About Me
I have established worldwide recognition as an actor, writer and director since I played the title role in my own screenplay of Rocky, which won the Academy Award in 1976 for Best Picture.Born in New York City, I attended school in suburban Philadelphia where I first started acting and also became a star football player. I then spent two years instructing at the American College of Switzerland in Geneva.Returning to the United States, I enrolled as a drama major at the University of Miami and also began to write. I left college to pursue an acting career in New York City, but the jobs did not come easily. By 1973, I had auditioned for almost every casting agent in New York and had gone on thousands of acting calls, with little success.During this period, I turned more and more to writing, churning out numerous screenplays while waiting for my acting break. The opportunity first came in 1974 when I was cast as one of the leads in The Lords of Flatbush. I also received his first writing credit for "additional dialogue" on this film. With the money earned from that film, I left New York for Hollywood. I again began to make the rounds of studios and casting agents, managing to get a few small roles in television and movies. I also continued to pursue writing.Prize fighter Rocky Balboa was born and given life in a script I wrote in longhand. Several producers offered to buy the screenplay, wanting to cast a name star in the title role, which I insisted on playing myself. Although my bank balance was barely $100, Stallone held fast with his perseverance finally paying off in a big way.My credits as actor/writer/director are Rocky II (1979) and Paradise Alley (1978). As actor and co-writer, I filmed F.I.S.T. (1978), First Blood (1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), Rhinestone (1984) and Rambo III (1988).I co-wrote, directed and produced Staying Alive (1983) and starred in Nighthawks (1981), Victory (1981), Tango & Cash (1989) and Lock Up (1989). Rocky V, starring and written by myself and directed by John Avildsen, opened in 1990.I have also starred in Demolition Man, which set box-office records for it's Fall 1993 release. He also starred in the films The Specialist (1994), co-starring Sharon Stone; in Assassins (1995), and in Daylight (1996). I starred in the challenging and compelling role of Freddy Heflin, in the Miramax feature film Copland (1997), which has garnered myself international critical and audience acclaim.I had the starring role in Get Carter for Warner Brothers co-starring Michael Caine, which opened in the Fall of 2000. Most recently, Stallone wrote and starred in the number one box office race-car thriller Driven (2001), co-starring Kip Pardue, Gina Gershon, Burt Reynolds and Christian de la Fuente. In addition, he has completed filming Avenging Angelo, co-starring Madeline Stowe. Both films were for the Warner Bros. Studios.I am one of the founding partners in Planet Hollywood, the internationally famous chain of entertainment complexes. Among other principals of Planet Hollywood are a number of motion picture industry figures, including producer Keith Barish, The Rank Organization, Plc., Robert Earle, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. Plans are underway to open Planet Hollywood throughout Europe, Tokyo and other major capitals around the world.
