Certain actors are known for their voices, whether it be a deep British bass or a thick
accent.
Sylvester Stalone’s gravely, slurred speech is one of the most recognizable in Hollywood
The very thing that got him bullied as a child is what made him successful today.
He’s now the star of several successful franchises, including Rocky and Rambo.
They’ve been going for decades and, like Sylvester himself, show no signs of slowing
down.
His voice gave their main characters life and power, but where did it come from?
Keep watching to learn the tragic reason why Sylvester Stalone talks like that.
Why He Talks Like That Sylvester Stalone was born on July 6, 1946,
in Manhattan New York.
The physician who delivered him used a pair of forceps.
They severed a nerve and left his lip, chin, and part of his tongue paralyzed.
He admitted at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival that he never thought he would have a film
career.
Directors at commercial auditions would ask him what he said or what language he was speaking.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, his future friend and rival, even commented on his accent once.
Sal joked that they should open up a school for speech lessons.
His Childhood Sylvester Stalone’s life is, like his characters,
a story of overcoming adversity.
His parents divorced when he was young and he had to live in foster care for years.
His father Francesco was abusive, his mother Jackie was neglectful.
Developing rickets only made the bullying at school worse, and that made him act out.
He would engage in vandalism and dangerous activities that lead him to get kicked out
of 13 schools by the time he was 12.
He’d also broken 11 bones by then.
He was told his brain was dormant by the age of 15 and decided to find a physical outlet
for his emotions.
That was when he took up bodybuilding.
He later became interested in acting at American College in Leysin, Switzerland.
He worked as a gym teacher and bouncer and sold hamburgers to pay his way.
He then finished his education at the University of Miami and moved to New York to pursue his
dreams.
His Love Life Sylvester Stalone married Sasha Czack in 1974.
She helped him write the screenplay for his breakout film, Rocky.
They had two sons but divorced in 1985.
He got married again to a model named Brigitte Nielsen that same year.
Certain reports claimed she was a gold digger, while others said he’d been begging her
to marry him.
They were divorced two years later.
His third marriage came in 1997 to another model, Jennifer Flavin.
They had three daughters.
He had an affair with Janice Dickinsonon while they were together.
Janice had a daughter and assumed he was the father, but they split up when it was discovered
that he wasn’t.
Trouble and Tragedy with Stepfathers and Half-Siblings Family dramas extended beyond mother and father
or husband and wife for Sylvester Stalone.
He also had a stepfather and children that his mother had with other men which gave him
plenty of grief.
Step-Conspiracy Sylvester’s stepfather Dr. Stephen M. Levine
was accused of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in August of 2019.
He and his accomplices allegedly pocketed $58 million in federal money by referring
unnecessary services to patients.
Sylvester’s mother said that there had to be a mistake.
Stephen admitted to it and accepted a plea where he could reveal his co-conspirators
and avoid 71 months in prison.
He was also accused of murdering his first wife Myrna by giving her a lethal dose of
the painkiller Demerol.
He pleaded guilty and lost his medical license for six months.
His Half-Brother Was Attacked Dante Stalone, Sylvester’s half-brother,
nearly died in 2016.
He was on campus at Florida State University when he was brutally beaten by two other men.
They jumped him on his way back from a late-night Taco Bell run.
His injuries were so severe that his roommates had to call 911 for him because he couldn’t
speak.
He ended up with a split palate, shattered jaw, and broken teeth.
He was hospitalized for weeks and had to undergo extensive surgery.
Sylvester was shocked by the incident.
He said that his half-brother was “a wonderful young man, a straight-A student who would
not cause any trouble.”
Police were also stumped; they couldn’t find any clear motive for the attack or any
connection between Dante and his assailants.
Sued By a Half-Sister Sylvester’s relationship with his half-sister
Toni Ann was a bit more contentious.
It even turned into a financial battle in 1987.
He agreed to give her not only $16,666 a month for the rest of her life but also a lump sum
of $2 million and a trust fund of $50,000 per year for medical and psychiatric expenses.
His mother Jackie said the suit was a way to fuel her Oxycotin addiction, but there
are several other stories.
Toni died in August 2012 after a 48-year battle with lung cancer.
Sly’s Children Sylvester Stalone’s own birth wasn’t without
complication, and that may have affected his children.
Many had life-altering or life-ending health issues that were a struggle for the entire
family to overcome.
Sage Sage was Sylvester Stalone’s oldest son.
He appeared in a few of his father’s films, such as Rocky V in 1990 and Daylight in 1996.
He was even engaged to be married when tragedy struck.
He died at the age of 36 in July 2012.
He had a heart attack brought on by a heart condition known as atherosclerosis.
The media tried to bring in speculation that he was on drugs, but nothing but normal levels
of “Tylenol-style pain medication” was found in his system.
Sage was his first child, and the death hit him harder than any other tragedy in his life.
He often refuses to talk about him today, but he did have to respond to the media right
after it happened.
He begged the world to respect his memory and leave them in peace.
Sophia Sylvester’s daughter, Sophia, also had health
struggles.
She had to undergo heart surgery due to a birth defect.
It was successful, but she required a heart valve procedure at 16.
He was heartbroken because of how similar they were.
Her mother Jackie said they’ve read the same books and even have the same gestures.
She was eventually restored to health and went on to study communications and film in
May of 2019.
Seargeoh Sylvester’s other son Seargeoh was diagnosed
with autism as a toddler.
He earned money for research into the condition with his work, but the boy’s mother Sasha
was doing most of the parenting.
He found it difficult to connect with the boy as a father and felt more like his playmate.
He does his best and created a nature-driven playground in the yard to help him.
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Keep watching to learn about more of the tragedies that have shaped Sylvester Stalone into the
major actor he is today.
Near-Death Experiences Sylvester Stalone has had more than one near-death
experience.
He said at the Cannes Film Festival that he was nearly kicked to death by Dolph Lundgren
during the filming of Rocky IV.
The Swedish karate master wasn’t used to fake fighting.
Sylvester said that “he hit me so hard that he almost stopped my heart.”
He was air-lifted to St. Johns Hospital and diagnosed with a bruised heart.
He had to spend four days in intensive care.
It wasn’t the only time he’d narrowly escaped death or had been in surgery.
At 75 years old, he’s been under the knife at least 25 times.
If he keeps going at the pace he is, it certainly won’t be the last.
Lost Pets Those who know Sylvester Stalone know he’s
an animal lover.
This is the man who agonized over having to sell his bull mastiff Butkus for $100 to get
enough money to make Rocky.
He couldn’t get him back until he paid $3,000 and got him a major part in the film.
It wasn’t the only time he’d lose a furry friend, and it wasn’t the worst either.
Phoebe, the family dog, went missing in 2013.
The Stallones hung up posters and offered a $10,000 reward for her return.
She did eventually come back, dead and mangled by a coyote.
This time the entire family had to share the pain of the loss.
The Rights to Rocky Rocky is the film that shot Sylvester Stalone
to stardom, making him one of only a few actors to ever star in a top box office movie for
five consecutive years.
It’s the one that encapsulates his attitude of never giving up despite all the tragedies
he’s faced…and he doesn’t even own the rights to it.
An attorney told him that no one can get a full stake in a film franchise, and he didn’t
push for it.
Producer Irwin Winkler currently has them all.
He asked for some of them back recently, but the deal isn’t finalized.
The money Sylvester is making from the franchise has likely softened the blow of any hard feelings
he had.
The $2.5 million he earned from the first film included $25,000 for the screenplay and
$360 per week for 25 weeks of filming.
He’s also got 10 net points on the rest of all eight films and two spinoffs.
That included $75,000 for Rocky III and at least $120,000 for Rocky IV.
Sylvester told Roger Ebert in 1979 that he never intended there to be any more films
past Rocky III and flat-out said “there will never be a Rocky IV.”
He called for a halt again when that was filmed and did the same with Rocky VI and Rocky Balboa.
He called Creed II a final farewell to the character but said that Rocky may ride again
in 2019.
The franchise will go on with Creed III.
He admits that he would have taken the character in a different direction but wishes Henry
Winkler and Michael B. Jordan well.
It seems that Sylvester Stalone can’t let go of Rocky any more than the rest of the
world.
He’s even said in a discussion about one of his other most famous characters, Rambo,
“I don’t want my heroes to die.”
Do you have a favorite Sylvester Stalone film?
Let us know in the comments.