Born on July 6, 1946, Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone is a well-known American actor and director. Over the course of his fifty-plus year cinematic career, Stallone has garnered a slew of honors, including two Critics' Choice Awards and a Golden Globe, and three Oscar and two BAFTA nominations. Stallone has performed in six consecutive decades of films that topped the box office, making him one of just two actors in history to accomplish this feat (the other being Harrison Ford).
After relocating to New York City in 1969, Stallone had a hard time making it as an actor. Gradually, he started getting roles in films like The Lords of Flatbush (1974). His breakout performance as boxer Rocky Balboa in 1976's Rocky (which he co-wrote) was the catalyst for his breakthrough in both critical acclaim and box office success. He made history in 1977 when he became just the third actor to ever get Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay nominations from the Academy. Starring in First Blood (1982) and continuing in all five Rambo films (1982–2019), he played the character of John Rambo, a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. In 1984, the Hollywood Walk of Fame bestowed a star upon him. Stallone became one of Hollywood's highest-paid performers from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, starring in action flicks including Cobra (1986), Tango and Cash (1989), Cliffhanger (1993), Demolition Man (1993), and The Specialist (1994). While Stallone was at the peak of his success, his spat with Arnold Schwarzenegger became famous.
Stallone resumed his successful acting career with Rocky Balboa (2006) and Rambo (2008). From 2010 till the present, he played as mercenary Barney Ross in The Expendables film trilogy. He had a starring role in the 2013 hit Escape Plan and went on to act in both of its sequels. In 2015's Creed, he made a triumphant comeback to the Rocky franchise as a retired Rocky guides Donnie Creed, son of Apollo Creed, in the ways of his famous foe. The film received high marks from critics and won Stallone his first Golden Globe Award. It also earned him a third Oscar nomination, after his first nomination for the same character forty years before. In addition to his role as Stakar Ogord in the MCU picture Guardians of the Galaxy Vol., he was the lead actor in the 2018 sequel Creed. two (2017) and the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. third year (2023).
Legend has it that Sylvester Stallone helped reimagine the Hollywood action hero, cementing his place in action film history. On rare occasions, he has dabbled in genres other than action, with varying degrees of success. The comedy Stop! and Oscar (1991) featured him. Or the 1992 film My Mom Will Shoot, which was only moderately successful. For the character of a helpless sheriff in the 1997 film Cop Land, he temporarily lost his toned figure and put on weight. He has starred in several television shows, including the criminal drama Tulsa King (2022–present) onParamount+. Stallone has published fitness books, is a well-known painter and art collector, and has an extensive filmography.
Background and schooling ==
Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born on July 6, 1946, in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, New York City. His parents, Jacqueline "Jackie" Stallone (née Labofish; 1921–2020) and Francesco "Frank" Stallone Sr. (1919–2011), were hairdressers. His dad was an Italian immigrant from Gioia del Colle who came to the United States in the 1930s, and his mom was a Washington, D.C. native of Breton, French, and Ukrainian Jewish background. His sibling Frank Stallone is also an actor and musician. Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born "Tyrone" to honor the late actor Tyrone Power, according to several of Stallone's books; however, his father changed the name to "Sylvester" when his mother revealed in an interview that she had wanted to name her son after someone else. Since his classmates started calling him "Stinky" in school, he decided to change his childhood moniker from "Binky" to Mike or Michael. Although he was known as "Gardenzio"—a diminutive form of his Italian given name "Gaudenzio"—he sometimes went by "Enzio" instead.
The obstetricians caring for Stallone's mother had to use two sets of forceps to deliver him due to complications, and they unintentionally severed a nerve while doing so. His characteristic snarl and slurred speech were results of paralysis affecting the bottom left side of his face, which included portions of his lip, tongue, and chin. Consequently, he turned to bodybuilding and acting as coping mechanisms for the childhood bullying he endured. The mother of Sylvester Stallone was informed by a guidance counselor, "Your son is suited to run a sorting machine or to be an assistant electrician, primarily in the area of elevator operations"; nonetheless, Sylvester had aspirations of becoming an actor and screenwriter.
Stallone returned to his family in Maryland at the age of five after spending some time as an infant in foster care and boarding homes. His mother was born and raised in Washington, D.C., so his father uprooted the family there in the early 1950s. launch a school for aesthetics. His mom started Barbella's, a fitness center for ladies, in 1954. After his parents' divorce when he was 11 years old, he lived with his dad for a while. At 15, he moved to Philadelphia to be with his mom, who had remarried.
Although Stallone was named "Most Likely To End Up In The Electric Chair" during his high school years, he went on to attend Miami Dade College after attending Philadelphia's Notre Dame Academy and Abraham Lincoln High School as well as Charlotte Hall Military Academy in Charlotte Hall, Maryland. He attended the American College of Switzerland for two years, from 1965 to 1967. He went back to school in 1967 and 1968 at the University of Miami in the United States, where he studied theater but did not earn a degree. Stallone finally earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the University of Miami in 1998, after pleading with the school to recognize his life and acting credentials instead of his remaining requirements. That was decades ago.
Career in film and theater
The years 1968–1976: from supporting parts to breakthrough
He performed as Mike Stallone up until 1969, and then as Sylvester E. Stallone beginning in 1970. In 1968, while Stallone was a student at the University of Miami, he starred in the film That Nice Boy, also known as The Square Root. On top of that, in 1969, he and John Herzfeld collaborated on the independent, low-budget picture "Horses."
It was in the 1970 softcore pornographic picture The Party at Kitty and Stud's when Stallone made his acting debut (1970). For his two days of labor, he received $200 USD. Later in life, Stallone said that he had made the picture in a state of extreme desperation following his eviction and subsequent homelessness. Not only that, but he claimed to have slept for three weeks at New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal before seeing the casting call for the movie. According to the actor, "it was either do that movie or rob someone, because I was at the end – the very end – of my rope" . To capitalize on Stallone's rising stardom, the picture was retitled Italian Stallion and released a few years later; the title was derived from his moniker since Rocky. Stallone was featured in the 1971–1974, Radley Metzger–directed film Score, based on the racy off-Broadway theater piece Score that Stallone appeared in for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre.
Stallone returned to New York City and lived with his fiancée, the promising actress Sasha Czack, who worked as a waitress to support them. During this period, Stallone worked as a zoo cleaner and an usher at a theater, the latter of which dismissed him for ticket scalping. He grew interested in Edgar Allan Poe's writings and continued to hone his craft by visiting the library often.
After failing to land an additional role in The Godfather in 1972—an experience he would later characterize as a low moment in his acting career—Stalone was about to give up on acting altogether. In contrast, What's Up, Doc?, another smash blockbuster in Hollywood, cast him in a supporting part.and Barbra Streisand is the star. In each of his appearances, Stallone is hardly seen.
A friend of Stallone's asked him to participate in a play, and an agent there saw him and cast him as Stanley, the lead in The Lords of Flatbush, a film that had a sporadic schedule from 1972 to 1974 due to financial concerns. Midway through 1973, Stallone landed his first major part in the indie flick No Place to Hide, in which he played a man involved with an urban terrorist group in New York City and whose love interest was a jewelry vendor. A few years down the road, Stallone starred in a reworked version of the picture that changed its title to Rebel. Redubbed in the manner of Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily?, this picture underwent a 1990 re-editing process that included both original and freshly shot footage that matched the original. - into its own satire, A Man Called... Hello, Rainbo.
Brief uncredited appearances in M*A*S*H (1970), Pigeons (1970), Bananas (1971) (Woody Allen), Klute (1971), and The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975) (starring Jack Lemmon) were among Stallone's other early film roles, which were minor and included roles such as a subway thug, an extra dancing in a club, and a soldier sitting at a table. Because Jack Lemmon's character in the second film believes Stallone's character is a thief, he pursues, tackles, and mugs Stallone in the third film. In 1974, he landed his second leading part in the film The Lords of Flatbush. The films Farewell, My Lovely (1975), Capone (1975), and Death Race 2000 (2000) all featured him in minor parts. He appeared as a guest star in Kojak and Police Story. There are rumors that he is also in Mandingo. He supposedly had his scene cut.
Stallone shot to stardom after acting in the 1976 boxing film Rocky, which followed a down-and-out Rocky Balboa as he faced off against heavyweight champion Apollo Creed. Stallone watched the Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner fight on March 24, 1975. Stallone returned home that night and finished writing the first draft of Rocky three days later. Wepner sued Stallone and the two finally settled for an unknown sum, but Stallone later disputed that Wepner had any creative influence on the screenplay. Somebody Up There Likes Me, Rocky Graziano's autobiography, and the corresponding film are other potential sources of inspiration. Stallone tried to sell the screenplay to other studios so he could star in it himself. Robert Redford and Burt Reynolds were among the actors whom Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff had in mind for the main part, but Stallone turned down their offer of US$350,000 for the rights. It took a huge budget drop to reach a deal, but Stallone ultimately agreed to star and refuse to sell unless he did. Roger Ebert, writing on its release, said that Stallone had the potential to follow in Marlon Brando's footsteps.
Rocky received 10 Oscar nominations in 1977 at the 49th Academy Awards, including Stallone's for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing were the Oscars that the picture eventually won. The Smithsonian Institution now houses Rocky props, and the film itself is in the National Film Registry. The Rocky Steps are the namesake of the area outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art's main entrance that Stallone used in the Rocky film series. Nearby, the museum, the city has a statue of Rocky. Further recognition came from the International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees. Among American audiences, Rocky was a popular choice. Following a February 1977 screening at the White House, President Jimmy Carter sent a fan letter to Stallone. After that, in September 1977, Stallone went to the White House to meet with Carter.
In the 1978 family drama Paradise Alley, Stallone featured as one of three brothers who pursue careers in professional wrestling. The film also marked his directorial debut. His character in F.I.S.T., a social drama by Norman Jewison, is based on James Hoffa and follows his rise to union leadership; he played a warehouse worker in the film that same year. He succeeded John G. Avildsen as director, star, and writer of the 1979 blockbuster Rocky II, which he also co-wrote. The film earned over $200 million worldwide.
In the 1981 sports film Escape to Victory, he co-starred with Michael Caine and Pelé as a prisoner of war who takes part in a Nazi propaganda soccer tournament. In that same year, he had a starring role in the suspense film Nighthawks, which starred Rutger Hauer as a foreign terrorist and cast him opposite a New York City police officer.
The 1982 action picture First Blood, based on the same novel by David Morell, stars Stallone as John Rambo, a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret. Despite making considerable changes to the screenplay while filming, the film was a critical and commercial success. The critics were unanimous in their appreciation of Stallone's portrayal, noting that, unlike the novel, he brought Rambo's human side to the screen. The Rambo series was born with this film. It was that year that Stallone wrote, directed, and acted in Rocky III. The second sequel was a financial triumph. Stallone worked tirelessly to prepare for these parts, typically spending six days a week at the gym and adding extra sit-ups to his nighttime routine. Stallone boasts that he achieved a new personal best in Rocky III by reducing his body fat percentage to 2.8%.
He helmed John Travolta's Staying Alive, the 1983 sequel to Saturday Night Fever. Stallone only directed this picture in which he did not appear as a star. The reviews for Staying Alive were very negative. Although it bombed at the box office, Staying Alive was a financial triumph. At the time, the film's opening weekend total of $12,146,143 from 1,660 screens was the most for a musical picture. Despite spending only $22 million on production, the picture made approximately $65 million at the US box office. Its global box office take was $127 million. Despite earning a fraction of Saturday Night Fever's $139.5 million at the US box office, the picture was nevertheless one of 1983's highest grossing features.
In the 1980s, Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were two of the most famous action movie actors on the planet. For years, Schwarzenegger and Stallone were at odds with one another, with each actor taking aim at the other in the press and vying for the honor of having the most bloodiest and most destructive onscreen kills.
On occasion, Stallone tried his hand at parts in other genres, although he was never very successful. He played a country music singer-in-training in the 1984 comedy picture Rhinestone, which he co-wrote and co-starred in with Dolly Parton. He contributed a song to the soundtrack of Rhinestone. After making the decision to focus on Rhinestone instead of Romancing the Stone, Stallone came to regret it.
Stallone has played the roles of Rocky and Rambo in a grand total of thirteen films, and in 1985 he extended his triumph with Rocky IV and Rambo: First Blood Part II. As if training for the Mr. Olympia competition, Stallone met with Franco Columbu, a former Mr. Olympia, to develop the look of his character in Rocky IV. Two workouts each day, six days per week was the plan. Both movies made a ton of money.
A remake of Angels with Dirty Faces, James Cagney's masterpiece from 1939, was greenlit for Stallone in 1985. Menahem Golan would direct the feature, which starred Christopher Reeve, as part of his multi-picture pact with Cannon Films. Variety expressed their dissatisfaction, and top reviewer Roger Ebert expressed his fear, at the remake of such a treasured classic. The 1986 action picture Cobra, which Cannon produced, was a financial smash. His production firm, White Eagle Enterprises, was born out of it.
Over the Top, a 1987 family drama, portrayed him as a trucker going through tough times who enters an arm wrestling tournament to try to heal fences with his estranged son. This bombed at the box office and had mixed reviews from reviewers. Tango & Cash, an action picture he co-starred in with Kurt Russell in 1989, was a commercial success both at home and abroad, earning over US$120 million globally and US$57 million in international markets. In the 1980s, Stallone started promoting boxing matches. Tiger Eye Productions, his boxing promotion firm, signed Aaron Pryor and Sean O'Grady, both of whom were world champions.
Avildsen, who had directed the original Rocky picture, returned to helm Rocky V, the fifth and final episode of the franchise, which Stallone began to appear in in the 1990s. Both critics and audiences thought it was a financial bust.
The following film in which Stallone featured was Oscar, a period comedy by John Landis that bombed at the box office and with critics. Roger Spottiswoode's action comedy Stop!, which came out in 1992, featured him. Or the critically panned and commercially disastrous My Mom Will Shoot. Following whispers that Arnold Schwarzenegger was interested in playing the main role, Stallone agreed to star in the picture. In order to entice Stallone, Schwarzenegger publicly pretended to be interested in starring, even though he knew the screenplay was terrible.
With Renny Harlin's action thriller Cliffhanger, which he returned to in 1993, he achieved success in the US with an estimated $84 million and a global total of $171 million. Later same year, he was one of the main characters in Marco Brambilla's futuristic action flick Demolition Man, which also featured Sandra Bullock and Wesley Snipes. Based on 42 reviews, the film has an average rating of 5.43/10 and an approval rating of 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. "A better-than-average sci-fi shoot-em-up with a satirical undercurrent, Demolition Man is bolstered by strong performances by Stallone, Snipes, and Bullock." The picture premiered at No. 1 at the box office, according to the site's consensus. By the end of its North American run, Demolition Man made $58,055,768 and $159,055,768 worldwide.
With the October 7th, 1994 U.S. opening of The Specialist, co-starring Sharon Stone and directed by Luis Llosa, he extended his winning streak. The picture was financially successful despite widespread critical disapproval. The film earned $14,317,765 in its first weekend and a total of $57,362,582 in domestic and international box office receipts, for a total of $170,362,582.
He portrayed the lead role of Judge Dredd in the 1995 science fiction action picture, based on the British comic book 2000 AD. Despite spending over US$100 million and barely making its budget back, Judge Dredd was a domestic box office disaster; his success abroad rescued the day, earning 113 million USD. Despite the film's underwhelming success at the box office, Stallone secured a $60 million agreement with Universal Pictures for three films, tying him with Jim Carrey as the only actor to earn $20 million each film. However, he did not get any remuneration because the arrangement ended in February 2000 without his producing any films.
Along with Julianne Moore and Antonio Banderas, he was in that year's thriller Assassins. Stallone was one of several famous faces that year that featured in the Seagram Company's commissioned short comedy "Your Studio and You" (directed by Trey Parker and written by Matt Stone) in honor of the company's acquisition of Universal Studios and MCA Corporation. With the use of subtitles, Stallone delivers lines in his Rocky Balboa voice. Stallone becomes angry and shouts about how they can use his Balboa character even though he left it in the past. The narrator uses a wine cooler to calm him down and calls him a "brainiac." Stallone responds with a "Thank you very much." He then points to the wine cooler and yells, "Stupid cheap studio!"
Daylight, a catastrophe film from 1996, depicted him as a disgraced ex-chief of emergency services who tries to save lives after a tunnel explosion. Daylight brought in $33 million at the box office in the United States, but it was a different story when it came to international earnings, totaling $158 million. Along with Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, Stallone had an unconventional role as an overweight sheriff in the 1997 crime drama Cop Land. Stallone won the Best Actor Award at the Stockholm International Film Festival for his performance in the picture, which was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, making $63 million on a budget of $15 million. He provided his voice for the 1998 hit animated picture Antz in the United States.
The years 2000–2005 were a decline.
The thriller Get Carter, which Stallone appeared in in 2000 and was a remake of a 1971 British film, was critically and commercially unsuccessful. Following the critical and financial disasters of Driven (2001), Avenging Angelo (2002), and D-Tox (2002), Stallone's career took a sharp nosedive.
The third instalment of the Spy Kids series, 2003's Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, in which he starred as the antagonist, was a smashing commercial success, grossing about US$200 million globally. In the 2003 French film Taxi 3, Stallone had a brief appearance as a passenger. Shade, a neo-noir criminal drama, had a limited distribution that year but received positive reviews from reviewers, and Stallone began to recover fame for his supporting part. The murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., as well as the corruption scandal that surrounded their deaths, were supposed to be the subject of a film that he was contracted to star in and direct, with the working title Rampart Scandal. They shelved it after renaming it Notorious.
The Contender, a reality boxing competition show on NBC, featured him and Sugar Ray Leonard as co-hosts in 2005. Two episodes of the TV show Las Vegas included him as a guest star that year as well. In that same year, Stallone inducted professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame. Hogan had a cameo appearance in Rocky III as Thunderlips, and Stallone had offered Hogan the role. In August, Stallone published his book Sly Moves, which he pitched as a fitness and nutrition guide and as an honest look into his life and works. There were several images of Stallone during his career and even some of him working out in the book.
In 2006, after a three-year absence from the film industry, Stallone returned with Rocky Balboa, the sixth film in the Rocky franchise, which was well-received by both critics and audiences. Following Rocky V's critical and financial bombshell, Stallone made the executive decision to create, direct, and appear in Rocky 6, which he felt would serve as a more fitting series finale. Total earnings at the box office were $70.3 million (or $155.7 million internationally). The film's budget was a mere twenty-four million dollars. He received largely good reviews for his role in Rocky Balboa. In 1974, Stallone revealed that he would be directing and acting in a remake of the film Death Wish. That year, production on the remake began. After the attack on his family, Stallone revealed to the publication that he was no longer involved, saying, "Instead of the Charles Bronson character being an architect, my version would have him as a very good cop who had incredible success without ever using his gun." However, Stallone mentioned that he was once again thinking about the project in an interview he did with MTV in 2009. But Eli Roth was the director, and Bruce Willis was the actor.
Sly Water is an upmarket bottled water brand that Stallone co-founded with a beverage firm.
With the 2008 release of Rambo: Blood Money, the fourth film in Stallone's other blockbuster film franchise, the actor returned to his iconic role as the titular character (known as John Rambo in certain countries). On January 25, 2008, the picture debuted in 2,751 theaters, earning $6,490,000 on its first day and $18,200,000 in its first weekend. With a budget of $50 million, it grossed 113,244,290 USD worldwide.
Stallone performed a self-portrait in the July 2009 Bollywood film Kambakkht Ishq.
The International Boxing Hall of Fame inducted Stallone, who did not participate in the ring, on December 7, 2010.
Stallone was also an actor, writer, and director of that year's The Expendables, an ensemble action flick. The film's release date was August 13, 2010, and filming took place in the summer and winter of 2009. In addition to himself, the film included appearances by Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as action stars Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, Eric Roberts, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The picture debuted at number one at the United States box office, taking in $34,825,135 in its first weekend. This was Stallone's most successful opening weekend to date. Brazilian production firm O2 Filmes issued a statement in the summer of 2010 claiming it was overdue over $2 million for its contributions to the picture. In Kevin James's 2011 comedy Zookeeper, Stallone voiced a lion.
Released on August 17, 2012, The Expendables 2 outperformed its predecessor by receiving a 67% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The ensemble cast featured Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme in addition to returning actors from the original film. Rocky, the Broadway musical, had Stallone as a co-writer that year.
Based on the French comic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tete by Alexis Nolent, Stallone appeared in Walter Hill's 2013 action picture Bullet to the Head. Along with his roles in Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Caviezel's action film Escape Plan and Robert De Niro's Rocky–inspired sports comedy movie Grudge Match, he had a busy 2013. Stallone reportedly had plans to adapt the Spanish film No Rest for the Wicked into an English-language remake, but he ultimately decided to put those plans on hold. Homefront, an action film starring Jason Statham, used Stallone that year as a writer.
As on August 15, 2014, audiences could see The Expendables 3, the third instalment of the action-packed ensemble film franchise. Along with Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Antonio Banderas, and Wesley Snipes returned to the ensemble cast. Both reviewers and moviegoers had a bad impression of this installment, which led to its lowest box office total.
Creed, a 2015 spin-off-sequel film starring Stallone as Rocky Balboa, followed Michael B. Jordan's (the character's) character, Adonis "Donnie" Creed, as he became a professional boxer after losing his buddy and adversary, Apollo Creed. Critical praise poured in for Ryan Coogler's directorial debut. Stallone reprised his role as the legendary boxer for the eighth time in four decades, earning him critical praise and prizes such as the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and his third Best Supporting Actor nomination from the Academy.
The 2017 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 featured Stallone's appearance. 2 as the Ravagers faction commander Stakar Ogord/Starhawk. Along with Dave Bautista, he had a 2018 direct-to-home video release as an actor in Escape Plan 2: Hades. As soon as filming wrapped, he made the announcement on his social media pages that production had begun on the third film, Escape Plan: The Extractors. There was a documentary on filmmaker John G. Avildsen titled John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs, which included Stallone that year. In July, Stallone revealed that he had completed a draft for a Creed sequel, with a narrative that included the return of Ivan Drago from Rocky IV.
With a planned release on Thanksgiving 2018, Assassin's Creed II started production in March of that year. Steven Caple Jr., in his first feature picture directing role, replaced Stallone as the original director. On November 21, 2018, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released Creed II in the US. The picture broke records for the highest opening weekend for a live-action release over Thanksgiving, grossing $35.3 million (for a five-day total of $55.8 million), thanks to mostly good reviews from critics.
Rocky both a sequel and a prequel are in the works, according to an interview Stallone gave to Variety on July 23, 2019. With "We're very high on it" as producer Irwin Winkler put it, talks are afoot to have Stallone script and appear in the film. According to Stallone, the film's premise revolves around Rocky meeting a young boxer who is an illegal immigrant. "We're very anxious to make it." He said. "Rocky meets a young, angry person who got stuck in this country when he comes to see his sister. He takes him into his life, and unbelievable adventures begin, and they wind up south of the border. It's very, very timely." According to Stallone. According to Stallone, there are "ongoing discussions" regarding a Rocky prequel TV series. He is hoping that it will be picked up by a streaming service and will most likely depict a young Rocky Balboa as a hopeful boxer. After producer Irwin Winkler expressed reservations about adapting "Rocky" for cable, Stallone went on to say, "There was some conflict there, yes. He 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." In the same year, Stallone personally selected Derek Wayne Johnson to helm and produce a documentary on the making of the original Rocky, titled 40 Years of Rocky (2020). Stallone narrates production footage from the film in the documentary.
Along with Braden Aftergood, Stallone co-founded Balboa Productions in March of 2018 and will co-produce all of their films. Starlight Culture Entertainment and the studio have inked a multi-year contract to create film and television projects together. May 2018 saw the announcement of a fifth Rambo film, and August 2018 saw Adrian Grünberg's confirmation as the film's director. In September 2018, production on Rambo: Last Blood got underway, with Stallone collaborating on the screenplay and returning to his role as John Rambo, a Vietnam War veteran. In order to save the daughter of a family friend, the story revolves around Rambo breaking into a Mexican drug gang. With an opening weekend total of $18.9 million, the film has the highest launch for the franchise since its release on September 20, 2019, in the US. With a production budget of $50 million, the picture managed to earn $91 million worldwide.
As part of the 2nd Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 11, Stallone provided the voice for Rambo in the 2020 winter season of the fighting video game. He provided the voice of King Shark in DCEU's The Suicide Squad, which came out in 2021. Based on a screenplay by Bragi Schut, Stallone appeared in Bragi Schut's 2022 dark superhero film Samaritan. In November 2022, Stallone debuted as a Mafia leader in Tulsa King, his first streaming television production. Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter co-created the 9-part series, which debuted onParamount+. After then, a second season went underway.
The Family Stallone was a reality show that Stallone appeared in with his wife and three daughters in May 2023. The second season of the series was greenlit seven days after its debut. When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 came out the same month, Stallone was back as Stakar Ogord. 3. The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival saw the world debut of Thom Zimny's documentary Sly, which is about Stallone. The critically and commercially disastrous Expend4bles, in which he reprised his role as Barney Ross in October 2023, became the lowest-grossing installment in the franchise.
[Projects in the Works]
Balboa Productions has been extremely busy since the release of Creed II and Rambo V: Last Blood. An upcoming film will tell the tale of the first African-American boxing heavyweight champion, Jack "Galveston Giant" Johnson. The announcement of the initiative followed Stallone's significant role in securing a posthumous pardon for Johnson from US President Donald Trump.
Originally slated as the plot for Rambo V: Last Blood, Stallone will also appear in the movie based on the novel Hunter. The protagonist, Nathaniel Hunter, is a professional tracker whose job it is to seek a hybrid creature that a shadowy organization developed as an experiment. There is currently no attached screenwriter for the feature-length adaptation of Michael McGowan and Ralph Pezzullo's biographical memoir Ghost: My Thirty Years as an FBI covert Agent, which details McGowan's career of more than 50 covert operations. There is also a film in the works created by Max Adams, a former Army Ranger, about black operations forces. With the help of David Ayer, Stallone adapted Chuck Dixon's book series A Working Man for the big screen, where Jason Statham stars. The original plan was for the film to be a TV series. One of the shows set to air on television is Rob Williams's version of Charles Sailor's Second Son.
"I think it's coming. We're working on it right now with Warner Brothers. It's looking fantastic. So, that should come out, that's going to happen," Stallone said in May 2020, referring to a remake of Demolition Man from 1993. After years of writing a script on Edgar Allan Poe's life, Stallone has maintained his enthusiasm for directing the biopic. The Lion's Game, a novel by Nelson DeMille, is another work he has expressed an interest in adapting.
Stallone joined Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles as the only men in history to get two nominations for best actor and best script in 1977 for the original Rocky. Stallone has become famous for his cameo appearances as Barney Ross, John Rambo, and Rocky Balboa. In addition to directing four of the Rocky sequels, Stallone co-wrote and starred in all six of the original Rocky movie. In addition to directing the fourth picture in the Rambo series, Stallone appeared in all five films and co-wrote the script. In the first film in the Expendables series, Stallone not only starred but also authored and directed the script. Paradise Alley featured Stallone, who also directed and authored the screenplay. Stallone wrote and directed the sequel to Saturday Night Fever, Staying Alive, which featured John Travolta. Both "Cobra" and "Driven" had Stallone as writer and actor. The following films, in which Stallone also starred: Creed II, Over the Top, F.I.S.T., Rhinestone, and Cliffhanger.
In February 2008, when asked which of his iconic roles—Rocky or Rambo—he would want to be remembered for, Stallone responded, "it's a tough one, but Rocky is my first baby, so Rocky." He went on to say that Rocky might be seen as the "conscious" side of the character, while Rambo as the "unconscious" side.
From time to time, Stallone has even sung in his movies. Bill Conti (who had previously worked with Stallone on the iconic "Gonna Fly Now" theme for his 1976 Oscar-nominated picture, Rocky) composed the score for Paradise Alley (1978), in which he sung the lead vocals and sang the song "Too Close to Paradise." Hit number one. Stallone sang a duet of "Take Me Back" with Talia Shire's character, Adrian, when they were lying in bed in Rocky III (1982). Frank, the younger brother and singer, had a tiny part in the original Rocky and was the first to perform the song. Stallone sang duets with his co-star, the real-life country music sensation Dolly Parton, and songs like "Drinkenstein" for the 1984 film Rhinestone. During his prime in the 1980s, he made a cameo appearance on The Muppet Show and sang two songs. In the 2013 film Grudge Match, Stallone and Robert De Niro sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the last time.
="life outside of work"
There have been three marriages for Stallone. Three girls are from his third marriage, while two sons are from his first.
On December 28, 1974, at the age of 28, he wed Sasha Czack. Sage Moonblood Stallone (1976–2012) passed away at the age of 36 from heart illness, and Seargeoh (b. 1979) was born with autism and had a delayed diagnosis. On February 14, 1985, the couple filed for a divorce.
Stallone wed Brigitte Nielsen, an actress and model, in Beverly Hills, California, on December 15, 1985. The tabloid press carried extensive coverage of their two-year marriage and divorce that followed.
After meeting model Jennifer Flavin in 1988, Stallone dated her until 1994, when he broke the news that he was pregnant with a child by model Janice Dickinson. Stallone broke off his engagement to Dickinson following the February 1994 birth, when DNA testing proved he was not the father. They reconciled after he dated model Angie Everhart for a short time in 1995.
Stallone wed Jennifer Flavin in May of 1997. Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet are the couple's daughters. At this year's 74th Golden Globe Awards, his daughters will each serve as an ambassador for the ceremony. According to Palm Beach County records, Jennifer Flavin filed for "dissolution of marriage and other relief" on August 19, 2022, following a 25-year marriage. The pair made up on September 23, 2022.
Staying Alive and Rambo: First Blood Part II both included Frank Stallone's music, and the two brothers remain close. Among the top ten hits in the United States that year was Frank's "Far from Over" from Staying Alive. Many Sylvester films feature Frank in small roles or as a musical contributor; the Rocky pictures, in particular, feature Frank as a street corner singer. Toni Ann Filiti passed away from lung cancer on August 26, 2012; she was 48 years old and was half-sister of Stallone. Joe Spinell passed away in 1989 after a falling out with Stallone during the production of their last joint film, Nighthawks, in 1981. The two were good friends.
>>> Injuries
Stallone has wounded himself several times while performing his physically demanding parts. He also does most of his own stunts. While attempting to stop a penalty kick from Pelé for Escape to Victory, he fractured his finger. "Punch me as hard as you can in the chest." He later recalled telling Dolph Lundgren, "It's stupid!" He broke his neck and had a metal plate implanted while filming a fight scene with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin for The Expendables.
=> Problems with the law =>
Margie Carr, an exotic dancer, sued Stallone in February 2001, claiming that the two had an intimate encounter on February 26, 2000, at a fitness center in Santa Monica. A Stallone lawyer refuted the accusation, stating that her client had already sold the story to Globe one month prior to the lawsuit.
Australian customs agents found 48 bottles of Jintropin, a synthetic human growth hormone, in Stallone's baggage in 2007. He entered a guilty plea to two counts of drug possession at a court hearing that took place on May 15.
Stallone allegedly settled with his half-sister Toni-Ann Filiti in 1987 for $2 million in a single sum, plus a monthly amount and a trust for medical and mental needs in 1987. Filiti implied that she might sue him, claiming that he had abused her. Both Stallone and Filiti's mother Jacqueline Stallone's representatives have disputed the claims, with Stallone's blaming Filiti of drug addiction and extortion. In defense of his mother, Edd Filiti stated that, "over and over," before to her 2012 death, his mother "screamed about" mistreatment at the hands of her half-brother.
A 16-year-old girl accused Stallone of sexual assault in 1986 while he was filming in Las Vegas, according to a 2016 report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Stallone, who was 40 years old at the time, allegedly coerced the adolescent into a threesome with his bodyguard, according to the gossip. A spokesman for Stallone shot off the claim. Stallone's ex-wife Brigitte Nielsen subsequently defended him, claiming she was in the room with him when the incident occurred. David Mendenhall, who co-starred with Stallone in Over the Top, came to Stallone's defense as well, refuting rumors that he had introduced the actor to the woman in issue.
One of the women who accused Stallone of sexually abusing her in his Santa Monica office in the early 1990s made her accusation public in November 2017. This, Stallone said, is not true. His lawyer said the woman went to the police when an entertainment website passed on publishing the tale. Although Stallone and the woman were in a consensual relationship in 1987, the actor's lawyers said that they had two witnesses who denied the allegations. The Santa Monica Police Department had referred a sex crimes file against Stallone to a special prosecution task force for examination in June 2018, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's office, which acknowledged an investigation. Since no witnesses could confirm the claims of assault, the Los Angeles district attorney's office decided not to press charges against Stallone in October 2018. Stallone then reported her to the police for allegedly forging a government document.
One's opinions and worldview
Although Stallone was a born and raised Catholic, he became increasingly distant from his faith as his acting career took off. After returning to his old faith in the wake of his sick daughter's 1996 birth, he recommitted himself fully to Catholicism at the end of 2006. The 700 Club host Pat Robertson of the Christian Broadcasting Network interviewed him the same year. He admitted that he "lost his way" due to the abundance of temptation during his earlier stint in Hollywood, but ultimately decided to put his fate "in God's hands." In 2010, he told GQ, "I'm pretty spiritual; I believe a lot in the spirit of man. I'm certainly not an atheist... I was baptized Catholic, but I don't belong to a structured church. I have no opposition to it. I think there's great nuggets of knowledge in there, some wonderful rules to live by. Then the flip side is the amount of agony that's caused."
Although he does not consider himself a Republican, Stallone has donated to several Republicans. Not only that, but he has given money to Democrats like Joe Biden and Chris Dodd as well as the Democratic National Committee. Some have called him "the most anti-gun celebrity in Hollywood" because, despite his conservative leanings, he is a strong supporter of gun regulation. While Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum was seeking reelection in 1994, Stallone gave $1,000 to his campaign. Stallone was an ardent supporter of John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008. In 2015, Stallone followed the recommendation of a Vedic scholar and had his son Sage baptized at Haridwar as part of the Hindu Tithi Shradh rite, which is observed for the dead of accidents or murder.
Stallone did not back Trump or anybody else in the Republican primaries in 2016, but he did call Donald Trump a "Dickensian character" and a "larger than life" in the run-up to the election. In the same year, he turned down a chance to head the National Endowment for the Arts, saying he wanted to focus on veteran-related problems instead. Stallone gave Arizona independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema $11,600 to help her win reelection in 2023. Pope Francis met privately with him and his family later that year at the Vatican. Stallone went to a Mar-a-Lago function after Trump won the 2024 election. Stallone lauded Trump as a "mythical character" and the "second George Washington" during his address. His persona Rocky Balboa was another comparison he made.
Participation in political activities
Along with other stars Mel Gibson and Jon Voight, Stallone will take on the additional responsibility of serving as Special Ambassador to Hollywood, a position President Trump announced on January 16, 2025. A return of commerce from "foreign countries" would make Hollywood "stronger than ever before," according to Trump, who expressed his desire for these performers that way.
// Acknowledgments and acting credits //
Stallone has been nominated for three Academy Awards and two BAFTA Awards throughout his career. He has also won one at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, one at the People's Choice Awards, and international prizes at the César Awards, the David di Donatello, and the Venice International Film Festival.
Hollywood Walk of Fame star from 1984
Membership in the International Boxing Hall of Fame (2010 Class)
Creed (2016) won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.
Honored with the Heart of Hollywood Award by the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Board of Governors (2016)