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"I realise that Stallone likes the martyred and tortured parts which suit him as he valiantly combats the evil, treacherous world that seeks to subdue him. It fits into his early life when he constantly batted to sell his work."
―Steven Berkoff (Podovsky) on Sylvester Stallone and why he picked the part of John Rambo.
220px-Sylvester Stallone Cannes

Sylvester Stallone at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.

Sylvester "Sly" Stallone is an American actor, director and screenwriter. His early career was tumultuous, and his lucrative life is often thought of as a rags-to-riches story.

Stallone is good friends with famous actors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. Edit

John Rambo[]

Stallone says that Rambo represents the "darker savage that every human possesses" and that he wants Rambo to be as savage as the environment he hides in. Stallone states that Rambo is reacting purely on a subconscious level like an animal with acute survival instincts. Stallone claims that Rambo is the strong, silent type, because he is too scarred by the horrible things that he has seen to talk about his problems. It's easier to keep quiet.

Stallone says that he's very aggressive when acting. "When I start doing Rambo, no one wants to talk to me for about six months." Stallone's training usually includes waking up early for eight months to train for four hours a day. He also took SWAT combat, archery and survival courses. On the famous "electrocution scene" in Rambo: First Blood Part II, Stallone said that he was voted to "most likely end up in the electric chair" when he was in high school.

Stallone certainly is not fake when it comes to his muscles. Testing Stallone's strength is probably not a good idea. Most say he could bench about 400 lbs. As a matter of fact, he is so strong and talented at archery that the compound bow used in Rambo III was really fired by him and had a 90 pound pull. Stallone intends to release his own line of Rambo-style sweatband's as well. In Rambo IV, John Rambo never takes off his t-shirt because Stallone had heavy tattoo work done since the release of Rambo III, so he didn't want audiences to see that, as it wouldn't be consistent with the character.

After Stallone saw the 1989 "Weird Al" Yankovic Rambo II parody, UHF, he stated that Yankovic had better abs.

Stallone reprised his role as John Rambo in Netherrealm Studio's Mortal Kombat 11.

Personal Life[]

Along with friend Bruce Willis, Stallone is a staunch supporter of the Republican party, and is also a cigar enthusiast, despite quitting smoking cigarettes during the filming of Rocky in 1976. Stallone also holds the record for the longest unbroken streak of nominations at the Razzie Awards - thirteen straight years. He received a Razzie Nomination every year (mostly for Worst Actor) from 1985 to 1997. Stallone married three times, first to Sasha Czack, but that ended in divorce in February of 1985. Later that year, in December, Stallone married Brigette Nielsen, who starred in some of Stallone's films, but the marriage ended in divorce two years later, as a result of Nielsen's drinking problems and infidelity. In 1997, Stallone married his true love, model Jennifer Flavin, and the two have been married ever since. Stallone has five children, which include Sage (who died of heart disease in 2012), Seargeoh, Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet, the last three children he had with Flavin.

His 48 year old half-sister, Toni Ann Filiti, died of lung cancer, six weeks after the death of his son, Sage. Stallone stopped going to church, as his acting career progressed. Later, he rediscovered his childhood faith, when his daughter was born ill in 1996, and is now an active Catholic.

Career[]

Stallone, nearly broke in New York, barely $50 to his name, his debut film was The Party At Kitty & Stud's in 1970, but he was getting such little money from his career that he was living below the poverty line. Stallone was so frustrated that his life was not working out that he began putting elements of his own life into his original screenplay about an underdog that achieves the American dream. His script was accepted by a studio in 1976 and Stallone persuaded the studio to let him play the title role. If he hadn't done this, it is likely that the role would have been taken by another, more famous actor, and his career would have bombed.

That movie turned out to be Rocky, and his performance earned him an Academy Award and he became a star overnight. Stallone made two Rocky sequels that got a worse critical reception with each one and his career was looking grim. However, after many celebrities turned down the role of controversial ex-green beret John Rambo in 1982, he was offered the role which he happily accepted. This role saved his career, and he has gone on to be in numerous other films like Cop Land, Daylight, Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, Tango & Cash, Driven and Cobra. Stallone believes Cobretti (Cobra) to be one of the three "great heroes" he has done in his career, because he is vicious enough to understand and tackle crime. Although the film was met with little critical approval, it was a huge financial success. Cobra is now a cult film.

Stallone's most recent films as a writer are The Expendables 2 and Homefront but he still acts also. His recent films include the financial flop Bullet to the Head, Escape Plan, the comedy Grudge Match, Reach Me and The Expendables 3.

Rambo Filmography[]

VDE
Rambo
Films: First BloodRambo: First Blood Part IIRambo IIIRamboRambo: Last Blood
John Rambo on: First BloodFirst Blood Part IIRambo IIIRambo IVOn-Screen Kills
Cast: Sylvester StalloneRichard Crenna
Video games: RamboRambo: First Blood Part IIRambo (1987)Rambo IIIRambo on FireRambo (Sega)Rambo: The Video Game

External links[]

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