Sylvester Stallone
Slept in a bus station and sold his dog; refused six figures for Rocky unless he starred in it.
- Born
- 1946 · New York City, US
- Roots
- Italian-American father, French-Canadian descent mother
- Family
- Working class
- A forceps accident at birth paralyzed part of his face, leaving the slur and snarl; a turbulent household and foster stints followed.
- Education
- Expelled from several schools; drama at the University of Miami, left short of credits
- Started with
- $106 and a script
- By his account, his bank balance when he turned down six-figure offers for the Rocky screenplay unless he played the lead.
- Affiliations & societies
- None documented.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 1970 · age 24Rock bottom$200
Sleeps three weeks in the Port Authority bus station; takes a $200 role in a softcore film he later called the alternative to crime.
- 1975 · age 28Sells his dog
By his telling, $40 outside a liquor store when he can't feed him — bought back at a premium after the script sells.
- 1975 · age 29Rocky in three days
Written after watching the Wepner–Ali fight; studios offer up to $360K for the script alone, wanting a star in the role.
- 1976 · age 30Rocky wins Best Picture$35K + points
Made for about $1M with Stallone at $35K plus points; he becomes the third person Oscar-nominated for writing and acting in the same film.
- 1982 · age 36Rambo
The second franchise; he writes or co-writes nearly everything he stars in.
- 2015 · age 69Creed
An Oscar nomination for playing Rocky as an old man — forty years after the first.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.