A look at the life and career of Sylvester Stallone! From the secret behind his trademark snarl to his journey from Hell’s Kitchen to Hollywood. #12 Iconic Snarl & Slur
Roles like Rocky Balboa, Rambo, and Judge Dread have been eternalized in pop culture thanks in part to Sylvester Stallone’s trademark expressions, mannerisms, and speech patterns. His look and slur aren’t just the product of creative choice or happenstance, though. Complications during birth involving a pair of forceps severed a facial nerve in an infantile Stallone, resulting in paralysis of the bottom left side of his face. Regarding his looks, he’s been quoted as saying, “I’m not handsome in the classical sense. The eyes droop, the mouth is crooked, the teeth aren’t straight, the voice sounds like a Mafioso pallbearer, but somehow it all works.”
#11 Rough Beginnings
Born in Hell’s Kitchen in 1946 as Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, the accomplished actor, writer and director has endured an exceptional journey to reach his current Hollywood fame. His father, Frank Stallone Sr., worked as a hairdresser and owned a chain of salons while his mother, Jackie Stallone, was a former dancer, astrologer and women’s wrestling promoter. The parents fought often while a young Sly was growing up, and he had to spend the majority of the first five years of his life in foster homes until they could get their act together. He and his younger brother Frank struggled with these early obstacles as they bounced from home to home. The actor attributes his love for performing to these early, trying years when he was vying for the attention and affection of strangers. Sylvester dealt with his troubles by dreaming of being a superhero, going so far as to wear a costume under his school uniform and attempt jumping from a window with an umbrella as a parachute...which resulted in breaking his collarbone. Their parents eventually divorced before Stallone entered high school, but he encountered issues their while living with his father, being expelled a supposed fourteen times! When he was fifteen, Stallone moved to live with his mother and step-father and began picking up positive habits and activities like fencing, football, weight-lifting and discus.
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