Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone[1] (born July 6, 1946), nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. One of the biggest box office draws in the world from the \'70s to the \'90s, Sylvester Stallone is an 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.

During the 1980s, he enjoyed phenomenal popularity and was one of the biggest movie stars in the world with the Rocky and Rambo franchises. Stallone\'s culturally influential films changed pop culture history and he has largely enjoyed a career on the Hollywood A list for over 30 years.

He is considered by many as the one who made the city of Philadelphia an international tourist attraction with the Rocky Steps.[citation needed] His popularity there has led to a statue of his Rocky character being placed permanently near the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a cultural landmark. In August 2007, a statue of Rocky was also erected in the Serbian village of Žitište. Stallone\'s film Rocky has also been inducted into the National Film Registry as well as having its film props placed in the Smithsonian Museum as a national treasure.