Sylvester Stallone continued his well-known roles in Rocky Balboa (2006) and Rambo (2008) before launching the successful Expendables film series (2010–present), where he stars as the mercenary Barney Ross. In 2013, he appeared in the popular film Escape Plan and its sequels.
In 2015, Stallone returned to the Rocky franchise with Creed, portraying a retired Rocky Balboa who mentors Donnie Creed, the son of his former rival Apollo Creed. The film earned Stallone widespread acclaim, including his first Golden Globe Award and a third Academy Award nomination for the role—his first nomination for the character came 40 years earlier.
Since 2022, Stallone has starred in the Paramount+ crime series Tulsa King.
Born on July 6, 1946, in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, Stallone is the eldest son of Jacqueline “Jackie” Stallone, a women’s professional wrestling promoter, and Francesco “Frank” Stallone Sr., a hairdresser. His mother was from Washington, D.C., with French and Ukrainian Jewish heritage, while his father was an Italian immigrant who settled in the U.S. in the 1930s.
His younger brother, Frank Stallone, is an actor and musician. Although many sources list his birth name as Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, his mother initially named him Tyrone, inspired by the actor Tyrone Power. His father later changed it to Sylvester. As a child, he was nicknamed “Binky” but later preferred “Mike” or “Michael” after being teased at school.
During birth, Stallone experienced complications that affected the left side of his face, giving him his distinctive look and speech. While he faced bullying during childhood, he found confidence through bodybuilding and acting.
He spent part of his early years in foster care before reuniting with his family in Maryland at age five. In the early 1950s, his father relocated the family to Washington, D.C., to open a beauty school, while his mother launched a women’s gym. After his parents divorced when he was 11, Stallone lived with his father but later moved to Philadelphia to live with his mother following her remarriage.
