102 Facts About Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone is an American actor and filmmaker.

In 1977, Sylvester Stallone was the third actor in cinema to be nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor.

Up until 1982, Sylvester Stallone's films were not big box-office successes unless they were Rocky sequels, and none received the critical acclaim achieved with the first Rocky.

Sylvester Stallone saw a decline in popularity in the early 2000s but rebounded back to prominence in 2006 with a sixth installment in the Rocky series and 2008 with a fourth in the Rambo series.

In 2015, Stallone returned to the Rocky series with Creed, that serve as spin-off films focusing on Adonis "Donnie" Creed played by Michael B Jordan, the son of the ill-fated boxer Apollo Creed, to whom the long-retired Rocky is a mentor.

Sylvester Stallone is the only actor in the history of American cinema to have starred in a box-office number-one film across six consecutive decades.

Sylvester Stallone is one of the most renowned physical culture icons in history.

Sylvester Stallone was born in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City on July 6,1946, the elder son of Francesco "Frank" Stallone Sr.

Sylvester Stallone's Italian father was born in Gioia del Colle, Apulia, Italy and moved to the US in the 1930s, while his American mother is of French and Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

Sylvester Stallone's father moved the family to Washington, DC, in the early 1950s to open a beauty school.

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.

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 movie 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, 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 films 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 movie franchise which was titled simply Rambo.

In July 2009, Sylvester Stallone made a cameo appearance in the Bollywood movie 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.

Sylvester Stallone has continued to express his passion in directing a film 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 taking on the task of directing in four of the sequels.

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

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 died at their mother's Santa Monica home after choosing to leave UCLA's hospital.

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 raised a devout Catholic, but stopped going to church as his acting career progressed.

In late 2006, Sylvester Stallone was interviewed by Pat Robertson from the CBN's The 700 Club.

Sylvester Stallone stated that before, in Hollywood, temptation abounded and he had "lost his way", 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 Joe Biden and Chris Dodd.

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