Stallone subsequently landed parts in other legitimate feature films, but his career only began flying high when he took matters into his own hands and wrote ROCKY. Though he sold the screenplay for a relatively small sum, Stallone was compensated in the form of percentage points and, more significantly, by being cast in the title role. The film was nominated for ten Oscars (and won Best Picture) and earned nearly $120 million at the box office. He made his directing debut with the flawed but watchable PARADISE ALLEY (1978) and has written a number of his subsequent vehicles, on occasion even singing a song for the sound tracks.
Excepting NIGHTHAWKS (1981), which he neither wrote, produced nor directed, Stallone has not been involved with a film as rich and refreshing as his breakthrough. To date he has reprised the role of Rocky in five sequels; for years Stallone's only other major box-office successes have been the sequels to FIRST BLOOD (1982), where he premiered the role of gung-ho Vietnam war hero John Rambo. His RAMBO films, like the ROCKYs, steadily declined in quality while cashing in on, and contributing to, the conservative political and social climate of the 1980s.
Stallone unsuccessfully attempted to break into comedy with the John Landis-directed OSCAR (1991). As mobster Angelo "Snaps" Provolone, he gets caught up in a case of mistaken identity. The film demonstrated that the deadpan skill Stallone seemed to show with one-liners in actioners like TANGO & CASH (1989) and COBRA (1986) did not readily translate to full-blown comedy. Hoping to create a successful genre hybrid in the manner of his Planet Hollywood business partners Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, he again tried lighter fare with the action-comedy STOP! OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT (1992), but this effort met a cool reception at the box office. Stallone returned to more familiar ground with the popular but expensively made action film CLIFFHANGER (1993), which he co-wrote, and the good-humored if modest futuristic fightfest DEMOLITION MAN (1993).
Later acting credits include THE SPECIALIST (1994), JUDGE DREDD and ASSASSINS (both 1995), DAYLIGHT (1996), COP LAND (1997), GET CARTER (2000), DRIVEN (2001, also producer & screenplay), D-TOX and AVENGING ANGELO (both 2002), TAXI 3, SHADE and SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER (all 2003), ROCKY BALBOA (2006), and RAMBO (2008).
Stallone was formerly married (1974-1985) to Sasha Czack with whom he has two children, and to actress Brigitte Nielsen (1985-87). Since 1997 he has been married to Jennifer Flavin, with whom he has three children. Brother Frank Stallone is a singer-songwriter-actor who has worked on and/or appeared in a number of his brother's films, and was well cast as the belligerent bartender in BARFLY (1987).
Nominated for Actor 1976: ROCKY
Nominated for Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen) 1976: ROCKY
2 nominations