Page 1 of 1

Sylvester Stallone, A Story Of Triumph and Perseverance

Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 5:05 pm
by Gillianfx
This is the story of Sylvester Stallone. One of the biggest and most famous American movie stars.

Back in the day, Stallone was a struggling actor. At one point, he was so broke that he stole his wife’s jewelry and sold it. Things got so bad that he ended up homeless. He slept at a New York bus station for three days. His lowest point came when he sold his dog at a liquor store for $25.

Two weeks later, he saw a boxing match between Mohammed Ali and Chuck Wepner and that match gave him the inspiration to write the script for the famous movie, Rocky. It took him 20 hours to write the script.

He tried to sell it and got an offer for $125,000. His only request was to star in the movie. The studio said no, they wanted a ‘real star’. He “looked and talked funny,” they’d said. Stallone left with his script. A few weeks later, the studio offered him $250,000 for the script but he refused. They offered $350,000 he refused again. They wanted his movie but not him. Stallone had a vision, he wanted to be the lead in the movie.

Eventually the studio agreed, gave him $35,000 for the script and let him star in it. The rest is history.

Rocky was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Directing, Best Editing and won Best Picture. Rocky was inducted into the American National Film Registry as one of the greatest movies.

The first thing Stallone bought with the $35,000 was the dog he had sold. He stood at the liquor store for 3 days waiting for the man he’d sold the dog to to return. Stallone explained why he’d sold the dog and begged for the dog back, but the man refused. After he negotiated with the man Stallone paid $15,000 for the same dog he sold for $25.

Re: Sylvester Stallone, A Story Of Triumph and Perseverance

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 2:40 pm
by Tony Theroux
A great story. He could have made a new screenplay to depict his own story. There is a definite parallel with the story of his creation Rocky, and his rise to fame from nowhere.
In an old movie I saw Sly in a non-speaking part, as a cab driver, appearing for around ten seconds. Maybe it was his first movie?
Funnily, playing a speechless cab driver seems to be the traditional first step for film actors. I saw Robert Duvall as a non-talking cab driver, for around ten seconds, in another movie.

Re: Sylvester Stallone, A Story Of Triumph and Perseverance

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 8:08 pm
by Litwitlou
Rocky took a kid named Tommy David Morrison under his wing after seeing him fight. Handsome kid. The kid starred with Rocky in Rocky V. He was a good boxer, career record 48 wins - 3 losses - 1 draw. WBO Heavyweight Champ June 7, 1993 -- October 29, 1993.


I saw this kid box at South Mountain Arena, West Orange, NJ, 11/3/85. He dropped Lorenzo Canaday in the 6th round and pushed his record to 20-0. Stallone came to the match to watch the kid fight and for moral support. As the boxers entered the ring, four or five large men in dark suites came in the front door. They spread out, and there was Stallone in the middle wearing a white suit. So everybody cheered and were stunned by how short Stallone is. The bodyguards towered over him. Hell, most of the adults in the stands towered over him. And this guy married Brigitte Nielsen. Go, Rocky!