One of our greatest action stars of all time has been Sylvester Stallone.
But like any hero, his life has been full of ups and downs and this has included not
just his career but also his relationships with some of the other action stars of his
time.
While he still works in the industry today, he’s now a living legend and often discusses
his career as well as his relationship with other action stars.
For example, did you know that Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger had huge differences
and even butted heads a few times?
And do you know about the recent update Sylvester Stallone has given about an action star who’s
sadly faded into the background?
Sylvester Stallone shares a difficult Bruce Willis update.
Join FactsVerse to learn more about it…
SYLVESTER STALLONE’S EARLY LIFE AND CAREER
Sylvester Stallone was born on July 6, 1946, in Manhattan, New York.
His father Frank Stallone was a hairdresser and beautician and had a very brief career
as an actor.
His mother worked a variety of jobs including promoting women’s wrestling of all things!
This unusual background is perhaps what inspired young Sylvester to reach for the stars when
it came to pursuing his own dreams.
He decided to study drama at the University of Miami and it was during his time that he
wrote the screenplay about a young man from Philadelphia who had the ambitions to become
a successful boxing champion.
The screenplay was, of course, Rocky and it would eventually be the film that made Sylvester
into a film star.
He dropped out of the University of Miami to get his start in acting.
His first foray into acting was actually in an adult film – but, we won’t get into
that.
One of his first recognizable roles was in a small appearance in Woody Allen’s film
Bananas.
But much of his early years was one struggle after the next – getting small roles here
and there in feature films and the occasional TV role.
It wasn’t until a producer wanted to make a film out of Rocky that he got his big break.
However, he had to fight to play the role of Rocky Balboa himself.
After all, he was an unknown and there was no reason for any big name producer to want
to take the gamble on him.
But he stated that he would not even sell the script unless it was agreed that he would
take on the role.
Eventually, he got his way.
Rocky became a huge hit and Sylvester Stallone was now a star.
While every career has a flop here and there, Sylvester Stallone’s career has been defined
by some of the biggest blockbusters that Hollywood has ever seen.
His great film successes include The Rocky Series, The Rambo Series, Paradise Alley,
Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, Cop Land, Assassins, The Expendables Series, Creed, and Guardians
of the Galaxy 2.
Let’s take a deeper look into some of the successes that made Sylvester Stallone the
star he is today.
What made Sylvester Stallone stand out from many of his peers is that he wanted to play
characters who had depth.
That’s why Rocky and Rambo, for example, aren’t just ordinary action films.
Rocky was relatable to the audience as he was a working-class boy who wanted to achieve
big dreams.
With Rambo, he was a veteran who suffered from PTSD – something that was and still
is sadly relatable among many of our veterans.
In Cop Land, he played a softer and quieter character and he showed his incredible range
as an actor.
In one classic scene of the film, the love of his life asked him why he never got married.
He responds by saying that ‘all the good girls were taken.’
That softness and sweetness were not seen in other action stars.
It’s perhaps the key to Sylvester Stallone’s success – that he managed to kick butt and
also managed to touch our hearts with his dramatic performances.
While Sylvester Stallone is known primarily as an actor he’s also won acclaim for his
work behind the camera.
His screenplay for Rocky was highly regarded and years after he became a star, he realized
that he regretted dropping out of the University of Miami.
He submitted his screenplay to be preserved in the University’s library and because
of this, he was able to receive his degree.
As he gained more fame he also decided to branch out into directing.
The first film that he wrote and directed was Rocky 2.
He also co-wrote the film F.I.S.T. which he starred in.
The only film that he directed but didn’t act in was Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday
Night Fever.
He wrote and directed the remaining Rocky films including Rocky Balboa and served as
the producer for Creed.
Later, he co-wrote the sequel Creed 2.
He also co-wrote Cliffhanger which became one of his most famous films.
He’s also served as a producer for many of his films.
Most recently he was an executive producer for the 2022 film Samaritan and MVP.
He’s also the producer for the upcoming film Creed 3.
He’s still busy working today with his latest role as Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi
in the TV series Tulsa King.
THE LIFE
AND TIMES OF SYLVESTER STALLONE
As Sylvester Stallone’s career progressed through the 1970s and 1980s, he became one
of Hollywood’s most loved action stars.
While his career has also included drama films such as Cop Land and even comedy films such
as Stop!
Or My Mom Will Shoot – it was the films where he showed off his muscles, his fighting
skills, and his incredible gunplay that made him an action star.
Of course, he couldn’t have joined the film industry at a better time.
As he was gaining fame, so were many of his contemporaries who were also becoming known
as action stars.
One of his contemporaries was Arnold Schwarznegger and while the two are friends now, they have
had their ups and downs throughout their lives and careers.
In mid-November 2022, Sylvester Stallone told Variety Magazine that he and Arnold Schwarzenegger
actually hated each other for quite some time.
They competed with each other on who would be the biggest action stars and one imagines
that film producers would keep an eye on both of their careers when deciding whom to cast
in their latest action flick.
Sylvester Stallone made it clear that the two men actually loathed each other and it
was so bad that they hated even being in the same room together!
In fact, there were times were indeed so bad that they would try to compete for each other's
film roles.
Apparently, Arnold Schwarzenegger convinced Sylvester Stallone to appear in Stop!
Or My Mom Will Shoot which was a film that Stallone eventually regretted appearing in.
The film co-starred Danny DeVito and one wonders if Arnold Schwarzenegger was getting revenge
for his own film Twins in which he also co-starred with the actor.
Arnold Schwarzenegger also starred with Danny DeVito in the film “Junior” which was
also a horrendous flop.
But the two are now much older and have both paved the way for a new generation of action
stars.
As a result, they’ve become friends and don’t see the need to compete with each
other.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger was cast in The Expendables he fought for Sylvester Stallone
to also appear in the film.
The two actors appeared in the first 3 films together.
Sylvester Stallone is returning for the fourth film in the series which is due to be released
in 2023.
Arnold Schwarzenegger won’t be returning for this one.
Nevertheless, the two of them are now good friends and they regularly discuss their affection
for each other.
Sylvester Stallone has a reputation for being rather affable and caring toward many of his
friends.
One of his closest friends, who was also a great actor and a major action star at one
point, is sadly going through a very hard time.
SYLVESTER STALLONE SHARES DIFFICULT BRUCE WILLIS UPDATE
Recently, Sylvester Stallone shared a difficult Bruce Willis update.
The actor Bruce Willis has largely stepped out of the limelight and has retired from
acting.
Sadly, Bruce Willis, as Sylvester Stallone has shared that his friend has aphasia – which
is an illness that makes it harder to both speak and listen.
We hope this doesn’t happen but with such an illness it's possible that Bruce Willis
may never be able to speak or listen ever again.
He had trouble acting in his final films due to his illness and he had to retire in early
2022.
As of now, there are 8 films of his that are in line to be released before the end of 2022
and in 2023.
When Bruce Willis publicly discussed his illness with his fans – Sylvester Stallone shared
a photo with the two of them on Instagram.
He expressed his sadness over Bruce Willis’ illness and how he lamented the fact that
Bruce Willis had to retire earlier than expected.
We wish Bruce Willis well and we also wish the best to Sylvester Stallone in his future
endeavors.
He has given us a great body of work and we hope to continue seeing him acting in great
films and TV shows for years to come.
He’s not only a great actor but truly a great friend and he’s someone from whom
we can learn a lot from.
So, now let’s hear from you:
Are you a fan of Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis?
What do you think about Bruce Willis’ tragic diagnosis?
We certainly wish him well for the future and we also wish the best for Sylvester Stallone.
And now, here’s what we want to know from you:
Do you think that action stars such as Sylvester Stallone are still popular today?
Or are action stars among the first to lose their fame once they’re no longer fit for
such films?