Sylvester Stallone biography, net worth, height, age, daughters, wife, children, son 2025

Sylvester Stallone's Biography

Sylvester Stallone is an actor whose incredible impact on Hollywood cinema in the 1970s and 1980s can't be overstated. This beloved action hero starred in more than 50 movies, among which are 6 movies about a Rocky boxer and 4 motion pictures featured the fearless soldier called Rambo. These roles launched him to worldwide fame across multiple generations.

His standout roles include Lieutenant Tango, lawyer Dadd from the movie that bears his name, Angelo from the comedy "Oscar," Gabe from "Cliffhanger," and Sergeant Spartan from "Demolition Man." His passionate fans could easily add plenty of other memorable roles to this list. Net worth: $400 million.

Childhood and family

Sylvester was born June 6, 1946, the same day as George Bush Jr. However, unlike the future president, his early days were hard and difficult.

The family tree of the young actor was quite messy. His mother, Jacqueline, was born to French woman Jannes Clerk and a Washington lawyer whose Jewish ancestors emigrated to the United States from Odessa at the end of the 19th century. Jackie ran a beauty shop and was passionate about astronomy.

It's hard to believe that she, a wealthy, well-educated woman, chose to get involved with hot-tempered Sicilian Frank Stallone, whose family shipped to the US in 1932. He managed a small chain of hair salons and enjoyed polo on weekends, both playing and watching matches from the stands. Frank was a man of questionable morals: he had a wandering eye and a drinking problem. He was harsh with his horses and caused plenty of trouble for those around him.

How Sylvester changed through the ages (from 7 to 70)

Sylvester was the firstborn in the Stallone family. During childbirth, Jacqueline had complications that required the doctor to use forceps. This severed a nerve in the child's face – a common complication at the time – leaving the lower left side of his face permanently paralyzed.

Males in Stallone's family: Sylvester, his brother, the eldest son and his father

In 1956, Jacqueline got tired of her husband's drunken fights and filed for divorce. Nine-year-old Sylvester and his younger brother Frank stayed with their mother. The divorce, his physical disability, and birth trauma deeply affected young Sly's personality. His classmates bullied him, calling him names and cruelly predicting he'd end up in the electric chair. Anyway, he gave them back the same. At 15, he was sent to a military academy for troubled teens with a diagnosis of "attention deficit syndrome."

As Sylvester got older, he started working out at the gym. Soon after, his classmates stopped making fun of him. At sixteen, he failed all his exams, so his mother put him to work at her beauty shop. After Sylvester finally got his diploma, he attended Dade College in Miami.

Career begins here

After finishing college, he was brimming with confidence about becoming an actor. He managed to land a small role in the sports drama «Downhill Racer», also featuring Robert Redford (the man, who sits at the table behind protagonists). Other attempts to break into acting fell through, so Stallone took odd jobs as a doorman, restaurant bouncer, and eventually cleaning cages at a zoo.

Stallone's first appearance on the screen

His film career actually started in... adult movies. In 1970 he took a male lead role in «The Party at Kitty and Stud's». Just before landing the role, Stallone got evicted when his lease expired. This left him sleeping at New York's bus station for three straight weeks. He recalled: «I couldn't tell the difference between movie auditions and street hustling». He was waiting for the promised $200 for the shoot.

Frame out of «The Party at Kitty and Stud's»

In 1970 he appeared in the thriller «Rebel» that was followed by some minor roles: a subway thug in «Bananas» by Woody Allen, a club dancer in «Klute», a guy suspected of robbery in «The Prisoner of Second Avenue», and some guest appearances in the TV series «Police Story» and «Kojak». In 1971 he appeared in an erotic stage production called «Score», shown in 23 theatre halls of The Big Apple.

Rocky

According to Zoomboola.com, on March 24, 1975, Stallone went to see the Muhammad Ali–Chuck Wepner fight. When he got home that night, he stayed put for 92 hours straight and wrote the script about a boxer who never gives up. However, Stallone later denied that Chuck Wepner inspired his screenplay: in Stallone's iconic movie, Rocky stays on his feet until the end, while Chuck gave up after a knockdown in Round 15.

He shopped the rights to film studios, where he was offered $350,000—a top-dollar price for the time. But they had their own casting preferences for the lead role, including Robert Redford and Burt Reynolds. After lengthy negotiations and a substantial budget cut, the producers finally agreed he could star as the invincible Rocky.

The shoot was grueling because the actor had to convincingly portray a professional boxer. He pounded raw meat until his hands bled down to the bone, ran countless miles daily, and learned how to take a hit and strike back. He even quit smoking because otherwise he wouldn't last five minutes in the ring.

Meat was real, Stallone beat it himself

The success of this four-week, shoestring-budget film was overwhelming. It earned ten Oscar nominations. Three of those were for Stallone himself, including Best Picture. The film grossed more than $220 million worldwide.

Four Rocky sequels followed: in 1979, 1982, 1985, and 1990. Despite following similar plot formulas, all the Rocky movies received warm public reception. Throughout the series, Rocky Balboa faced opponents played by Carl Weathers, Dolph Lundgren, Mr. T, and Tommy Morrison.

A unique photo of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis

Stallone returned to his signature character in "Rocky Balboa" in 2006. The tired, retired boxer was called back to face the new heavyweight champion. The series continued with "Creed – Rocky's Legacy" in 2015, but this time the central character was Adonis, son of Apollo Creed, who had fought extensively with Balboa.

Rambo

While the third Rocky film was being released, a new story called "First Blood" hit theaters simultaneously. This wasn't the beloved boxing drama, but a brutal thriller starring Stallone as a ruthless Vietnam veteran obsessed with revenge – a weapons master who mowed down enemies by the dozen. The nickname Rambo won world-wide fame.

Surprisingly, several major actors were considered for the role of Rambo. For instance, Al Pacino, one of the most likely candidates, wished Rambo became an unstoppable psycho. However, Stallone, who was also writing the screenplay, didn't like that approach. Dustin Hoffman turned down the role because he thought the script was too violent (he chose to play a woman in "Tootsie" instead). Clint Eastwood was already engaged in another set, and John Travolta's personality was disliked and dismissed by Stallone himself.

Frame out of the movie «Rambo. First Blood»

The second part was released in 1985 as a direct sequel to the first chapter. The critics weren't much impressed. The third installment that followed was even less well-received. The continuation took more than 20 years, so the character's return wasn't exactly met with excitement.

Rambo escapes from police

Still, that didn't stop him from dreaming about a fifth installment. He announced plans for "Rambo V" in 2014. "It will be about battling drug dealers who kidnapped a young girl," Stallone announced.

In December 2015 FOX Channel together with Stallone as an executive producer continued to work on the series «Rambo: New Blood». The story centers on the tense relationship between John Rambo and his son, who followed in his father's footsteps by joining the Navy. No release date for the series has been announced yet.

Another works

In 2010, Stallone assembled various B-movie action stars for the blood-soaked franchise "The Expendables" , starring apart himself Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Mickey Rourke. The plot revolved around the group of elite mercenaries tasked with a mission to overthrow tyranny in a concrete third-world country. Although Stallone won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director, The Expendables still received solid reviews and was a huge commercial success.

Its second sequel was released two years later. It proved even more crowd-pleasing and entertaining because action legends like Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Arnold Schwarzenegger joined the cast. The dream team had to save the world again, earning the creators $300 million at the box office.

Stallone's personal life

When Stallone turned 50, The Journal Star "gifted" him an album featuring 595 photos of all the women in Stallone's life. 595 females! "Wow! How did six hundred women end up in my bed?"

Early in his career, his wife Sasha Czack, whom he married in 1974, had introduced him to romantic relationships, even before he achieved a bit of fame. He couldn't believe his luck: Sasha, a stunning top model and Andy Warhol's muse, supported him and accepted him! She even turned down lucrative offers from producers to help her husband work on the first Rocky film.

Sylvester Stallone, Sasha Czak and their offspring

Sly had two sons with her, Sage and Seargeoh. Afterward, Sasha retired from acting to devote herself to her children. Her youngest son was also diagnosed with a degenerative disease. Sage later died of heart disease in 2012, having appeared in "Rocky V," "Daylight," and several smaller films.

Stallone's eldest son died at the age of 36

Initially, Sasha overlooked Sly's constant infidelity, but his affair with 22-year-old model Bridget Nielsen pushed her to the breaking point. In 1985 she filed for divorce and sought $33 million in compensation. But first, she publicly slapped his mistress.

Right after the divorce, the actor married Bridget, but their love fizzled out in less than two years. Before she left, she walked away with a million dollars. They never had children together.

After another divorce, Sylvester went wild. He had affairs left and right, with 1988 being his most prolific year. In total, he reportedly slept with 88 models, including Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Cindy Crawford. All these stars were represented by the top modeling agency Elite.

In 1990 the actor settled down. He met model and devoted fan Jennifer Flavin, who fell for him immediately without any games or hesitation. He praised her as the perfect wife: selfless, loving, and incredibly patient!

Sylvester Stallone's marriage to Jennifer Flavin

But this wasn't a fairy tale either. He began an affair with model Janice Dickinson, which lasted one year. She was captivating but wild: she had affairs with Liam Neeson, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis and even some women. When she got pregnant during their relationship, she naturally pointed to Sly as the father. He quickly filed for divorce, but when paternity tests came back negative, Janice was out of the picture.

After that, Stallone had several affairs with Janine Turner, his "Cliffhanger" co-star, Angie Everhart, adult film star Peggy Trentini, designer Caroline Stanbury, and Austrian aristocrat Andrea von Wieser. Eventually, his wandering eye calmed down. In 1995 he confessed everything and begged Jennifer on his knees to forgive all his infidelities.

He remains married to Jennifer Flavin and is regarded as a devoted family man. Together they raised three daughters: Sophia (1996), Sistine (1998), and Scarlet (2002).

Sylvester Stallone, his wife, and their daughter (2016)

Sylvester Stallone Today

In 2018, Stallone appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, where he portrayed Starhawk. Beyond "Rambo: Last Blood" released in 2019, he's developing an Expendables series along with a female-led version. Reports suggest he's eyeing Meryl Streep, Cameron Diaz and Milla Jovovich. His upcoming projects also include starring in the superhero drama "Samaritan" (2022).

In winter 2020, Stallone posted an Instagram photo that showed his gray hair for the first time. The actor had previously dyed his gray hair regularly, but this time chose to go natural.

Sylvester Stallone: latest news and articles

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24 Dec 2024

Kathleen Riley

Stallone is getting old and that`s a fact. The last films were generally extremely unsuccessful. But his biography and filmography definitely deserve respect

2021-04-29 21:47:55
Irene Wells

I heard that Stallone started not with a right movies lol, became famous, well done

2021-04-26 23:16:19
Adam Bryan Johnson

When I watched a movie Rambo I was a child but remember this movie for all my life.

2021-04-03 21:03:21
Ben Wallace

The old man still on board. For example in The Expendables he excelled, he is in a good form, well done.

2021-03-26 09:50:47
Ryan Jose Hill

He is an idol of my childhood. Rocky, Rambo... I grew up on these movies.

2021-02-24 20:17:24

Photos: Sylvester Stallone