1968–1976: Early roles to breakthrough with
Adrian (
Talia Shire) in
Rocky (1976)|upright Until 1969, he appeared on the stage under the name Mike Stallone; in 1970, he started using the stage name Sylvester E. Stallone. While attending the University of Miami, Stallone had a role in the drama
That Nice Boy (aka
The Square Root), filmed in 1968. Moreover, he and
John Herzfeld worked together in 1969 on a low-budget self-produced film called "Horses". Stallone had his first starring role in the
softcore pornography feature film ''
The Party at Kitty and Stud's'' (1970). He was paid for two days' work. Stallone later explained that he had done the film out of desperation after being evicted from his apartment and finding himself homeless for several days. He has also said that he slept three weeks in the
Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City prior to seeing a casting notice for the film. In the actor's words, "it was either do that movie or rob someone, because I was at the end – the very end – of my rope". The film was released several years later as
Italian Stallion, in order to cash in on Stallone's newfound fame (the new title was taken from Stallone's nickname since
Rocky). Stallone also starred in the erotic
off-Broadway stage play
Score which ran for 23 performances at the Martinique Theatre from October 28 to November 15, 1971, and was later made into the 1974 film
Score by
Radley Metzger. After moving to New York City, Stallone shared an apartment with his girlfriend, Sasha Czack, an aspiring actress who supported them by working as a waitress. Stallone took odd jobs around this time, including being a cleaner at a zoo, and a theater usher; he was fired from the latter for scalping tickets. He furthered his writing skills by frequenting a local library, and became interested in the works of
Edgar Allan Poe. In 1972, Stallone was on the verge of giving up on having an acting career; in what he later described as a low point, he tried and failed to get a job as an extra in
The Godfather. Instead, he was relegated to a background role in another Hollywood hit, ''
What's Up, Doc?'', starring
Barbra Streisand. Stallone is hardly visible in his two appearances. Stallone happened to be acting in a play that a friend invited him to partake in, and an agent in attendance thought that Stallone fit the role of Stanley, a main character in
The Lords of Flatbush, which had a start-stop schedule from 1972 to 1974 over budget issues. Stallone, around mid-1973, achieved his first proper starring role, in the independent film
No Place to Hide, playing a man who is associated with a New York–based urban
terrorist movement, with a jewelry-seller as his love interest. The film was re-cut and retitled
Rebel years later, this second version featuring Stallone as its star. In 1990, this film was re-edited with
outtakes from the original film and newly shot matching footage, then
redubbed – in the style of
Woody Allen's ''
What's Up, Tiger Lily? – into a parody of itself titled A Man Called... Rainbo''. Stallone's other first few film roles were minor, and included brief uncredited appearances in
M*A*S*H (1970), as a soldier sitting at a table;
Pigeons (1970), as a party guest; Woody Allen's
Bananas (1971), as a subway thug; in the psychological thriller
Klute (1971), as an extra dancing in a club; and in the
Jack Lemmon film
The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), as a youth. In the latter film, Jack Lemmon's character chases, tackles, and mugs Stallone, thinking that Stallone's character is a pickpocket. He had his second starring role in 1974, in
The Lords of Flatbush. Stallone gained worldwide fame with his starring role in the smash hit
Rocky (1976), a sports drama about a struggling boxer,
Rocky Balboa, taking on heavyweight champion
Apollo Creed. Stallone subsequently denied that Wepner provided any inspiration for the script; however, Wepner filed a lawsuit which was eventually settled with Stallone for an undisclosed amount. Other possible inspirations for the film may have included
Rocky Graziano's autobiography
Somebody Up There Likes Me, and
the film of the same name. Stallone attempted to sell the script to multiple studios, with the intention of playing the lead role himself. Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff became interested and offered Stallone for the rights, but they had their own casting ideas for the lead role, including
Robert Redford and
Burt Reynolds. Stallone refused to sell unless he played the lead character – and, eventually, after a substantial budget cut to compromise, it was agreed he could be the star. Upon its release, critic
Roger Ebert stated that Stallone could become the next
Marlon Brando. In 1977, at the
49th Academy Awards,
Rocky was nominated for ten
Oscars, including
Best Actor and
Best Original Screenplay nominations for Stallone. The film went on to win the Academy Awards for
Best Picture,
Best Directing, and
Best Film Editing.
Rocky has since been inducted into the
National Film Registry and had its props placed in the
Smithsonian Museum. Stallone's use of the front entrance to the
Philadelphia Museum of Art in the
Rocky series led the area to be nicknamed the
Rocky Steps, where a statue of the character, owned by Stallone, stood at the bottom until 2026 except for a brief period where it was in
South Philadelphia . The character was also voted into the
International Boxing Hall of Fame.
1978–1989: Subsequent success in 1977 Stallone made his directorial debut and starred in the 1978 film
Paradise Alley, a family drama in which he played one of three brothers who get involved in
professional wrestling. That same year, he starred in
Norman Jewison's
F.I.S.T., a social drama in which he plays a warehouse worker, very loosely modeled on
James Hoffa, who becomes involved in labor union leadership. In 1979, he wrote, directed (replacing
John G. Avildsen), and starred in
Rocky II. The sequel became a major success, which was both a critical and box-office success. Critics praised Stallone's performance, saying he made Rambo seem human, as opposed to the way he is portrayed in the book of the same name. It launched the
Rambo franchise. That year
Rocky III was released in which Stallone wrote, directed, and starred. The second sequel became a box-office success. In preparation for these roles, Stallone embarked upon a vigorous training regimen, which often meant six days a week in the gym and further sit-ups in the evenings. Stallone claims to have reduced his
body fat percentage to his all-time low of 2.8% for
Rocky III. In 1983, he directed
Staying Alive, the sequel to
Saturday Night Fever, starring
John Travolta. This was the only film Stallone directed that he did not star in.
Staying Alive was universally panned by film critics. Despite being a critical failure,
Staying Alive was a commercial success. The film opened with the
biggest weekend for a musical film ever (at the time) with a gross of $12,146,143 from 1,660 screens. Overall, the film grossed nearly $65 million in the US box office against its $22 million budget. Worldwide it grossed $127 million. Though the US box-office intake was significantly less than the $139.5 million earned by
Saturday Night Fever, the film nevertheless ranked in the top ten most financially successful films of 1983. During the 1980s, Stallone was considered one of the biggest action film stars in the world, along with
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The
Schwarzenegger-Stallone rivalry continued for years; they attacked each other in the press, and tried to surpass the other with more on-screen killings and larger weapons. Stallone occasionally attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, roles in different genres. In 1984, he co-wrote and starred alongside
Dolly Parton in the comedy film
Rhinestone, where he played a wannabe country music singer. For the
Rhinestone soundtrack, he performed a song. Stallone turned down the lead male role in
Romancing the Stone in order to make
Rhinestone instead, a decision he later regretted. In 1985, Stallone continued his success with the
Rocky and
Rambo franchises with
Rocky IV and
Rambo: First Blood Part II. Stallone has portrayed these two characters in a total of 13 films. Stallone met former
Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu to develop his character's appearance for the film
Rocky IV, just as if he were preparing for the Mr. Olympia competition. That meant two workouts a day, six days a week. Both films were major financial successes. in
Rambo III (1988) It was around 1985 that Stallone was signed to a remake of the 1939
James Cagney classic
Angels with Dirty Faces. The film would form part of his multi-picture deal with Cannon Films and was to co-star
Christopher Reeve and be directed by
Menahem Golan. The re-making of such a beloved classic was met with disapproval by
Variety and horror by top critic
Roger Ebert. Cannon opted to make the action film
Cobra which was released in 1986 and became a box-office success. It led to the setting up of his production company White Eagle Enterprises. In 1987, he starred in the family drama
Over the Top as a struggling trucker who tries to make amends with his estranged son and enters an
arm wrestling competition. This was poorly received by critics and was a box-office failure. In 1989, he co-starred alongside
Kurt Russell in the
buddy cop action film
Tango & Cash, which did solid business domestically and overseas, grossing million in foreign markets and over million worldwide. Stallone became a boxing promoter in the 1980s. His boxing promoting company, Tiger Eye Productions, signed world champion boxers
Sean O'Grady and
Aaron Pryor.
1990–1999: Career fluctuations Stallone began the 1990s starring in the fifth installment of the
Rocky franchise,
Rocky V. This film brought back the first film's director, John G. Avildsen, and was intended to be the final installment in the series at the time. It was considered a
box-office disappointment and received negative reviews. Stallone next appeared in
John Landis' period comedy
Oscar which was both a critical and box-office failure. In 1992, he appeared in
Roger Spottiswoode's action comedy
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot which was also both a critical and box-office disaster. Stallone signed onto the film based on rumors that Schwarzenegger was interested in the lead. Schwarzenegger said that, knowing the script's quality was poor, he publicly faked interest in starring for producers to lure Stallone. In 1993, he made a comeback with
Renny Harlin's action thriller
Cliffhanger, which was a success in the US, grossing million, and worldwide, grossing million. Later that year, he starred in the
futuristic action film
Demolition Man directed by
Marco Brambilla, co-starring
Wesley Snipes and
Sandra Bullock. On
Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 60% based on 42 reviews, with an average rating of 5.43/10. The site's consensus reads: "A better-than-average sci-fi shoot-em-up with a satirical undercurrent,
Demolition Man is bolstered by strong performances by Stallone, Snipes, and Bullock." The film debuted at No. 1 at the box office.
Demolition Man grossed $58,055,768 by the end of its box-office run in North America and $159,055,768 worldwide. His string of hits continued with 1994's
The Specialist co-starring
Sharon Stone and directed by
Luis Llosa, which opened in the U.S. on October 7. While the critical reception was overwhelmingly negative, the film was a commercial success. In its opening weekend it made $14,317,765 and ended up making back its budget with $57,362,582 at the domestic box office while making another $113,000,000 overseas, giving it a worldwide gross of $170,362,582. In 1995, he played the
title character (from the British comic book
2000 AD) in the science fiction action film
Judge Dredd. His overseas box-office appeal saved the domestic box-office disappointment of
Judge Dredd, which cost almost million and barely made its budget back, with a worldwide tally of million. Despite the film's poor box-office performance, Stallone signed a three-picture deal with
Universal Pictures for $60 million, making him the second star after
Jim Carrey to receive $20 million per film. The deal expired in February 2000 without him making any films, however, so he received no payment. That year, he also appeared in the thriller
Assassins with
Julianne Moore and
Antonio Banderas. That same year, Stallone, along with an all-star cast of celebrities, appeared in the
Trey Parker and
Matt Stone short comedy film
Your Studio and You commissioned by the
Seagram Company for a party celebrating their acquisition of
Universal Studios and the MCA Corporation. Stallone speaks in his Rocky Balboa voice with subtitles translating what he is saying. At one point, Stallone starts yelling about how can they use his Balboa character, that he left it in the past; the narrator calms him with a
wine cooler and calling him "brainiac." In response, Stallone says, "Thank you very much." He then looks at the wine cooler and exclaims, "Stupid cheap studio!" In 1996, he starred in the
disaster film Daylight as a disgraced former emergency services chief who attempts to rescue survivors of an underground tunnel explosion.
Daylight also underperformed at the domestic box office, grossing $33 million, but did better overseas and grossed a total of $158 million worldwide. In 1997, Stallone was cast against type as an overweight sheriff in the crime drama
Cop Land in which he starred alongside
Robert De Niro and
Ray Liotta. The film was critically well-received and was a modest success at the box office, earning $63 million on a $15 million budget, and Stallone's performance earned him the
Stockholm International Film Festival Best Actor Award. In 1998, he did voice-over work for the animated film
Antz, which was a success domestically.
2000–2005: Declining years In 2000, Stallone starred in the thriller
Get Carter, a remake of the 1971 British film of the
same name, but the film was poorly received by both critics and audiences. Stallone's career declined considerably after his subsequent films
Driven (2001),
Avenging Angelo (2002) and
D-Tox (2002) were also critical and commercial failures. In 2003, he played a villainous role in the third installment of the
Spy Kids series:
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, which was a huge box-office success (almost million worldwide). Stallone also had a cameo appearance in the 2003 French film
Taxi 3 as a passenger. Also that year, Stallone started to regain prominence for his supporting role in the
neo-noir crime drama
Shade which was only released in a limited fashion but was praised by critics. He was also attached to star and direct a film tentatively titled
Rampart Scandal, which was to be about the murder of rappers
Tupac Shakur and
The Notorious B.I.G. and the surrounding
Los Angeles Police Department corruption scandal. It was later titled
Notorious but was shelved. In 2005, alongside
Sugar Ray Leonard, he was the co-presenter of the
NBC reality television boxing competition series
The Contender. That same year he also made a guest appearance in two episodes of the television series
Las Vegas. That year, Stallone also inducted
professional wrestling icon
Hulk Hogan, who appeared in
Rocky III as a wrestler named Thunderlips, into the WWE Hall of Fame; Stallone was also the person who offered Hogan the cameo in
Rocky III. In August, Stallone released his book
Sly Moves which claimed to be a guide to fitness and nutrition as well as a candid insight into his life and works from his own perspective. The book also contained many photographs of Stallone throughout the years as well as pictures of him performing exercises.
2006–present: Franchise films '', Stallone reprised his role as
Rocky Balboa in 2006. After a three-year hiatus from films, Stallone had a comeback in 2006 with the sixth installment of the
Rocky series,
Rocky Balboa, which was a critical and commercial hit. After the critical and box-office failure of the previous installment
Rocky V, Stallone had decided to write, direct and star in a sixth installment which would be a more appropriate climax to the series. The total domestic box office came to .3 million (and million worldwide). The budget of the film was only million. His performance in
Rocky Balboa has been praised and garnered mostly positive reviews. That year, the development
Death Wish remake began, when Stallone announced that he would be directing and starring in a remake of
the 1974 film. Stallone said, "Instead of the
Charles Bronson character being an architect, my version would have him as a very good cop who had incredible success without ever using his gun. So when the attack on his family happens, he's really thrown into a moral dilemma in proceeding to carry out his revenge." He later told the publication that he was no longer involved. In a 2009 interview with
MTV, though, Stallone stated that he was again considering the project. However the role went to
Bruce Willis with
Eli Roth as director. Stallone partnered with a beverage company producing an upscale
bottled water brand called Sly Water. In 2006, Stallone expressed his desire to direct a film about
Musa Dagh, adapted by
Franz Werfel's novel
The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, detailing the
genocide of its Armenian community in 1915. In 2008, Stallone reprised his other famous role in the fourth installment of the
Rambo franchise, titled simply
Rambo (
John Rambo in some countries where the first film was titled
Rambo). The film opened in 2,751 theaters on January 25, 2008, grossing on its opening day and over its opening weekend. Its box office was worldwide with a budget of million. In July 2009, Stallone made a cameo appearance in the
Bollywood film
Kambakkht Ishq, where he played himself. It was announced on December 7, 2010, that Stallone was voted into the
International Boxing Hall of Fame in the non-participant category. Also that year, Stallone wrote, directed and starred in the ensemble action film
The Expendables. The film, which was filmed during summer/winter 2009, was released on August 13, 2010. Joining him in the film were fellow action stars
Jason Statham,
Jet Li, and
Dolph Lundgren, as well as
Terry Crews,
Mickey Rourke,
Randy Couture,
Eric Roberts, and
Stone Cold Steve Austin, and cameos by fellow '80s action icons Bruce Willis and
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film took in its opening weekend, going straight in at No. 1 in the US box office. The figure marked the biggest opening weekend in Stallone's career. In summer 2010, Brazilian company O2 Filmes released a statement saying it was still owed more than million for its work on the film. In 2011, Stallone provided the voice of a lion in
Kevin James' comedy
Zookeeper.
The Expendables 2 was released August 17, 2012; the sequel received a positive critical reception of 67% on
Rotten Tomatoes, as opposed to the original's 41%. As well as returning cast members from the first film, the ensemble cast also included
Jean-Claude Van Damme and
Chuck Norris. That year, Stallone co-wrote the book for the
Broadway musical adaptation of
Rocky. In 2013, Stallone starred in the action film
Bullet to the Head, directed by
Walter Hill, based upon Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel
Du Plomb Dans La Tete. Also in 2013, he starred in the action thriller
Escape Plan, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Jim Caviezel, and in the sports comedy drama
Grudge Match alongside
Robert De Niro, harkening back to the
Rocky franchise. Stallone was reported to be developing an English-language remake of the Spanish film
No Rest for the Wicked, though the project was shelved. That year Stallone was credited as writer for the Jason Statham action film vehicle
Homefront. The Expendables 3, the third installment in the ensemble action film series, was released on August 15, 2014. The returning ensemble cast also added
Wesley Snipes,
Antonio Banderas,
Mel Gibson and
Harrison Ford. This film was negatively received by both critics and audiences and became the lowest-grossing film in
the series. '' at the
2014 Cannes Film Festival In 2015, Stallone reprised his role as Rocky Balboa in a spin-off-sequel film,
Creed, which focused on Adonis "Donnie" Creed, the son of his deceased friend/rival,
Apollo Creed, becoming a professional boxer, played by
Michael B. Jordan. The film, directed by
Ryan Coogler, received critical acclaim. Portraying the iconic cinematic boxer for the seventh time in a span of 40 years, Stallone's portrayal of the character received widespread acclaim and accolades, including the
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, and his third
Academy Award nomination, this time for
Best Supporting Actor. In 2017, Stallone appeared in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as
Stakar Ogord / Starhawk, the leader of a Ravagers faction. In 2018, he co-starred in
Escape Plan 2: Hades with
Dave Bautista which was released straight to home-video. Upon wrapping production, he announced via his social media page that work on the third movie titled
Escape Plan: The Extractors, began immediately thereafter. In July, Stallone announced that he had finished a script for a sequel to
Creed, with a plot including the return of
Ivan Drago from
Rocky IV. That year, Stallone was featured in
Derek Wayne Johnson's
John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs, a documentary about director
John G. Avildsen.
Creed II went into production in March 2018, with a scheduled release on Thanksgiving 2018. Stallone was originally slated to direct before the appointment of
Steven Caple Jr., in his feature film directorial debut.
Creed II was released in the United States by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on November 21, 2018. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and it went on to debut to $35.3 million in its opening weekend (a five-day total of $55.8 million), marking the biggest debut ever for a live-action release over Thanksgiving. On July 23, 2019, in an interview with
Variety, Stallone said that a Rocky sequel and prequel are in development. Producer
Irwin Winkler said "We're very high on it" and that negotiations are underway for Stallone to write and star in the feature. "We're very anxious to make it." Stallone said the plot of the film would be about Rocky befriending a young fighter who is an undocumented immigrant. "Rocky meets a young, angry person who got stuck in this country when he comes to see his sister. He takes him into his life, and unbelievable adventures begin, and they wind up south of the border. It's very, very timely." Stallone said. Stallone also said there are "ongoing discussions" about a Rocky prequel television series, which he hopes will land on a streaming service and the series will likely follow a young Rocky Balboa as a professional boxing hopeful. Stallone said producer Irwin Winkler is hesitant on making the series saying that "There was some conflict there, yes. He felt in his mind that "Rocky" was primarily a feature film, and he didn't see it as being translated for cable, so there was a big bone of contention." That year, Stallone hand-picked Derek Wayne Johnson to direct and produce a documentary on the making of the original
Rocky, entitled
40 Years of Rocky (2020). The documentary features Stallone narrating behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film. Stallone formed a film studio named Balboa Productions with Braden Aftergood in March 2018, where Stallone will serve as co-producer for each of their projects. The studio signed a multi-year collaboration deal with Starlight Culture Entertainment to develop projects for film and television. In May 2018, a fifth installment in the
Rambo franchise was announced, and in August 2018,
Adrian Grünberg was confirmed as the director.
Rambo: Last Blood began filming by September 2018, with a script co-written by Stallone, who also reprised his role as
Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. The plot centers around Rambo infiltrating a
Mexican drug cartel to rescue a family friend's daughter. The film, which was released on September 20, 2019, in the United States, grossed $18.9 million in its opening weekend, the best debut of the franchise. The film grossed $91 million worldwide against a production budget of $50 million. In late 2020, Stallone lent his voice as Rambo to the fighting video game
Mortal Kombat 11, as part of the game's 2nd Kombat Pack. In 2021, he voiced
King Shark in the
DC Extended Universe film
The Suicide Squad. In 2022, Stallone starred in
Samaritan, a dark interpretation of the
superhero genre, from a script written by Bragi Schut. In November 2022, Stallone made his
streaming television debut in
Tulsa King, in which he plays a Mafia boss. The 9-episode series was created by
Taylor Sheridan and
Terence Winter and premiered on
Paramount+. A second season premiered on September 15, 2024, with a third season set to premiere in 2026. In May 2023, Stallone and his immediate family (wife and three daughters) starred in a reality television series
The Family Stallone. Seven days after launch, the series was renewed for a second season. That same month, Stallone reprised his role as Stakar Ogord in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Sly, a documentary film about Stallone by
Thom Zimny, premiered as the closing film of the
2023 Toronto International Film Festival. In October 2023, he reprised role as Barney Ross in
Expend4bles, which was a critical and commercial failure, surpassing
The Expendable 3 to become the lowest-grossing film in the franchise.
Upcoming projects Following the releases of
Creed II and
Rambo V: Last Blood, Balboa Productions has had an extensive production slate. A film depicting the history of
Jack "Galveston Giant" Johnson, the first African-American boxing heavyweight champion, is in development. The project was announced after Stallone's instrumental involvement in helping get Johnson a posthumous pardon from US President
Donald Trump. Stallone is also scheduled to star in the film adaptation of
Hunter, a story which had originally been planned as the premise for
Rambo V: Last Blood. The story centers around Nathaniel Hunter, a professional tracker who is hired to hunt a half-human beast created as an experiment of a secret agency. A feature-length adaptation of the biographical novel
Ghost: My Thirty Years as an FBI Undercover Agent by Michael McGowan and Ralph Pezzullo about McGowan's career of over 50 undercover missions will follow, though there is no screenwriter attached to the project. Additionally, a film centered around black ops troops, being written by retired Army Ranger Max Adams, is also in development. Stallone wrote
A Working Man in collaboration with
David Ayer from a book series created by
Chuck Dixon, which was initially intended to be a television series, but later became a feature film starring
Jason Statham. The television production slate includes a series adaptation of Charles Sailor's
Second Son being written by Rob Williams. In May 2020, Stallone announced that a sequel to 1993's
Demolition Man is in the works: "I think it's coming. We're working on it right now with Warner Brothers. It's looking fantastic. So, that should come out, that's going to happen". Stallone has continued to express his passion in directing a film based on
Edgar Allan Poe's life, a script he has been preparing for years. He has also mentioned that he would like to adapt
Nelson DeMille's novel ''
The Lion's Game''. In March 2026, it was announced by
TMZ that Stallone and
Quentin Tarantino would co-direct and co-write a 6-part miniseries featuring gangsters, showgirls, boxing, and music. The series is set to be shot in black and white, using 1930s cameras. ==Multiple tasks in media==