Is there a greater underdog story than that
of Rocky Balboa? Well, it turns out art only sort of imitates
life, because the creator and star of the storied Rocky franchise had an arguably way
rougher origin story than his titular character. This is Sylvester Stallone's tragic real-life
story. Tough childhood Sylvester Stallone's curled lip and vocal
delivery aren't a tough guy act, they're actually the result of a traumatic childbirth. According to the Chicago Tribune, an accident
during Stallone's delivery resulted in a severed facial nerve, paralyzing part of his tongue
and chin. In addition to Sylvester Stallone's traumatic
birth, the actor suffered a slew of medical problems throughout his early life. He got rickets as a young child and was heavily
bullied. He claimed his father was physically abusive. As a result, he'd act out in dangerous ways. By the time Stallone was 12 years old, he'd
been kicked out of 13 schools and broken 11 bones. When he was 15, Stallone says that he was
told his brain was "dormant," so he started bodybuilding. Six years before Rocky, Sylvester Stallone
was sleeping at the Port Authority and struggling with acting work and menial jobs. Translation: He was broke. As such, he told Playboy that in 1970, he
starred in a softcore film called Party at Kitty and Stud's, although he says that by
today's standards it would likely get a PG rating. He said: "It was either do that movie or rob someone
because I was at the end, at the very end, of my rope. Instead of doing something desperate, I worked
two days for $200 and got myself out of the bus station." Ultimately, the flick was never released,
according to Stallone. However, after the success of Rocky, Stallone
was offered the opportunity to buy the rights to it for $100,000, presumably to prevent
its release. But Stallone recalled, "I wouldn't buy it for two bucks, and my lawyer
told them to hit the pike." While filming Rocky IV, Dolph Lundgren almost
knocked Sylvester Stallone out for good. Stallone recalled to press at the Cannes Film
Festival that the Swedish karate master-turned-action star was almost too perfect, causing Stallone
to loathe him at first sight. That worked really well for the movie, since
these two guys were supposed to hate each other. But it didn't create a lot of harmony on the
set, to the point that Stallone finally told Lundgren to just hit him for real and try
to knock him out. "'I sorta know what you're gonna do, but really
cut loose as hard as you can.' That was a really stupid thing to say." According to Stallone, Lundgren took his words
to heart, he really went for it, and the resulting punch almost stopped Sly's heart and sent
him straight to the hospital. "Next thing I know, I'm on a low-altitude
plane to the emergency room, I'm serious! And I'm in intensive care for four days." Stallone detailed the incident to People in
1985: He was airlifted to St. John's Hospital in Los Angeles, where he was diagnosed with
a bruised heart, but his issues started earlier: He said months before Lundgren's big blow,
he "felt something snap" while filming a training scene in Wyoming. He would later say he felt like he got hit
by, quote, "a streetcar named Drago." "I must break you." On the bright side, Lundgren and Stallone
remain close despite the near-manslaughter. Lundgren told The New York Post, "I was actually pretty surprised at how well
Sly could fight. I fought for real and had to learn how to
fake it! He was really committed." It just goes to prove that you don't mess
with chemical engineers. "Because I'm just too powerful." of Sylvester Stallone's son, Seargeoh. But when the toddler was diagnosed with the
disorder, it was incredibly difficult on the actor and his then-wife, Sasha. The estranged couple told People in 1985 that
they dealt separately with their son's struggles, with Sasha shouldering most of the responsibilities
for the boy while Stallone worked. Stallone was heartbroken at what he felt was
an inability to connect with Seargeoh, explaining: "There is no real father-and-son thing there. I have to become his playmate. With a child like this you have to put away
your ego. You can't force him into your world. I sort of go along with whatever he is doing." The actor said that he doted extra on elder
son Sage, in part because he wasn't able to bond as well with Seargeoh. Sylvester Stallone's eldest son, Sage, with
whom he was rather close, died at just 36 years old in July 2012. Sage reportedly passed away from a heart condition
called atherosclerosis, in which cholesterol and fats block arteries, and restricts blood
flow. The cardiovascular disease caused Sage to
suffer a heart attack, which ultimately ended his life, CNN reported. Even more heartbreaking, in addition to suffering
the death of his son, Sylvester also had to cope with media speculation that Sage was
on drugs at the time of his passing, allegations that turned out to be unfounded. Sage had a promising future and even appeared
in a few of his dad's films, including Rocky V and Daylight, and was engaged to be married
at the time of his sudden death. Sylvester said in a heart wrenching statement: "[W]hen a parent loses a child there is no
greater pain. Therefore I am imploring people to respect
my wonderfully talented son's memory and feel compassion for his loving mother, Sasha, because
this agonizing loss will be felt for the rest of our lives. Sage was our first child and the center of
our universe and I am humbly begging for all to have my son's memory and soul left in peace." Sylvester Stallone had a contentious relationship
with his half-sister Toni Filiti for decades. Page Six reported that, quote, "at the height
of [Stallone]'s fame," the actor, producer, and screenwriter "reached a confidential multi-million
dollar settlement" with his half-sister that sources described as a "shakedown." In 1987, Stallone reportedly agreed to give
Filiti just over $16,600 monthly for the duration of her life, plus a lump payment of $2 million
and "a trust of $50,000 per year for medical and psychiatric expenses." She accused Stallone of, quote, "personal
injury, including physical injury," which he denied. Stallone's mother, Jackie, told the tab, "This was nothing more than a shakedown. Toni-Ann was on 65 Oxycontin pills a day,
and she threatened Sylvester. A drug addict will do anything. When Sylvester became famous, she didn't have
to hook. He was trying to help her. He caved in." She added, "There were too many conflicting stories…At
the time he was very hot, and his lawyers said, 'Give her something just to shut her
up.'" Toni passed away in August 2012 at just 48
years old after a battle with lung cancer, Radar Online reported. Her death came just a month after Stallone's
son, Sage, passed away. In October 2012, just months after the tragic
deaths of his son and sister, Sylvester Stallone learned that his daughter, Sophia Stallone,
would have to undergo heart surgery that December. Sophia underwent her first cardiac operation
as an infant to correct a heart malformation. The procedure was successful, but she required
a heart valve procedure at 16. It turned out well, but her father was understandably
heartbroken. Stallone's wife, Jennifer Flavin, said of
Sophia, "She is the one that most resembles her father. Like him she has read nearly all of Shakespeare's
books. They have a very special bond, they think
alike and even have the same gestures, Sophia is the love of his life." She added of her husband: "This is a terrible year, a horrible year
for him. Sylvester is devastated, but he refuses to
talk about his son." Thankfully, all turned out well. Sophia graduated from the University of Southern
California in May 2019, where she studied communications with a minor in entrepreneurship
and film. Tragic luck with pets If Sylvester Stallone's Instagram is anything
to go by, the guy is a massive dog lover. But the family suffered another tragedy in
2013, when their beloved family dog was killed by a coyote. TMZ reported that the pooch, named Phoebe,
went missing in the Stallones' Bel Air, California, neighborhood. The family was so desperate to get her back
that they hung up posters and even offered a $10,000 reward for her return...only for
her to turn up dead on their own property. Stallone's rep said Phoebe's death was "very
difficult" for the brood. Phoebe's untimely passing wasn't the only
heartache Stallone suffered with a pet. Before hitting it big with Rocky, a cash-strapped
Stallone tried to sell his beloved bull mastiff, Butkus, for $100. "And tried to sell my dog, because it was
either do that or he was just not going to be very well fed around the house." As if that's not tragic enough, he could only
get $50 for his four-legged best friend. Stallone told ShortList that when he sold
the script for his boxing blockbuster, he asked to buy Butkus back from the man who
purchased the dog, a person named Jimmy, who refused. Stallone came out victorious...after he paid
Jimmy $3,000 and gave him a bit part in the film. That may seem like a lot, but it must have
been a small price to pay to be reunited with his four-legged friend. In 2016, Sylvester Stallone nearly lost his
then-19-year-old half-brother in a vicious attack. According to TMZ, Dante Stallone was near
campus at Florida State University when two other men brutally beat him. Dante, who was on his way back from a late
night Taco Bell run at the time of the attack, was injured so badly that Page Six reported
his roommates had to call 911 for him because he had "difficulty speaking." A police report obtained by the outlet also
didn't indicate a clear motive, and stated that Dante didn't know his assailants. Dante reportedly suffered "a split palate,"
"shattered jaw," and extensive dental damage, including "broken and knocked out teeth,"
per TMZ. He had to be hospitalized for several weeks,
and underwent reconstructive surgery. Sylvester told the tab: "This is a wonderful young man, a straight-A
student who would not cause any trouble. It's just so tragic and terribly sad." Sylvester Stallone made a ton of money from
the Rocky franchise, but still may have gotten a raw deal, especially considering that he
created the whole thing. Stallone told Variety that he raked in about
$2.5 million for Rocky in 1976. When you break down the numbers, he got $25,000
for the screenplay, then $360 per week of filming for the 25-day shoot. He explained to the magazine: "Luckily there were the WGA minimums. I made about $2,000 for acting." Most of Stallone's pay for his breakout hit
came from his 10 "net points," or his shares on the net profits. He made $75,000 for Rocky II in 1979 and $120,000
plus millions in net points for Rocky III just a few years later in 1982. However, Stallone says he could have made
a lot more, and he's spent years harboring some resentment over not having any rights
in the franchise. He claimed: "I have zero ownership of Rocky. Every word, every syllable, every grammatical
error was all my fault. It was shocking that it never came to be,
but I was told, 'Hey, you got paid, so what are you complaining about?' I was furious." When asked why he didn't pursue the franchise
rights more tenaciously, Stallone told Variety that even his own attorney suggested the fight
wasn't worth it, no doubt tough words to hear for the man who poured so much of himself
into the Rocky story. He explained: "I never really pushed it, and by the time
we got around to Rocky Balboa I was in a pretty weak position to say anything. I was in a slump, and it was pretty intense." A Rocky producer insisted to Variety that
the star, quote, "made money from every angle, and still does." Stallone even confessed that while the system
has made sure that his kids and grandkids are well taken care of, he still feels like,
quote, "the definition of Hollywood is someone who stabs you in the chest. They don't even hide it." Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your
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