, Sylvester Stallone starred as Vietnam veteran John Rambo, a former Green Beret, in the action film First Blood, an adaptation of the eponymous novel by David Morell, though the script was significantly altered by Sylvester Stallone during the film's production, which was both a critical and box-office success.

Critics praised Sylvester Stallone's performance, saying he made Rambo seem human, as opposed to the way he is portrayed in the book of the same name.

That year Rocky III was released in which Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed, and starred.

In preparation for these roles, Sylvester Stallone embarked upon a vigorous training regimen, which often meant six days a week in the gym and further sit-ups in the evenings.

The Schwarzenegger-Sylvester Stallone rivalry continued for years; they attacked each other in the press, and tried to surpass the other with more on-screen killings and larger weapons.

Sylvester Stallone turned down the lead male role in Romancing the Stone in order to make Rhinestone instead, a decision he later regretted.

In 1985, Sylvester Stallone continued his success with the Rocky and Rambo franchises with Rocky IV and Rambo: First Blood Part II.

Sylvester Stallone has portrayed these two characters in a total of 13 films.

Sylvester Stallone met former Mr Olympia Franco Columbu to develop his character's appearance for the film Rocky IV, just as if he were preparing for the Mr Olympia competition.

Sylvester Stallone's boxing promoting company, Tiger Eye Productions, signed world champion boxers Sean O'Grady and Aaron Pryor.

Sylvester Stallone next appeared in John Landis' period comedy Oscar which was both a critical and box-office failure.

Sylvester Stallone signed onto the film based on rumors that Schwarzenegger was interested in the lead.

Sylvester Stallone speaks in his Rocky Balboa voice with subtitles translating what he is saying.

In 1997, Sylvester Stallone was cast against type as an overweight sheriff in the crime drama Cop Land in which he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta.

The film was critically well-received and was a modest success at the box office, earning $63 million on a $15 million budget, and Sylvester Stallone's performance earned him the Stockholm International Film Festival Best Actor Award.

In 2000, Sylvester Stallone starred in the thriller Get Carter, a remake of the 1971 British film of the same name, but the film was poorly received by both critics and audiences.

Sylvester Stallone's career declined considerably after his subsequent films Driven, Avenging Angelo and D-Tox were critical and commercial failures.

Sylvester Stallone had a cameo appearance in the 2003 French film Taxi 3 as a passenger.

Also that year, Sylvester Stallone started to regain prominence for his supporting role in the neo-noir crime drama Shade which was only released in a limited fashion but was praised by critics.

That year, Sylvester Stallone inducted professional wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, who appeared in Rocky III as a wrestler named Thunderlips, into the WWE Hall of Fame; Sylvester Stallone was the person who offered Hogan the cameo in Rocky III.

That year, the development Death Wish remake began, when Sylvester Stallone announced that he would be directing and starring in a remake of the 1974 film.

Sylvester Stallone partnered with a beverage company producing an upscale bottled water brand called Sly Water.

In 2008, Sylvester Stallone reprised his other famous role as Rambo with the fourth installment of his other successful film franchise which was titled simply Rambo.

In July 2009, Sylvester Stallone made a cameo appearance in the Bollywood film Kambakkht Ishq, where he played himself.

Also that year, Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed and starred in the ensemble action film The Expendables.

In 2011, Sylvester Stallone provided the voice of a lion in Kevin James' comedy Zookeeper.

That year, Sylvester Stallone co-wrote the book for the Broadway musical adaptation of Rocky.

In 2013, Sylvester Stallone starred in the action film Bullet to the Head, directed by Walter Hill, based upon Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tete.

Sylvester Stallone was reported to be developing an English-language remake of the Spanish film No Rest for the Wicked, though the project was shelved.

That year Sylvester Stallone was credited as writer for the Jason Statham action film vehicle Homefront.

In 2017, Sylvester Stallone appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

That year, Stallone was featured in Derek Wayne Johnson's John G Avildsen: King of the Underdogs, a documentary about director John G Avildsen.

Sylvester Stallone was originally slated to direct before the appointment of Steven Caple Jr.

On July 23,2019, in an interview with Variety, Sylvester Stallone said that a Rocky sequel and prequel are in development.

Producer Irwin Winkler said "We're very high on it" and that negotiations are underway for Sylvester Stallone to write and star in the feature.

Sylvester Stallone takes him into his life, and unbelievable adventures begin, and they wind up south of the border.

Sylvester Stallone said there are "ongoing discussions" about a Rocky prequel television series, which he hopes will land on a streaming service and the series will likely follow a young Rocky Balboa as a professional boxing hopeful.

Sylvester Stallone felt in his mind that "Rocky" was primarily a feature film, and he didn't see it as being translated for cable, so there was a big bone of contention.

The documentary features Sylvester Stallone narrating behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film.

Sylvester Stallone formed a film studio named Balboa Productions with Braden Aftergood in March 2018, where Sylvester Stallone will serve as co-producer for each of their projects.

Rambo: Last Blood began filming by September 2018, with a script co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who reprised his role as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo.

In late 2020, Sylvester Stallone lent his voice as Rambo to the fighting video game Mortal Kombat 11, as part of the game's 2nd Kombat Pack.

In 2022, Sylvester Stallone starred in Samaritan, a dark interpretation of the superhero genre, from a script written by Bragi Schut.

In November 2022, Sylvester Stallone made his streaming television debut in Tulsa King, in which he plays a Mafia boss.

That same month, Sylvester Stallone reprised his role as Stakar Ogord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

Sylvester Stallone was scheduled to star in the film adaptation of Hunter, a story which had originally been planned as the premise for Rambo V: Last Blood.

Sylvester Stallone wrote A Working Man in collaboration with David Ayer from a book series created by Chuck Dixon, which was initially intended to be a television series, but later became a feature film starring Jason Statham.

Sylvester Stallone has continued to express his passion in directing a film based on Edgar Allan Poe's life, a script he has been preparing for years.

Sylvester Stallone has mentioned that he would like to adapt Nelson DeMille's novel The Lion's Game.

In 1977, for the first Rocky, Sylvester Stallone became the third man in history to receive the two nominations for best actor and best screenplay, after Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles.

Sylvester Stallone is known for his recurring roles as Rocky Balboa, John Rambo, and Barney Ross.

Sylvester Stallone wrote and starred in all of six Rocky films, while directing four of the sequels.

Sylvester Stallone starred in and co-wrote the five films of the Rambo franchise, and directed the fourth one.

Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed, and took the lead role in the first installment of The Expendables films.

John Travolta starred in Staying Alive, a sequel of Saturday Night Fever, which Sylvester Stallone wrote and directed.

Sylvester Stallone sang "Too Close to Paradise" for Paradise Alley, with the music provided by Bill Conti.

In Rocky III, Sylvester Stallone sang "Take Me Back" to his on-screen wife, Adrian, as they lay in bed.

For Rhinestone, Sylvester Stallone sang such songs as "Drinkenstein" as well as duets with his co-star, and actual country music star, Dolly Parton.

Sylvester Stallone performed two songs when he guest-starred on The Muppet Show in the 1980s, at the height of his career.

The last time Sylvester Stallone sang in a film was in Grudge Match when he and Robert De Niro performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" together.

Sylvester Stallone has two sons from his first marriage and three daughters from his third marriage.

Sylvester Stallone married model and actress Brigitte Nielsen on December 15,1985, in Beverly Hills, California.

In 1988, Sylvester Stallone met model Jennifer Flavin and they were in a relationship until 1994, when Sylvester Stallone told her he was having a child with model Janice Dickinson.

Sylvester Stallone's daughters were chosen to share the role of Golden Globe Ambassador at the 74th Golden Globe Awards.

Sylvester Stallone maintains a relationship with his brother Frank who contributed the theme songs to Rambo: First Blood Part II, and Staying Alive.

Sylvester Stallone was a close friend of Joe Spinell, but they had a falling out during the shooting of their final collaboration, Nighthawks, in 1981, and Spinell died in 1989.

In 2013, it was reported that Sylvester Stallone paid a $2 million lump-sum settlement alongside a monthly amount and a trust for psychiatric and medical expenses to his half-sister Toni-Ann Filiti in 1987.

Sylvester Stallone's attorney revealed the accuser filed a report after an entertainment website declined to pick up the story.

Sylvester Stallone's attorneys stated that while the actor had a consensual relationship with the accuser in 1987, they had two witnesses who refuted the claims.

Sylvester Stallone in turn filed a police report regarding her lying on an official document.

Sylvester Stallone was baptized and raised a devout Catholic but stopped going to church as his acting career progressed.

Sylvester Stallone rediscovered his childhood faith when his daughter was born ill in 1996, and he again became a strict Catholic by late 2006.

Sylvester Stallone stated that he spent much of his previous time in Hollywood "losing his way" because temptation abounded, but later put things "in God's hands".

Sylvester Stallone has supported several Republican politicians, but does not identify as a member of the Republican Party.

Sylvester Stallone has donated to the Democratic National Committee and to Democrats such as Joe Biden and Chris Dodd.

Sylvester Stallone is a staunch advocate of gun control despite his otherwise conservative views, and has been described as "the most anti-gun celebrity in Hollywood".

In 1994, Sylvester Stallone contributed $1,000 to the campaign of then-Congressman Rick Santorum, who was then running for the Senate in Pennsylvania.

In 2008, Sylvester Stallone endorsed John McCain for that year's presidential election.

In 2015, upon the advice of a Vedic scholar, Sylvester Stallone performed a Hindu Tithi Shradh ritual at Haridwar for his son Sage.

In 2023, Sylvester Stallone donated $11,600 to independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema's re-election campaign in Arizona.

On January 16,2025, it was announced by Trump that Sylvester Stallone would serve in a new role as a Special Ambassador to Hollywood, sharing the role with fellow actors Jon Voight and Mel Gibson.