Saturday, October 4, 2008

Not an Aryan, Shock

Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone[1] (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. One of the biggest box office draws in the world from the '70s to the '90s, international megastar Sylvester Stallone is a global icon of machismo and Hollywood action heroism. He has played two characters who have become a part of the American cultural lexicon: Rocky Balboa, the boxer who overcame all odds to fight for love and glory, and John Rambo, a courageous soldier who specialized in violent rescue and revenge missions.

Stallone was born in New York City,[2] the son of Jackie Stallone (née Jacqueline Labofish), an astrologer, former dancer and promoter of women's wrestling, and Frank Stallone, Sr., a hairdresser.[3] Doctors used forceps during his birth which caused paralysis in parts of Stallone's face, resulting in his signature slurred speech and drooping lower lip.[4] Stallone's father was an immigrant from Gioia del Colle (in Bari, Apulia, Italy).[5] Stallone's mother was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of a Parisian socialite and of part Ukrainian Jewish ancestry


Sylvester Stallone in 1988