American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer
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Also known as: Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
Quick Facts
- In full:
- Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone
- Born:
- July 6, 1946, New York, New York, U.S. (age 78)
- Notable Works:
- “Creed II”
- “Rambo”
- “Rambo: Last Blood”
- “Rocky Balboa”
- “Rocky II”
- “Rocky III”
- “Rocky IV”
- “Rocky”
- “Staying Alive”
- “The Expendables”
See all related content →
Sylvester Stallone (born July 6, 1946, New York, New York, U.S.) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director who was perhaps best known for creating and starring in the Rocky and Rambo film series, which made him an icon in the action genre.
Stallone was born at a charity hospital in the Hell’s Kitchen area of New York City. Forceps used during his birth damaged a facial nerve, leaving him with a droopy left eyelid and a speech impediment. After spending much of his infancy in boarding care, Stallone rejoined his family and moved with them to Maryland when he was five. Stallone initially stayed with his father following his parents’ divorce in 1957, but at age 15 he joined his remarried mother in Philadelphia. Because of his history of expulsion from schools, he attended a private school for troubled teenagers.
Britannica QuizBest Picture Movie Quote QuizStallone became interested in acting while attending the American College of Switzerland, and he returned to the United States to study at the University of Miami. Just a few credits short of graduation, he moved to New York City, where he struggled to find work. In 1970 he made his screen debut starring in an adult film, The Party at Kitty and Stud’s (later renamed The Italian Stallion). He subsequently began appearing in more-mainstream fare, with uncredited roles in such movies as Woody Allen’s Bananas and Klute (both 1971). During that time Stallone moved to Hollywood, and his first role of note was in The Lords of Flatbush (1974), a dramedy about Brooklyn teenagers in the 1950s. Although more film and television work followed, Stallone struggled to break through.
A match between Muhammad Ali and a relatively obscure boxer named Chuck Wepner inspired Stallone to pen the script for Rocky. Although producers originally wanted someone well-known to play the title character, Stallone refused to sell the story unless he could star as the underdog boxer Rocky Balboa. A critical and commercial success, the film was the highest-grossing movie of 1976. In addition, Stallone earned Academy Award nominations for his acting and screenplay, and the film won best picture honours. Seven sequels (1979, 1982, 1985, 1990, 2006, 2015, and 2018) followed, with Stallone directing four of them. The 2015 installment, Creed, was the only sequel not written by Stallone; he cowrote the next installment Creed II (2018). The Creed films featured Rocky Balboa as a boxing trainer and earned strong reviews. Stallone received his third Oscar nomination for Creed as best supporting actor.
Between the Rocky sequels, Stallone appeared in several forgettable action thrillers. In 1982, however, he starred as ex-Green Beret John Rambo in First Blood, which launched another highly successful series. He cowrote the first film as well as the subsequent installments—Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rambo III (1988), Rambo (2008; Stallone also directed), and Rambo: Last Blood (2019)—all of which featured physical prowess, dazzling special effects, and constant action.
Stallone continued that formula in such thrillers as Demolition Man (1993), Cliffhanger (1993), which he also cowrote, The Specialist (1994), Assassins (1995), Judge Dredd (1995), and Get Carter (2000). Although most of those films had only limited success at the box office in the United States, Stallone’s ability to attract audiences overseas proved enormous. In 2010 he cowrote, directed, and starred in The Expendables, a thriller about a team of mercenaries (played by Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Dolph Lundgren, among others). Popular with moviegoers, it was followed by three sequels (2012, 2014, and 2023).
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Stallone occasionally ventured from the action genre, with mixed results. He starred in the comedies Oscar (1991) and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992), both of which had modest success. He received better reviews for the 1997 drama Cop Land, for which he temporarily shed his sculpted physique and gained weight for his role as a powerless sheriff. In a comedic take on boxing, Stallone starred opposite Robert De Niro in Grudge Match (2013), about aging rivals who stage a rematch. In the TV series Tulsa King (2022– ), Stallone played a mafia boss who, after being released from prison, attempts to rebuild his empire. He also wrote and directed Staying Alive (1983), a poorly received sequel to Saturday Night Fever (1977); both films starred John Travolta.
In addition to his film work, Stallone was a noted art collector and painter. In 1991 he became an investor in the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain; other actors involved in the venture included Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
