Sylvester Enzio Stallone who was born in New York, has established worldwide recognition as an actor, director and a writer since he stared in the title role in his own screenplay of “Rocky,” which won Best Picture at the 1976 Academy Awards.

His trademark features, slurred speech and drooping eyes, were the result of a severed facial nerve caused by forceps during his birth. These abnormalities, coupled with his first name led to many Tweety bird jokes during his difficult childhood in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. He was the eldest of two sons born to Frank, a hair-stylist and Jacqueline, a chorus girl. Sylvester only saw his parents on the weekends because he boarded with a woman in Queens between the ages of two and five. The youngster immersed himself in a fantasy life afforded by comic books to ease the loneliness he felt.

When he was five the family moved to Maryland and then to Philadelphia, where his parents divorced and Sly’s mother remarried. He attended school in suburban Philadelphia and became a star football player. He then spent two years instructing at the American College of Switzerland in Geneva where he won a scholarship. There he earned a role in “Death Of A Salesman” and received a standing ovation for his performance.

He returned to the United States and enrolled as a drama major at the University of Miami and began writing. He dropped out of University just three credits shy of completing his degree to head to New York and launch his acting career. He had auditioned for almost every casting agent in New York and had gone on hundreds of casting calls with little success. While waiting for his acting break, Stallone turned more and more to writing for his creative outlet. He churned out numerous screenplays and then in 1974 he was cast as one of the leads in “The Lords of Flatus,” as well as received his first writing credit for additional dialogue on the film.

With the money he earned from his film debut he left New York for Hollywood. Again the parts were hard to come by, but he did manage to land a few small roles in TV and in movies. It wasn’t until he watched Muhammad Ali fight an unknown boxer named Chuck Wepner that his career destiny would be born. Wepner lost the fight, but went the distance with the champ. Stallone went home and wrote the story for Rocky in just three days. Several producers were interested in developing the script but were scared off by Sly’s insistence that he play the lead. Undeterred, Stallone eventually found a backer and the film was shot on a meager budget in just under a month. “Rocky” was to become the sleeper hit of 1976. It made over $225 million dollars and won the Best Picture and Director Oscars at he Academy Awards, it also earned Sylvester best acting and writing nominations.

The rest, as they say, is history. Stallone has gone on to star and direct dozens of movies including the sequels to “Rocky” and the mega hit’s of the “Rambo” series. He has made numerous action movies and the odd comedy and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. He is also one of the principal partners, with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, in Planet Hollywood, the spectacular restaurant and entertainment complex.