From being born with facial paralysis due to complications during his birth to being brought up by an abusive father Sylvester Stallone’s childhood wasn’t a happy one. But little did all the people against the actor know, that he would defy the odds and rise to prominence, ultimately becoming a dominant force in Hollywood. After being continuously bullied, his life completely changed at the age of 13 when he stumbled across something that ended up being the sole purpose of his life.

Thus, almost a hundred movies later, the actor is still unstoppable making him one of the greatest of his own generation, and has a net worth of over $400 million.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone’s Childhood Was Filled With Hardships

Sylvester Stallone had complications during his birth, which left parts of his face partially paralyzed. This condition affected his speech and gave him a distinct slurred voice, which later became one of his trademark characteristics as an actor. But prior to being a Hollywood star, the actor was especially bullied and called names such as “Slant Mouth,” “Sylvia” and “Mr. Potato Head,” because of that feature.

Sylvester Stallone from year 1970s
Not only that, the actor spent most of his life in foster care and boarding schools, and the time he did spend with his own family wasn’t particularly happy either. His abusive father made things even more difficult, Nick de Semlyen wrote in his latest book that even after trying their best, he and his brothers would often fall short of the high expectations set by their father,
 “Why can’t you be smarter? Why can’t you be stronger?”
Jackie Stallone, the actor’s mother, also came forward and stated,
“[Stallone’s father] was the most sadistic man God has ever allowed on this earth… He would whip Sylvester with a polo crop until he bled.”
But Stallone did not let these factors stop him. Despite his difficult upbringing, he has achieved tremendous success as an actor, writer, and filmmaker, all thanks to Hercules Unchained.

How Did Sylvester Stallone Become One of the Greatest Hollywood Stars Ever?

Stallone’s life turned around once he witnessed Hercules Unchained starring Steve Reeves. He once said,
“It was like seeing the Messiah,–I said, ‘This is what I want to be.’ ”

And it was decided, that he too wanted to be like Reeves and thus started his journey to become the ultimate muscle man. Tired of his fate, the actor was obsessed with working out. But things did not look up even after he moved to New York, he took on various odd jobs to support himself, such as cleaning cages at the Central Park Zoo and working as a deli counter attendant. He also took on some on-screen jobs he wasn’t proud of, solely to help himself stay afloat.
Sylvester Stallone as Rocky
Thus, after being compiled exhausted the actor quite literally wrote his fate with his own hand and the result was Rocky. Dejected Stallone, when stumbled upon the epic Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner fight, resonated with it and decided to write a screenplay based on the event. He completed the whole thing in less than 3 days, and the rest is history.

Source: The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage and EL PAÍS