A Lesser-Known Truth About How Men Age That Might Catch You Off Guard
Sylvester Stallone revived his iconic roles in Rocky Balboa (2006) and Rambo (2008) before creating the highly successful Expendables franchise (2010–present), in which he plays mercenary leader Barney Ross. In 2013, he took on a leading role in the hit movie Escape Plan, later reprising the part in its sequels.
In 2015, Stallone made a triumphant return to the Rocky series with Creed, portraying an older Rocky Balboa who mentors Donnie Creed, the son of his former rival Apollo Creed. The performance earned him critical praise, his first Golden Globe award, and a third Oscar nomination—an impressive 40 years after his first nomination for the same role.
Sylvester Stallone was born on July 6, 1946, in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. He is the eldest child of Jacqueline “Jackie” Stallone, a women’s professional wrestling promoter, and Francesco “Frank” Stallone Sr., a hairdresser. His mother, originally from Washington, D.C., was of French and Ukrainian Jewish descent, while his father was an Italian immigrant who moved to the United States in the 1930.
Sylvester Stallone’s younger brother, Frank Stallone, is also an actor and musician. While many sources cite his birth name as Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, his mother originally named him Tyrone after actor Tyrone Power. His father later changed it to Sylvester. As a child, he was nicknamed “Binky,” but after being teased at school, he preferred to go by “Mike” or “Michael.”
Stallone’s birth was complicated, causing nerve damage to the left side of his face and resulting in his trademark look and speech. Though he endured bullying, he gained self-confidence through bodybuilding and acting.
He spent part of his early childhood in foster care before rejoining his family in Maryland at age five. In the early 1950s, the family moved to Washington, D.C., where his father opened a beauty school and his mother started a women’s gym. After his parents divorced when he was 11, Stallone lived with his father for a time before relocating to Philadelphia to live with his mother after her remarriage.
