Biography - Sylvester Stallone

Academy Award nominated action hero Sylvester Stallone was an unlikely star when he began acting in the early 70s. His famously slurred speech and leering facial expressions don’t belong to the typical Hollywood leading man, and were the results of birth complications that paralyzed the left half of his face. Nonetheless the burly actor made his physical quirks into his calling card, and less than ten years after his debut in the soft-core “Party at Kitty and Stud’s” was one of the most sought-after stars in the industry.

Stallone was born in New York City on July 6, 1946 to Sicilian immigrant Frank Stallone Sr. and Jacqueline Labofish, a quirky American astrologer and psychic who is famous for creating the art of ‘rumpology’, which is the practice of reading rear ends instead of palms to learn about a subject’s future. After growing up in New York with his parents and brother Frank, a successful recording artist, Sylvester left to attend the University of Miami where he remained for three years before dropping out to pursue acting. Needless to say his 1970 debut in “The Party at Kitty and Stud’s” didn’t launch his career, though today it has become a minor cult classic. He spent the next few years in bit parts, including Woody Allen’s “Bananas”, “Klute”, and “Death Race 2000”.

Though completely unknown, Stallone managed to convince famed producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff that he was right for the lead role in “Rocky”, a script Stallone had written himself. Released in 1976, “Rocky” became one of the biggest hits of all time, grossing over $200 million worldwide (quite a feat for the 70s) and earning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director in addition to Best Actor and Best Screenplay nominations for Stallone. This made Stallone the third person nominated for acting and writing in the same year, following Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles.

Stallone became one of the biggest stars of the 80s, starring in a string of action hits including the grim post-Vietnam “Rambo” films, a long string of successful “Rocky” sequels, and action flicks like “Cobra” and “Tango & Cash”. Though Stallone’s attempts at non-action films were mostly unsuccessful, his directing career was stronger with the first three “Rocky” sequels, “Staying Alive”, and “Paradise Alley”. Success in the 80s also made Stallone one of the highest-paid actors of all time. By 1985’s “Rocky IV” Stallone was raking in $15 million per picture, a totally unheard-of sum until Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Carrey began cashing in similar amounts in the 90s.

Stallone’s star steadily declined after the failure of 1990’s “Rocky V”. Films like “Judge Dredd”, “Assassins”, and “Daylight” were hugely expensive flops, and though stronger international grosses kept him afloat he hasn’t had a real hit since 1993’s “Cliffhanger” despite earning $20 million for colossal flops like 2001’s “D-Tox”. However, the legendary star is currently heading back to basics having just finished work on “Rocky Balboa”, which is set for a Christmas 2006 release. A fourth “Rambo” film is also in the works, with James Brolin and Matthew Fox set to co-star. Hollywood is eagerly awaiting the results of this muscle match between Stallone’s old-school brawn and today’s comic blockbusters. Regardless of the outcome, prepare for the possibility of hearing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ blasting from headphones at your local gym.