Sylvester Stallone is a 400 million dollar American actor, screenwriter, producer, and director. As of this writing, Stallone’s films have grossed over $4 billion worldwide. In contrast to the majority of Hollywood celebrities, Sylvester has written, produced, and/or directed the majority of his major franchise films.
Childhood
Sylvester Stallone was born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan on July 6, 1946. He is the eldest son of hairdresser Francesco “Frank” Stallone Sr. and astrologer and dancer Jackie Stallone. Frank Stallone, his younger brother, is an actor and musician. Complications during birthing led the bottom left side of Sylvester’s face to be paralyzed, giving him his now-iconic “snarling” expression and slightly slurred speech.
Stallone spent a portion of his youth in foster care as a result of his parents’ tumultuous relationship. Later in life, the couple divorced. Stallone earned a bachelor’s degree in drama from the American College of Switzerland before enrolling at the University of Miami. He dropped out of college before completing his degree and relocated to New York City to pursue acting professionally.
View this post on Instagram
Private Life
In 1974, Stallone married Sasha Czack. Sage Moonblood, who died of heart illness at the age of 36, and Seargeoh were their sons. In 1985, Stallone and Czack divorced. From 1985 to 1997, Stallone was married to Brigitte Nielson. In 1997, he married Jennifer Flavin; the couple has three daughters: Sophie, Sistine, and Scarlet.
career
Stallone’s first leading role was in “The Party at Kitty,” a softcore sexual film he made out of desperation following his eviction from his residence. He was compensated $200 for his two days’ work. His earliest film performances were tiny, including an uncredited appearance in Woody Allen’s 1971 picture Bananas.
He also had an interest in scripting, and in 1975, inspired by a Muhammad Ali vs. Chuck Wepner flight he had seen, he penned a screenplay about a struggling underdog gangster with dreams of becoming a professional boxer. According to reports, Stallone refused to sell the script unless he was cast in the picture. He resisted until he met Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, two producers who agreed to let him play Rocky Balboa in the major role.
Rocky was released in 1976. Stallone immediately achieved A-list rank and global renown as a result of his starring performance. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $117 million and earning 10 Academy Award nominations. It went up against now-classic films such as All the President’s Men, Network, and Taxi Driver for Best Picture, but Rocky finally won.
Additionally, it was nominated for Best Direction and Best Film Editing. Rocky II was released in 1979, followed by two additional sequels in the 1980s, and Stallone maintained box office success.
Stallone scored another critical and commercial success in 1982 with his performance as John Rambo in the action film “Rambo: First Blood.” Following the success of the original film, three sequels were produced.
View this post on Instagram
To prepare for both Rocky and Rambo, he followed a very rigorous training regimen that included two exercises per day, six days a week, plus additional activity at the night. For the third Rocky film, he decreased his body fat percentage to an all-time low of 2.8 percent.
Stallone’s fame began to dwindle in 1987 when he starred in “Over the Top,” a box office disappointment that received mixed reviews from reviewers. In the 1990s, he released Rocky V, another box office flop.
He attempted to make comedic films but experienced critical and commercial failure with the early 1990s films “Oscar” and “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.” Stallone had a temporary career boost with 1993’s “Cliffhanger,” which grossed $170 million in the United States, as well as 1996’s “Daylight,” but by the early 2000s, he was starring in a succession of box office duds and critical duds.
After a three-year break, Stallone returned in 2006 with the sixth “Rocky” film. He created, directed, and starred in the highly acclaimed film “Rocky Balboa,” which cost $24 million to produce but grossed $155.7 million worldwide.
He also reprised his role as Rambo in that series’ fourth installment, “Rambo.” In 2010, he wrote, directed, and starred in the box office smash “The Expendables,” which debuted at No. 1 on its opening weekend. In 2012, a sequel was released to similarly good reviews and a No. 1 box office debut.
Stallone added another chapter to the Rocky franchise in 2015 with the release of Creed. The film was directed by Ryan Coogler and starred Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, the son of Rocky’s nemesis Apollo Creed. Stallone got considerable recognition and was nominated for his third Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Creed 2, which was released in 2018, similarly received favorable reviews and grossed $35.3 million in its opening weekend. On September 20, 2019, the fifth Rambo film was released, grossing $91 million worldwide.
View this post on Instagram
Salary Highlights
Stallone received interest in his concept from various studios after writing the screenplay for “Rocky” in just three days. United Artists was the frontrunner, but they desired it to be a vehicle for either Robert Redford or James Caan to star in. He persuaded film producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff to let him star in the picture.
He took a low-wage salary of $23,000 to work on the film. That is approximately $110,000 in today’s money. The film grossed $225 million worldwide on a budget of just $1 million.
He got $3.5 million for “First Blood” in 1982. He earned $10 million the following year – the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $25 million – and gained his first Producer credit for “Staying Alive.” For 1984’s “Rhinestone,” he made $4 million and gained his second Producer credit. He earned $12 million and another Producer credit for Rocky IV the next year.
He got an additional $12 million for the film “Over the Top.” He got $16 million for Rambo III. Sylvester grossed between $15 and $16 million for the following films:
Stallone got $17.5 million for his performance in “Daylight,” $20 million for his performance in “Driven,” and another $20 million for his performance in “Eye See You.”
Sylvester Stallone earned $300 million in base film salaries alone between the 1970s and 2012. After inflation was factored in, his earnings during this period alone were approximately $500 million in today’s money.
View this post on Instagram
Additional ventures
Sylvester co-founded Balboa Productions with Braden Aftergood in March 2018. The company is currently developing several films, including Creed II, Rambo V, and The Expendables 4.
Stallone has also contributed vocals to numerous film soundtracks. He composed the theme for the first Rocky film, “Gonna Fly Now,” and “Take Me Back” for Rocky IV. Additionally, he sang duets with Dolly Parton in their 1984 film “Rhinestone.” He is also a boxing promoter, operating under the banner of “Tiger Eye Productions.”
Residential Real Estate
Sylvester sold a $16 million home in Coconut Grove, Florida in 1999.
Sylvester’s principal property has been an enormous estate in Beverly Park, a posh gated enclave at the top of Beverly Hills. His 3.5-acre property has a 20,000-square-foot mansion. Eddie Murphy, Mark Wahlberg, and Denzel Washington are all nearby neighbors. Similar mansions have recently sold for between $40 and $70 million.
Sylvester was supposed to be marketing this mansion for a whopping $130 million in January 2021. He reduced the price to $85 million in August 2021.
Sylvester accepted a $58 million deal in December 2021. Adele was the buyer, and it was the highest amount ever paid for a Beverly Park mansion.
Sylvester and his wife Jennifer Flavin spent $4.5 million in January 2010 on a vacation resort in La Quinta, California. They made several unsuccessful attempts to sell this residence beginning in 2014.
View this post on Instagram
By 2016, they had lowered the asking price to $3.625 million but had not found a buyer. They eventually sold this home for $3.1 million in May 2020.
Sylvester spent $35.4 million in December 2020 for a 1.5-acre property in Palm Beach, Florida that has a 13,000-square-foot home. The property’s sellers profited by roughly $10 million on the transaction, having acquired it in 2018 for $26 million.
Sylvester spent $18.2 million in February 2022 for his estate in Hidden Hills, California.
