Athletically built, dark haired US actor / screenwriter / director of European parentage may never be mentioned by old school film critics in the same breath as say, Richard Burton or Alec Guinness, however movie fans world wide have been flocking to see Stallone's films for over 30 years, making "Sly" one of Hollywoods biggest ever box office draw cards.

Born on July 6th, 1946 in New York's gritty "Hells Kitchen", the young Stallone attended the American College of Switzerland and the University of Miami eventually obtaining a BA degree. Initially, he struggled in small parts in films such as the soft core The Party at Kitty and Stud's, the thriller Klute and the comedy Bananas. However, he got a crucial career break alongside fellow young actor Henry Winkler sharing lead billing in the effectively written teen gang film _Lord's of Flatbush, The (1974). Further film & TV roles followed, although most of them in uninspiring productions, except for the opportunity to play a megalomaniac, bloodthirsty race driver named "Machine Gun Joe Viterbo" in the Roger Corman produced Death Race 2000. However, Stallone was also keen to be recognized as a screenwriter, not just an actor, and inspired by the 1975 Muhammad Ali - Chuck Wepner fight in Cleveland, Stallone wrote a film script about a nobody fighter given the "million to one opportunity" to challenge for the heavyweight title. Rocky became the stuff of cinematic legends, scoring ten Academy Award nominations, winning the Best Picture Award of 1976 and triggering one of the most financially successful movie franchises in history ! Whilst full credit is wholly deserved by Stallone, he was duly supported by tremendous acting from fellow cast members Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith and Burt Young and director John G. Avildsen gave the film an emotive, earthy appeal from start to finish. Stallone had truly arrived on his terms, and offers poured in from various studio's eager to secure Hollywoods hottest new star.

Stallone followed Rocky with F.I.S.T, loosely based on the life of Teamsters boss, "Jimmy Hoffa", and Paradise Alley, before pulling on the boxing gloves again to resurrect "Rocky Balboa" in the sequel Rocky II. The second outing for the "Italian Stallion" wasn't as powerful or successful as the the first "Rocky", however it still produced strong box office. Subsequent films Night Hawks and Victory failed to ignite with audiences, so Stallone was once again lured back to familiar territory with Rocky III and a fearsome opponent in "Clubber Lang" played by muscular ex-bodyguard Mr. T. The third "Rocky" installment far outperformed the first sequel in box office takings, however Stallone was to "retire" his prize fighter for a couple of years as another mega-franchise was about to be commence for the busy actor.

The character of Green Beret "John Rambo" was the creation of Canadian born writer David Morrell and his novel was adapted to the screen with Stallone in the lead role in First Blood also starring Richard Crenna and Brian Dennehy. The movie was a surprise hit that polarized audiences because of its commentary about the Vietnam war, that was still relatively fresh in the American public's psyche. Political viewpoints aside, the film was a world wide smash and a sequel soon followed with Rambo: First Blood Part II which drew even stronger criticism from several quarters due to the films plot line about American MIA's allegedly being held in Vietnam. But they say there is no such thing as bad publicity, and "John Rambo's" second adventure was a major money spinner for Stallone and cemented him as one of the top male stars of the 1980s. Riding a wave of amazing popularity, Stallone called on old sparring partner, "Rocky Balboa" to climb back into the ring to defend US pride against Soviet threat's in the form of a towering Russian boxer named "Ivan Drago" played by mono-syllabic Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV. The fourth outing was somewhat controversial with "Rocky" fans as violence levels seemed excessive over previous "Rocky" films, especially with the savage beating suffered by "Apollo Creed" aka Carl Weathers at the hands of the unstoppable "Siberian Express".

Stallone continued forward with a slew of "macho character" themed films that met with a mixed reception from his fans. Cobra was a clumsy mess, Meet Me Half Way was equally mediocre, Rambo III saw Rambo take on the Russians in Afghanistan, and cop buddy film Tango & Cash just didn't quite hit the mark, although it did feature a top notch cast and there was chemistry between Stallone and co-star Kurt Russell.

Philadelphia's favorite "mythical" boxer moved out of the shadows for his fifth screen outing in Rocky V tackling "Tommy Machine Gunn" aka Tommy Morrison real life heavy weight fighter and the great nephew of screen legend John Wayne,...."Sly" quickly followed with the lukewarm comedy Oscar, the painfully unfunny Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, the futuristic action of Demolition Man and the comic book inspired Judge Dredd. Interestingly, Stallone then took a departure from the "gung ho" steely characters he had been portraying, to stack on a few extra pounds and tackle a more dramatically challenging role in the intriguing Cop Land also starring Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta. It isn't a classic of the genre, but Cop Land certainly surprised many critics with Stallone's understated performance. Stallone then lent his vocal talents to the animated adventure story Antz, reprized the role made famous by Michael Caine in a terrible remake of Get Carter, climbed back into a race car for Driven and he guest starred as the "Toymaker" in the third chapter of the immensely popular "Spy Kids" film series Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. Showing that age had not wearied his two most popular franchises, Stallone has most recently brought back never-say-die boxer "Rocky Balboa" to star in, well what else but..., Rocky Balboa and Vietnam veteran _John Rambo (2008)_ will re-appear after a 20 year hiatus to once again right wrongs in the jungles of Thailand.

Love him or loathe him, Sylvester Stallone has built an enviable & highly respected career in Hollywood, plus he has considerably influenced modern popular culture through several of his iconic film characters.
Avenging Angelo (2002): $20,000,000
D-Tox (2002): $20,000,000
Driven (2001): $20,000,000
Get Carter (2000): $20,000,000
Cop Land (1997): $60,000
Daylight (1996): $20,000,000
Assassins (1995): $20,000,000
Judge Dredd (1995): $20,000,000
The Specialist (1994): $15,000,000
Demolition Man (1993): $15,000,000
Cliffhanger (1993): $15,000,000
Oscar (1991): $15,000,000
Rocky V (1990): $15,000,000
Tango & Cash (1989): $15,000,000
Lock Up (1989): $15,000,000
Rambo III (1988): $15,000,000
Meet Me Half Way (1987): $12,000,000
Rocky IV (1985): $15,000,000
Staying Alive (1983): $10,000,000
First Blood (1982): $3,500,000
Rocky (1976): $23,000
Death Race 2000 (1975): $1,000/week
The Party at Kitty and Stud's (1970): $200
Oil paints in his spare time and considers Leonardo Da Vinci his personal hero. On June 27th, 1998, his second daughter, Sistine Rose Stallone was born, with third wife Jennifer Flavin. Ranked #92 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Daughter Sophia Rose Stallone, 2-1/2, by wife Jennifer Flavin. undergoes open heart surgery at UCLA Medical Center. The procedure went well. [12 November 1996] On August 27th, 1996, his first daughter Sophia Rose Stallone was born with fiancée, Jennifer Flavin. Was part owner of the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain with Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Birth complications, caused by forceps, resulted in paralysis of the lower left side of his face, manifested by a perennial snarl and slurred speech. He sued writer Peter "Taki" Theodoracopulos and the British magazine "The Spectator" in 1991 for suggested he acted in a cowardly and hypocritical way when he "ducked the Vietnam War." He won the case. At 15, his classmates voted him the one "most likely to end up in the electric chair." Second son Seargeoh Stallone (b. 1979) is autistic. Stallone was paid a mere $60,000 to do Cop Land. It is said that he did the film to play a serious role and escape his action hero cast type. Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1976" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 28. Brother of Frank Stallone, Toni D'Alto and Dante Stallone. Father of Sage Stallone, who has acted with him in Rocky V and also Daylight. Cousin of Paul Dion Monte. His Miami 24,000-square-foot villa and its three guest houses sold after two years on the market for $24 million. Dislikes his first name, usually referred to as "Sly." His mother, Jackie Stallone, is a fan of Jackie Chan. Chan and Stallone are very good friends. Sued by model Margie Carr, who contends that he tried to force her to have physical relations with him last year at a Santa Monica Gym. [26 February 2001] Born on the same day as President George W. Bush and Fred Dryer. Was originally slated to play Detective Axel Foley in _Beverly Hills Cop (1984)_ . The role went to Eddie Murphy instead. 14 February 2002 - Sylvester sued his former business manager, Kenneth Starr, for giving him bad business advice. He claims $17M in damages. Part of the advice was for him to hold onto his shares in Planet Hollywood, the now bankrupt restaurant chain, despite it already being in a financial bind. His father Frank Stallone was a hairdresser and mother Jackie Stallone is a larger-than-life eccentric who's also sought fame as an astrologer and women's wrestling promoter. Her maiden name is Labofish. CBS considering "Father Lefty" TV series he created and produced for fall 2002 schedule. Star Danny Nucci set to star as offbeat Miami priest if controversial series gets the greenlight. Has a half-sister Toni D'Alto (Toni Anne Filiti), the daughter of his mother Jackie Stallone and her second husband, Tony Filiti. 3rd child with wife Jennifer, Scarlet Rose born 25 May 2002 in Los Angeles, weighed 7 lbs, 8 oz. Has a total of five children: Sage Stallone and Seargeoh Stallone with first wife Sasha Czack and Sophia Rose Stallone, Sistine Rose Stallone and Scarlet Stallone with third wife Jennifer Flavin. Former brother-in-law of Louis D'Alto and Markus Schaub. Was 23 years old when he got his first starring role in the porno The Party at Kitty and Stud's (which was re-released and renamed "The Italian Stallion" after his success with Rocky), in which he played the role of Stud The Italian Stallion. He was paid $200 to play the sex-craved gigolo and appeared in almost every scene nude. Italian-American Attended the University of Miami on an athletic scholarship Went to Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. Among his classmates were Goldie Hawn and Ben Stein. On 5 June 1994 he broke up with then-girlfriend Jennifer Flavin by sending her a "Dear Jane" letter via FedEx. They reconciled after one year, on 5 June 1995 and married on 17 May 1997. Has his look-alike puppet in the French show _"Guignols de l'info, Les" (1988)_ . Entered into the house of Big Brother VIP 2 (Mexico) for a few minutes as a special guest. He was in Mexico promoting _Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)_ and was invited to participate. Turned down the role of John McClane in Die Hard. The part went to Bruce Willis instead. As of 2004 is the all time Razzie Award champion, with a record 30 nominations and 10 "wins", more than any other person in history. Mother Jackie Stallone was a fan of Tyrone Power and had originally named him Tyrone Stallone, but when she got the birth certificate it had been changed by Sly's father Frank Stallone to Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone. Has the distinction of appearing in three of the 100 Most Enjoyably Awful Movies of All Time as listed in Razzie Award-founder John Wilson's book "The Official Razzie Movie Guide": Rhinestone, Rambo: First Blood Part II) and The Specialist. He is thus tied with Joseph Cotten for having the second most titles among the 100. 'Ernest Borgnine' has the most, appearing in four of the 100 titles. Step-son of Anthony 'Tony' Filiti & Stephen Marcus Levine. Oddly, 1994 was one of the few years he was not nominated for an acting Razzie Award, even though he had appeared in both Cliffhanger and Demolition Man, which had been nominated, with "Cliffhanger" receiving a nomination for Worst Screenplay, which Stallone had written himself. The ten awards from the Razzies that he's "won" so far are Worst Actor of 1985 for Rhinestone, Worst Actor of 1986 for both Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV, Worst Director of 1986 for Rocky IV, Worst Screenplay of 1986 with James Cameron and Kevin Jarre for Rambo: First Blood Part II, Worst Actor of 1989 for Rambo III, Worst Actor of the Decade (1980's), Worst Actor of 1993 for Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Worst Screen Couple of 1995 with Sharon Stone in The Specialist, Worst Actor of the Century, and Worst Supporting Actor of 2004 for Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. According to Anthony Holden's "Behind the Oscar" (New York: Simon & Shuster, 1993), the great Frank Capra was enlisted in the Oscar campaign for the original Rocky. Capra was quoted as saying, "I think it's the best picture in the last ten years. It's got my vote for the Oscars all the way down the line." He joins Roberto Benigni, Prince, Kevin Costner, William Shatner, and Tom Green as being the only actors to direct themselves in performances that would "win" them a Razzie Award for Worst Actor. Attended the first inauguration of President George W. Bush along with other long-time Republican supporters Chuck Norris and Robert Duvall. (January 20th 2001) In April 2004 he formed his own nutrition company InStone, that produces protein pudding, a testosterone booster, an energy booster and two different protein shakes. On 8 March 2005 he appeared in his first magazine issue of Sly which came out monthly. He was on the cover of every magazine and did most of the articles and interviews himself. On 10 May 2005 he published his book "Sly Moves: My Proven Program to Lose Weight, Build Strength, Gain Will Power, and Live Your Dream". Listed as one of the top heroes of all time by the American film Institute (AFI) on 2003, he listed seventh behind Gregory Peck, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper and Jodie Foster. Had a huge fan following from Bollywood Asia, film stars like Salman Khan, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Dhanmendhra, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty and Hrithik Roshan are his die-hard fans. Sunny Deol even gave one of his sons name as Rocky. A noted fan of cigar smoking, he quit smoking cigarettes while filming Rocky when he was thirty after he found himself getting out of breath in the ring. Is a fan of "Bollywood" movies Holds the record for the longest unbroken streak of nominations at the Razzie Awards - thirteen straight years. He received a Razzie Nomination every year (mostly for Worst Actor) from 1985 to 1997. Did all of his own singing in Rhinestone. In 1988 he was offered $4 million to do an advert for an American beer commercial under the condition that he cut his hair; when he refused they offered a further $1 million to go to the barber - he still refused. Stallone has never recaptured the critical success he won initially after Rocky, when Roger Ebert said he could be the next Marlon Brando. He has been nominated a record 30 times for the Golden Raspberry Awards, usually in the "Worst Actor" category, and has won 10 times. The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation awarded him a special "Worst Actor of the Century" award in 2000. The voice of Lou the cop in The Simpsons is based on him. Was said to have only $106 in his bank account at the time the Rocky project was given the green light by producer Irwin Winkler. He was presented with a certificate of recognition by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for filming Rocky Balboa in Los Angeles at a time when other filmmakers are moving their business to cheaper states or overseas locations to cut costs. (22 December 2005). Along with Bruce Willis, he is a staunch supporter of the Republican party. In the 1950s he and his brother Frank Stallone lived in Philadelphia with their mother Jackie Stallone for approximately two years and attended Notre Dame Academy, a private Catholic school on Rittenhouse Square in center city (no longer there). It is the same school that John Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore had once attended. In 1986, following the enormous success of _Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)_ , Stallone was received at the White House by President Reagan. Turned down the lead role in Coming Home (for which Jon Voight won an Oscar). Received the first Boxing Writers Association of America's award for lifetime cinematic achievement in boxing at the organization's 81st annual Awards Dinner at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. (5 May 2006) Came in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, living in Frankford and Rittenhouse Square. He went to Lincoln High School, but never completed 10th grade. In 1963, he enrolled in the Devereux Manor High School in Berwyn, Chester County, a school for emotionally troubled youths. At the age of five, he returned to live with his parents and younger brother Frank Stallone, this time in Silver Springs, Maryland. After his parents divorced, he moved with his mother and her new husband, a pizza manufacturer, Anthony 'Tony' Filiti, to Philadelphia. He was honored by the Video Dealers Software Association when he was presented with the "Action Star of the Millennium Award" at the organization's 21st Annual Convention in Las Vegas, NV. [16 July 2002] In 1971 he auditioned for a small part in Francis Ford Coppola's movie The Godfather but did not get the role, so Stallone decided he might have better luck as a writer. He wrote the screenplay for the modestly successful The Lord's of Flatbush and had a featured role in the film. He was a manager for the Lee Canalito vs. Curtis Whitner Boxing Match on his 36th birthday in July 6th, 1982, at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, NJ. His brother Frank Stallone was a corner man for Canalito in this match. He and Dolly Parton honored with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (June 14, 1984). His performance as Rocky Balboa in the "Rocky" movies is ranked #64 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. Rocky is ranked #4 on the American Film Institute's 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. The wax figure portraying Stallone as Rocky Balboa at the now defunct Movieland Wax Museum (Buena Vista, California) was 5' 7" tall. His full frontal nude scene was edited out of Demolition Man prior to release, but can be viewed on the Internet. In an interview in January 2002, Stallone confirmed he was still interested in reprising his roles as Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, but feared that at fifty-five he was too old. Nearly four years later, in October 2005, he confirmed his intention to make Rocky Balboa and _John Rambo (2008)_ . A lifelong Republican, he is one of President George W. Bush's two favorite actors. The other is fellow action hero and conservative Republican 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. Godfather of his son Sage Stallone was his best friend Joe Spinell. In 1998, following the murder of his friend Phil Hartman, Stallone, then living in England, called for America to ban all guns. This caused some controversy, since he had used guns in many of his movies. All his children's names begin with the letter "S": Sage, Sargeoh, Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet. Is a fan of the English soccer team Everton FC. In 1992 he sued a British magazine for publishing an article claiming that he went to Europe in order to dodge the draft during the Vietnam War, and was awarded substantial damages. Was offered a part in Robert Rodriguez's section of Grindhouse ("Death Proof"), but turned it down. Pleaded guilty to bringing vials of restricted muscle-building hormones into Australia and faces sentencing next week. Lawyers for Stallone entered the guilty pleas on behalf of the actor, who did not appear before Sydney's Downing Center Local Court. The star was accused of bringing banned substances into Australia after a customs search of his luggage during a 16 February 2007 visit to Sydney revealed 48 vials of the human growth hormone product, Jintropin. (14 May 2007). 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 veiny than the other. Is a close friend and fan of Sir Elton John. Was Joel Schumacher's second choice to play Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin. He is most well known for his Rambo and Rocky movies. Voted "Worst Actor of the Century" by the Razzie Awards in 2000. Turned down Christopher Reeve's role in Superman, Eddie Murphy's role in Beverly Hills Cop, Harrison Ford's role in Witness, Bruce Willis's roles in Die Hard and Pulp Fiction, John Travolta's role in Face/Off and Kurt Russell's role in Death Proof.