Sylvester Stallone

This athletically built, dark-haired American actor/screenwriter/director may never be mentioned by old-school film critics in the same breath as, say, 'Richard Burton' (qv) or 'Alec Guinness' (qv); however, movie fans worldwide have been flocking to see Stallone's films for over 30 years, making "Sly" one of Hollywood's biggest-ever box office draws.'Sylvester Stallone' (qv) was born on July 6, 1946, in New York's gritty Hell's Kitchen, to 'Jackie Stallone' (qv) (née Labofish), an astrologer, and 'Frank Stallone' (qv), a beautician and hairdresser. His father was an Italian immigrant, and his mother's heritage is half French (from Brittany) and half German. The young Stallone attended the American College of Switzerland and the University of Miami, eventually obtaining a B.A. degree. Initially, he struggled in small parts in films such as the soft-core _The Party at Kitty and Stud's (1970)_ (qv), the thriller _Klute (1971)_ (qv) and the comedy _Bananas (1971)_ (qv). He got a crucial career break alongside fellow young actor 'Henry Winkler' (qv), sharing lead billing in the effectively written teen gang film _The Lords of Flatbush (1974)_ (qv). Further film and television roles followed, 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' (qv)-produced _Death Race 2000 (1975)_ (qv). However, Stallone was also keen to be recognized as a screenwriter, not just an actor, and, inspired by the 1975 'Muhammad Ali' (qv)-'Chuck Wepner' (qv) 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 (1976)_ (qv) 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 series in history! Whilst full credit is wholly deserved by Stallone, he was duly supported by tremendous acting from fellow cast members 'Talia Shire' (qv), 'Burgess Meredith' (qv) and 'Burt Young' (qv), and director 'John G. Avildsen' (qv) gave the film an emotive, earthy appeal from start to finish. Stallone had truly arrived on his terms, and offers poured in from various studios eager to secure Hollywood's hottest new star.Stallone followed _Rocky (1976)_ (qv) with _F.I.S.T. (1978)_ (qv), loosely based on the life of Teamsters boss "Jimmy Hoffa", and _Paradise Alley (1978)_ (qv) before pulling on the boxing gloves again to resurrect Rocky Balboa in the sequel _Rocky II (1979)_ (qv). The second outing for the "Italian Stallion" wasn't as powerful or successful as the first "Rocky", however, it still produced strong box office. Subsequent films _Nighthawks (1981)_ (qv) and _Victory (1981)_ (qv) failed to ignite with audiences, so Stallone was once again lured back to familiar territory with _Rocky III (1982)_ (qv) and a fearsome opponent in "Clubber Lang" played by muscular ex-bodyguard 'Mr. T' (qv). The third "Rocky" installment far outperformed the first sequel in box office takings, but Stallone retired his prizefighter for a couple of years as another series was about to commence for the busy actor.The character of Green Beret "John Rambo" was the creation of Canadian-born writer 'David Morrell' (qv), and his novel was adapted to the screen with Stallone in the lead role in _First Blood (1982)_ (qv), also starring 'Richard Crenna' (qv) and 'Brian Dennehy' (qv). The movie was a surprise hit that polarized audiences because of its commentary about the Vietnam war, which was still relatively fresh in the American public's psyche. Political viewpoints aside, the film was a worldwide smash, and a sequel soon followed with _Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)_ (qv), which drew even stronger criticism from several quarters owing to the film's plotline about American MIAs 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 American pride against a Soviet threat in the form of a towering Russian boxer named "Ivan Drago" played by curt 'Dolph Lundgren' (qv) in _Rocky IV (1985)_ (qv). The fourth outing was somewhat controversial with "Rocky" fans, as violence levels seemed excessive compared to previous "Rocky" films, especially with the savage beating suffered by Apollo Creed, played by 'Carl Weathers' (qv), 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 (1986)_ (qv) was a clumsy mess, _Over the Top (1987)_ (qv) was equally mediocre, _Rambo III (1988)_ (qv) saw Rambo take on the Russians in Afghanistan, and cop buddy film _Tango & Cash (1989)_ (qv) just did not quite hit the mark, although it did feature a top-notch cast and there was chemistry between Stallone and co-star 'Kurt Russell' (qv).Philadelphia's favorite mythical boxer moved out of the shadows for his fifth screen outing in _Rocky V (1990)_ (qv) tackling Tommy "Machine" Gunn played by real-life heavyweight fighter 'Tommy Morrison' (qv), the great-nephew of screen legend 'John Wayne' (qv). Sly quickly followed with the lukewarm comedy _Oscar (1991)_ (qv), the painfully unfunny _Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)_ (qv), the futuristic action film _Demolition Man (1993)_ (qv), and the comic book-inspired _Judge Dredd (1995)_ (qv). 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 (1997)_ (qv), also starring 'Robert De Niro' (qv) and 'Ray Liotta' (qv). It isn't a classic of the genre, but _Cop Land (1997)_ (qv) certainly surprised many critics with Stallone's understated performance. Stallone then lent his vocal talents to the animated adventure story _Antz (1998)_ (qv), reprised the role made famous by 'Michael Caine' (qv) in a terrible remake of _Get Carter (2000)_ (qv), climbed back into a race car for _Driven (2001)_ (qv), and guest-starred as the "Toymaker" in the third chapter of the immensely popular "Spy Kids" film series, _Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)_ (qv). Showing that age had not wearied his two most popular series, Stallone has most recently brought back never-say-die boxer Rocky Balboa to star in, well, what else but _Rocky Balboa (2006)_ (qv), and Vietnam veteran _Rambo (2008)_ (qv) will reappear after a 20-year hiatus to once again right wrongs in the jungles of Thailand.Love him or loathe him, 'Sylvester Stallone' (qv) has built an enviable and highly respected career in Hollywood, plus, he has considerably influenced modern popular culture through several of his iconic film characters.::[email protected] ( needs to learn the correct use of semicolons)