Sylvester Stallone (born July 6, 1946) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He achieved his greatest successes in a number of action films, notably the Rocky and Rambo series.

Stallone was born in Hell's Kitchen, New York. His mother, Jacqueline "Jackie" Labofish was an astrologer; his father, Frank Stallone, Sr., was an immigrant from Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. One of his maternal great-grandmothers, Rosa Rabinovich, was from Odessa, Ukraine. In the 1960s, Stallone attended the American College of Switzerland, Leysin and 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.

Early film roles 1970-1975

Stallone made his film debut with the 1970 pornographic film Party at Kitty and Stud's. He was paid US$200 for two days work. Originally released as hardcore pornography, scenes of sexual penetration were edited out on later releases of the film designed to cash in on Stallone's fame. These releases were re-packaged under the names of Italian Stallion (taken from Stallone's nickname and a line from the film) and Cocky (a spoof of Rocky). Stallone's other 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 Lemmon 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 played supporting roles in Farewell, My Lovely, Capone, and another cult hit Death Race 2000. He also made guest appearances on the TV series Police Story and Kojak.

Success with Rocky 1976

Stallone did not gain world-wide fame until his starring role in the smash hit Rocky (1976). The film was awarded the 1976 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 (which was suggested by Stallone after a casting), and planned on courting a star like Burt Reynolds or James Caan for the lead role. The final result was an unequalled success; Rocky was nominated for ten Academy Awards in all, including two for Stallone himself, for Best Actor and 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 Rocky series has made the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art a Philadelphia tourist attraction. On the list of the top heroes of all time by American Film Institute (AFI) in 2003 , Stallone 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).

The sequel Rocky II which Stallone had also written and directed was released in 1979 and also became a major success, grossing US$200 million worldwide.

Apart from the Rocky films, Stallone did many other films in the late 1970s and early 1980s which were critically acclaimed but were not successful at the box office. He received critical praise for films such as F.I.S.T (1978), a drama in which he plays a warehouse worker, who becomes involved in the labor union leadership and Paradise Alley (1978), a family drama in which he plays one of three brothers who is con artist and who helps his other brother who is involved in wrestling. In the early 1980s he starred alongside British veteran Michael Caine in Escape to Victory (1981), a sports drama in which he plays a prisoner of war involved in a Nazi propaganda football tournament. Stallone then made the thriller film Nighthawks (1981), in which he plays a New York city cop who plays a cat and mouse game with a foreign terrorist, played by Rutger Hauer..

Stallone had another major franchise success as Vietnam veteran John Rambo in the action adventure film First Blood (1982). The first installment of Rambo was both a critical and box office success. The critics praised Stallone's performance, saying he made Rambo seem human as opposed to the way he is portrayed in the book of the same name First Blood and in the other films. Two Rambo sequels Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Rambo III (1988) followed. Although box office hits, they met with much less critical praise than the original. He also continued his box office success with the Rocky franchise and wrote, directed and starred in two more sequels to the series: Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985). He also attempted roles in different genres during this period but was unsuccessful. He wrote and starred in the comedy film Rhinestone (1984) where he played a wannabe country music singer and the drama film Over the Top (1987) where he played a truck driver who enters an arm wrestling competition to impress his estranged son. The action films Cobra (1986) and Tango and Cash (1989) continued the hit parade, further solidifying Stallone's fanbase.

1990-1999

At the start of the 1990s, Stallone starred in the fifth installment of the Rocky franchise Rocky V which was considered a box office disappointment and was also disliked by fans as an unworthy entry in the series. It was intended to have been the last installment in the franchise at the time.

After starring in the critical and commercial failures Oscar (1991) and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992) during the early 90s, he made a major comeback in 1993 with the blockbuster hit Cliffhanger which became an enormously successful film grossing over US$255 million worldwide. Later that year he enjoyed another hit with Demolition Man which grossed in excess of $158 million worldwide. His string of hits continued with 1994's The Specialist (over $170 million worldwide gross). In 1995 he played the comic book based title character Judge Dredd in Judge Dredd which was based on the British comic book 2000 AD. His overseas box office appeal even saved the domestic box office disappointment of Judge Dredd with a worldwide tally of $113 million. In 1996 he starred in the disaster movie Daylight which made only $33 million in the U.S but was a major hit overseas taking in over $126 million, totaling $159,212,469 worldwide.

Following his breakthrough performance in Rocky, critic Roger Ebert had once said he could become the next Marlon Brando - however arguably Stallone had never recaptured the critical acclaim he won in Rocky. Stallone did however receive much acclaim for his role in Cop Land (1997) in which he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, but the film was only a minor success at the box office. It could be said that due to the lack of box office draws, when Stallone would take a venture out of action and more into drama, was the cause for Stallone to return to his action flicks so often. His performance led him to win the Stockholm International Film Festival Best Actor Award. In 1998 he did voice-over work for the computer-animated film Antz, which grossed over 90 million domestically.

2000-2002

As the new millennium began, Stallone starred in a string of critical and commercial failues. His first release in 2000 was the thriller Get Carter which was a remake of the 1971 Michael Caine starrer Get Carter. The film was a box office flop. This was followed by Driven (2001), Avenging Angelo (2002) and D-Tox (2002) which were also critical and box office failures.

2003-present

In 2003 he played a villainous role in the third installment of the Spy Kids trilogy Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over which was a huge box office success (almost 200 million worldwide) but Stallone's performance as the villain was critically panned.

Following several poorly reviewed box office flops, Stallone started to regain some of his star power when he received critical praise for his role in the neo-noir crime drama movie Shade (2003), where he played "The Dean", the legendary card sharp. He was also attached to star and direct a film about the murder of rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls titled "Notorious" but the film has yet to be made due to the legal problems concerning the movie.

In 2005 he was the co-presenter of the NBC Reality TV boxing series The Contender alongside Sugar Ray Leonard. That same year he also made a guest appearance in two episodes of the television series Las Vegas.

After three years since his last film appearance in Shade, he made a comeback to films in 2006 with the sixth and final installment of the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa, which was a critical and commercial hit. After the critical and box office failure of the previous and presumably last installment Rocky V, Stallone decided that he should end the series with a sixth installment which would be a much more appropriate climax to the series. The total domestic box office gross is coming to a close with US$70.2 million (US$155.3 million worldwide), almost three times its production budget. His performance in Rocky Balboa has been praised and garnered mostly positive reviews.

Stallone is currently in production on the latest Rambo sequel John Rambo which is experiencing very positive buzz due to a favorable reception of its rough cut trailer for Cannes.

It was also recently announced that Sylvester Stallone would be directing a movie on The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, based on the book written by Franz Werfel. which tells the story of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Stallone is also set to direct a biography on the life of Edgar Allan Poe, which will be titled Poe .

According to Yahoo!, Moviehole and Stallonezone, Stallone is in serious talks about joining Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards

Director

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

Writer

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

Family

Other famous members in Stallone's family are his brother, actor/singer Frank Stallone and his mother, Jacqueline Stallone, who achieved notoriety in the middle 1990s as an astrologer. At the time of ownership, Stallone's pet Bullmastiff, Butkus, appeared in the first Rocky film as an often-teased favorite pet of Balboa's who lived in Adrian's pet shop. Also Half-Brother: Dante Stallone born in 1997; son of Frank Stallone Sr and his fourth wife. Half-Sister: Toni-Ann Dialto,mother, Jacqueline Stallone

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, 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, Naomi Campbell and Janice Dickinson. Dickinson once believed that Stallone was the father of her daughter Savannah.

Growth hormone controversy

On February 16, 2007, Stallone flew into Sydney, New South Wales as part of his promotional tour Rocky Balboa. Upon landing he was searched by Australian Customs officials, who found 48 vials of the human growth hormone (HGH) Jintropin in his personal luggage. As a result of this, he was charged one count of importing a prohibited import. The hormones are banned under the Australian Customs Act, are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and are not a recognised treatment for any medical condition. In a court hearing on May 15, 2007, he pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing a controlled substance. On May 21st 2007 he was formally convicted of importing restricted muscle-building hormones into Australia and ordered to pay more than $9,870 in fines and court costs . As a result of the controversy within Australia, Stallone banned the Australian media from attending the Los Angeles premiere of the film.

In a typed apology from Stallone, delivered to the court on May 15, Stallone said: "I made a terrible mistake. Not because I was attempting to deceive anyone but I was simply ignorant of your official rules and I wish to sincerely apologise to the court and the Australian community for my breach of Australian customs law. ... I have never supported the use of illegal drugs or engaged in any illegal activities in my entire life. ...I wish to express my deepest remorse and again apologise for my actions."

Planet Hollywood

He owns shares in Planet Hollywood restaurants with Bruce Willis and formerly Arnold Schwarzenegger (who has since sold his part).

Trivia

• Has turned down many hit films: Romancing the Stone, Beverly Hills Cop, Die Hard, Pretty Woman, Basic Instinct, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Enemy of the State.

• His trademark sneer and slurred speech are the result of lazy eyes and partial paralysis in the left side of his face caused by birth complications.

• Stallone claims to have been able to bench press 385-400 lbs (174.6-181.4 kg) and squat 500 lbs (226.8 kg) in his prime. While in a bench pressing contest with former Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu, 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.

• According to NNDB.com, "Stallone has always been politically active, but his politics defy easy labels. He has written checks for candidates as far to the left as Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer, and as far right as John Ashcroft and Rick Santorum.". However, he has openly been known to identify himself as a Republican. In his book "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations," Al Franken cited Stallone as one of the biggest Republican supporters in Hollywood.

• On January 14, 2007, Stallone was at Goodison Park to promote Rocky Balboa, and to watch Everton take on Reading. The match ended as a 1-1 draw. After receiving a brilliant reception from 40,000 fans he now claims to be an official Everton fan.

• Sylvester Stallone asked Carl Weathers, Mr. T, and Dolph Lundgren for permission to use footage from their appearances in the earlier Rocky movies for Rocky Balboa. Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren gave him their graces, however Carl Weathers wanted an actual part in the movie, even though his character died in Rocky IV stated by Stallone on Jimmy Kimmel Live Dec. 21, 2006. Stallone refused and Weathers decided not to allow Stallone to use his image for Rocky flashbacks from the previous movies. They instead decided to use new footage of a fighter who looks similar to Weathers.

Sylvester Stallone filmography

• The Contender (2005) .... Presenter

• Las Vegas (2005) .... Frank

• Kojak (1975) .... Detective Rick Daly

• Police Story (1975) .... Caddo