Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone (birth name: Michael Sylvester Enzio Stallone (born July 6, 1946) is an American film actor. He achieved his greatest successes in a number of action films, notably the Rambo and Rocky series, in both of which he played a largely monosyllabic hero.
Born in New York, New York, he studied drama at the University of Miami. Returning to New York he appeared in a few small off-Broadway plays. His first film roles were very small, including a pornographic film, and he did not break through until he starred in Rocky (1976), a film that he wrote and sold with the rider that he would be the lead. Stallone had two Academy Award nominations for Rocky. Unfortunately his attempts to expand his range floundered and he was forced to return to the Rocky franchise a number of times (1979, 1982, 1985, and 1990) to pay for the flops, he even tried his hand at directing as well as writing with II, III and Rocky IV. His only other early successes were as John Rambo in First Blood (1982) and its sequels. In the 1990s he had further box-office wins with a number of action movies, including Cliffhanger (1993, for which he wrote the screenplay), Demolition Man (1993) and Judge Dredd (1995). He still sought to expand his appeal with the low-budget Cop Land (1997) and a voice role in Antz (1998), but his $15 million plus pay-cheques are still only offered for more lively action roles. He also acted as the villain in the 2003 movie, Spy Kids 3-D.
His sneer and slurred speech are the result of paralysis in the left side of his face caused by birth complications.
He has been married three times, to Brigitte Nielsen, Sasha Czack and Jennifer Flavin.
