Sylvester Stallone

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Sylvester Stallone

Stallone in 1983. Photo by Alan Light.
Birth name Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone
Born July 6, 1946 (age 60)
New York City
Notable roles "Rocky Balboa" in Rocky,
"John J. Rambo" in First Blood

Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6, 1946) is an American Academy Award-nominated film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. He is often referred to by his nickname, "Sly". He achieved his greatest successes in a number of action films, notably the Rocky and Rambo series. His trademark sneer, double lazy eyes, and slurred speech are the result of paralysis in the left side of his face caused by birth complications.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Stallone was born in New York City, New York to Frank Stallone Sr., a paintless dent removal technician, and Jacqueline "Jackie" Labofish, an astrologer. Stallone's father was an immigrant from Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily while his mother is American; one of his maternal great-grandmothers, Rosa Rabinovich, was from Odessa, Ukraine.[2][3] At fifteen, his classmates voted him the one "most likely to end up in the electric chair". In the 1960s, Stallone attended the University of Miami for three years. He came within a few credit hours of graduation, before he decided to drop out and pursue an acting career. After Stallone's request that his acting and life experiences be accepted in exchange for his remaining credits, he was granted a Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) degree by the President of the University of Miami in 1999.[1]

[edit] Early film roles

Stallone's career began with an appearance in a soft-core pornographic film called Party at Kitty and Stud's. The film was originally hard core and depicted sexual acts, but the film was re-cut in order to have scenes end just before any hard core action would take place. After Stallone's later success, the film was re-packaged as The Italian Stallion (a reference to Rocky Balboa's nickname).

Stallone's first few film roles were minor, and included brief uncredited appearances in Woody Allen's Bananas (1971) as a subway thug, in the psychological thriller Klute (1971) as an extra dancing in a club, and in the Jack Lemmon vehicle Prisoner of 2nd Avenue (1975) as a youth. In the latter film Jack Lemmon chases and tackles Stallone, thinking he is a pickpocket. He had his first starring role in the cult hit The Lords of Flatbush (1974). In 1975 he appeared in supporting roles in Farewell, My Lovely, Capone, and another cult hit Death Race 2000. He also made guest appearances on TV series such as Police Story and Kojak.

[edit] Success with Rocky

Stallone did not gain world-wide fame until his starring role in the smash hit Rocky (1976), awarded the Academy Award for Best Picture. On March 24, 1975, Stallone saw the Ali-Chuck Wepner fight which inspired the foundation idea of Rocky. That night Stallone went home, and in three days he had written the script for Rocky. After that, he tried to sell the script with the intention of playing the lead role. Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler in particular liked the script, and planned on courting a star like Burt Reynolds or James Caan for the lead role. Stallone was offered several hundreds of thousands of dollars for the script[citation needed], but he didn't accept, as he wanted to play the lead role himself[citation needed]. Reluctantly, the producers agreed.

The final result was an unqualified success; Rocky was nominated for ten Academy Awards in all, including two for Stallone himself, for Best Actor and for Best Original Screenplay. In addition to winning Best Picture, Rocky won for Best Director and Best Film Editing. Rocky cost about US$1.1 million to make, and grossed about US$225 million worldwide. The movie has made the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art a Philadelphia tourist attraction.

Sylvester Stallone: footprints and hands stamped at Hollywood walkthrough
Enlarge
Sylvester Stallone: footprints and hands stamped at Hollywood walkthrough

On the list of the top heroes of all time by American Film Institute (AFI) on 2003, he is listed seventh as Rocky Balboa behind Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch), Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Sean Connery (James Bond), Humphrey Bogart (Rick Blaine), Gary Cooper (Will Kane) and Jodie Foster (Clarice Starling).

[edit] Post-Rocky work

Stallone had another major franchise success as John Rambo in First Blood (1982) and the sequels, Rambo: First Blood Part II, and Rambo III. During the 80s he built a reputation as a major action star. His last major box office success was Cliffhanger; since then his career has been in decline - arguably due to a major viewer shift away from the 'action stars' of the 80s, but also due to his starring in a string of ill-advised movies, including several questionable attempts to move into the comedy genre (an attempt also made by fellow 80s action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, with similar results). However, due to his worldwide recognition & popularity (and the advent of DVD sales) until recently he was still able to command high salaries for roles. Stallone has new chapters in his Rocky and Rambo franchises upcoming and in production.

[edit] Serious actor

Following his breakthrough performance in Rocky, critic Roger Ebert said he could become the next Marlon Brando - however arguably Stallone has never recaptured the critical acclaim he won in his first lead role. Stallone did receive plaudits for his role in Cop Land in which he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, but the film was only a minor success at the box office. Stallone was paid a mere $60,000 to do Cop Land (1997)[citation needed] - it is rumoured he took the pay cut to in order to have a chance to play a serious role and escape his action hero typecast[citation needed].

[edit] Director

Stallone's debut as a director came in 1978 with Paradise Alley, which he also wrote and starred in. In addition, he directed the sequel to Saturday Night Fever, Staying Alive, along with Rocky II, III, IV and Rocky Balboa (a.k.a. Rocky VI).

[edit] Writer

In addition to writing all six Rocky films, Stallone also wrote Cobra and Driven. He has co-written several other films, such as F.I.S.T. and Over the Top, and the first three Rambo films. His last major success as a co-writer came with 1993's Cliffhanger.

[edit] Current status

The new Rocky film Rocky Balboa (Rocky Balboa) is scheduled to be released on December 20, 2006. At time of writing, Stallone is in production on the latest Rambo sequel Rambo IV: Pearl of The Cobra.

[edit] Personal life

[edit] Family

Stallone's family include his brother, former actor/singer Frank Stallone, his mother, Jacqueline Stallone, who achieved notoriety in the middle 1990s as an astrologer and his son, Sage Stallone, who played Rocky's son in 1990's Rocky V and appeared in his 1996 movie, Daylight.

[edit] Interests

Stallone oil paints in his spare time and considers Leonardo Da Vinci his personal hero[citation needed]. He is a fan of the works of Edgar Allan Poe, and has expressed in interviews an interest in writing and directing a biopic of the author.[citation needed] Stallone was quoted on Yankeeography (YES station) that his favorite food was a big, juicy hamburger.[citation needed]

[edit] Marriages

Stallone has been married three times, to Sasha Czack (1974–1985), Brigitte Nielsen (1985–1987), and Jennifer Flavin (1997–present). He has five children, sons Sage Moonblood, and Seargeoh, who is autistic (with Czack, born 1976 and 1979 respectively), and daughters Sophia Rose who had a hole in her heart, Sistine Rose, and Scarlett Rose (with Flavin, born 1996, 1998, 2002 respectively). He and Flavin, an Irish-American, were married at Winston Churchill's birthplace, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, England.

In addition to these marriages, he has had romantic relationships with models Susan Anton, Angie Everhart, Pamela Anderson, Naomi Campbell and Janice Dickinson. The latter once believed that Stallone was the father of her daughter Savannah ([2]).

[edit] Business interests

[edit] Planet Hollywood

He part owns Planet Hollywood restaurants with Bruce Willis and formerly Arnold Schwarzenegger (who recently sold his part).

[edit] Instone Nutrition

Stallone is the CEO and self-proclaimed "Guinea Pig"[citation needed] of his nutritional supplement company Instone Nutrition.

[edit] Trivia

  • Stallone claims to have been able to bench press 385-400 lbs and squat 500 lbs in his prime. While in a bench pressing contest with former Mr. Universe Franco Columbo, he severely tore his pectoral muscle and needed over 160 stitches on it. This is why one half of his chest is more vascular than the other. [4]
  • To get the lean, rugged look of a POW in the film Escape to Victory, Sylvester ate only 200 calories a day, all protein food (eggs and fish), with an occasional potato, just so he would not faint[citation needed]. In the film he weighed in at 159 pounds, the lightest he ever weighed in his adulthood[citation needed].
  • After Demolition Man, Jesse Ventura said on television that "He's big and rugged. You can slam 'em around, he's not gonna run cryin' to the producer."[citation needed]
  • Stallone made the list of "Top 10 stars of the year" eight times: 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1993.[citation needed]
  • He sang the theme song to his 1978 film Paradise Alley[citation needed].
  • With the monetary success of the Rocky films, Stallone gave professional wrestler Hulk Hogan his first mainstream exposure, personally offering him the role as the character Thunderlips in 1982's Rocky III. Stallone inducted Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
  • He and The Contender co-host Sugar Ray Leonard were one of the pallbearers to the late Najai Turpin's funeral. Najai was one of the contestants of the show who committed suicide in 2005.
  • A lifelong Republican, he is one of President George W. Bush's two favorite actors. The other is fellow action hero and conservative Chuck Norris. Both men attended Bush's inauguration as President in 2001.
  • Despite his long association with the Republican Party, Stallone supported President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial and hosted a Democratic fund raiser at his Miami home on 9 July 1998.
  • Supported Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger in his re-election bid for Governor of California in 2006, and donated $15,000 to his campaign[3]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Salary

Some information in this article or section has not been verified and may not be reliable.
Please check for any inaccuracies, and modify and cite sources as needed.

Avenging Angelo (2002)

D-Tox (2002) - $20,000,000

Driven (2001)

Get Carter (2000)

Cop Land (1997) - $60,000

Daylight (1996) - $17,500,000

Assassins (1995)

Judge Dredd (1995)

The Specialist (1994) - $14,500,000

Demolition Man (1993)

Cliffhanger (1993) - $10,000,000

Oscar (1991)

Rocky V (1990) - $25,000,000

Tango & Cash (1989)

Lock Up (1989)

Rambo III (1988) - $18,000,000

Over the Top (1987) - $12,000,000

Rocky IV (1985) - $15,000,000

Staying Alive (1983)

First Blood (1982) - $3,500,000

Rocky II (1982)

Rocky (1976) - $23,000

Death Race 2000 (1975) - $1,000/week

Party at Kitty and Stud's (1970) - $200
[citations needed]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ http://www.celebheights.com/s/Sylvester-Stallone-347.html
  2. ^ "Incredible: Is It Stallone or Rabinovich?", Pravda, 2002-09-30. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
  3. ^ Bunder, Leslie; Westbrook, Caroline (2005-01-18). SJ Super 7. Something Jewish. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
  4. ^ http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30861

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Stallone, Sylvester
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone
SHORT DESCRIPTION American film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH July 6, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/y/l/Sylvester_Stallone_7277.html"