Born2Inspire – Sylvester Stallone
Born2Inspire – Sylvester Stallone, a great achiever, is a example of persistence and dedication that turns into unimaginable success. He set a benchmark of not giving attitude & follow your dreams. Its unbelievable to that a man who once struggled to find roles in movies, went on to become one of the most legendary actors in Hollywood.
“I am not the richest, smartest or most talented person in the world, but I succeed because I keep going and going and going.” – Sylvester Stallone
Early Life
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born on July 6, 1946 to Frank Stallone and Jacqueline Stallone in New York City.
He had a difficult childhood. Not a lot of people know, but due to complications during labor, the lower left side of Stallone’s face is paralyzed, including parts of his tongue, lip and chin, an accident which has given Stallone his trademark snarling look and slightly slurred speech.
Stallone’s odd face made him an outcast in school, where he was often suspended for fighting, other behavior problems, and poor grades. His parents divorced when Sylvester was nine, and he was later sent to a special high school for “troubled kids,” where he was voted “most likely to end up in the electric chair”.
“Every time I’ve failed, people had me out for the count, but I always come back.” – Sylvester Stallone
Career as Aspiring Actor
While he waited for his acting career to take off, Stallone worked all sorts of jobs to make ends meet. He cleaned up the lions’ cages at the Central Park Zoo, ushered at a movie theater, and even made an appearance in an adult film called A Party at Kitty and Studs (1970). 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”.
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.
“Going on one more round, when you don’t think you can that’s what makes all the difference in your life.” – Sylvester Stallone
Taste of Success
Inspired by heavyweight boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner, Stallone wrote the script for “Rocky” within 3 and 20 straight hours. A few weeks after, Stallone was at a casting call for an acting part. He did not get the part, as usual, and as going out the door he mentioned that he had a script that he was working on. He asked if they’d be interested in taking a look. They consented.
Luckily, producers liked it and they offered him $25,000, unfortunately for Stallone, they didn’t want him to star. “They wanted every celebrated actor at the time, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, or Ryan O’Neal.”
From there, they sweetened the offer until they reached $360,000. He had $106 in the bank. His wife was pregnant, his bull mastiff was starving and he couldn’t pay the rent on his seedy Hollywood apartment but, Stallone turned down a $360,000 offer. He was determined to make the film he wrote on his terms, starring himself. “This is once of those things, where you just roll of the dice… I might be totally wrong but I have to do it… I just believe in it,” Stallone, commented.
The rest is history! The movie won Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing at the prestigious Oscar Awards. He was even nominated for BEST ACTOR! The Movie ROCKY was even inducted into the American National Film Registry as one of the greatest movies ever! Stallone at the Oscar said: “Literally, I was parking cars 10 months earlier and now here we are.” The movie that was made for less than $1 million with hand held cameras brought in over $225 million.
“Success is usually the culmination of controlling failure.” – Sylvester Stallone
Action Hero Legacy
Despite difficult beginning Sylvester Stallone is now one of the most popular Hollywood Action Stars of all time. He created two of the biggest movie franchises of all time (Rocky, John Rambo), wrote 24 scripts, generated nearly $4 billion for the studios and has an estimated net worth of $400 million. Stallone influenced modern popular culture through several of his iconic film characters.
Stallone wrote and starred in the number one box office race-car thriller Driven. Stallone wrote, directed and starred in the movie The Expendables was Stallone’s big success of 2010. The Expendables 2, the highly-anticipated sequel opened to Number One at the Box Office. The Expendables 3, the third installment in the ensemble action film series was released on August 15, 2014. In 2016 he won a supporting actor Golden Globe for “Creed.”
“Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up.” – Sylvester Stallone
Life is tough. Opportunities will pass you by, just because you are a nobody. Doors will be shut on you. People will steal your glory and crash your hopes. And then your hopes will be crashed. You will be broke. Damn broke. But NEVER LET THEM CRUSH THAT DREAM. Whatever happens to You, Keep Dreaming. Even when they crush your hopes, Keep Dreaming. Even when they turn you away, Keep Dreaming. Even when they shut you down, Keep Dreaming. No one knows what you are capable of except yourself! Fight for Your place in history. Fight for your glory. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!
Keep Up the Fight. Keep your dreams and hope alive. Achieve it !!!
Source:Sylvesterstallone.com, mateuszm.com & thelogicalindian.com
