_rambo_rocky_sylvester_stallone_painting_art

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

Sylvester Stallone (born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946) is an international icon of machismo and Hollywood action heroism who is responsible for creating two characters that have become a part of the American cultural lexicon: Rocky Balboa and John Rambo. He is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer, screenwriter and is one of the most well known celebrities in the world with instant name recognition.

Stallone has established himself as both a dramatic actor and one of the greatest action stars of all time. During the 80's, he was the biggest movie star in the world with the Rocky and Rambo franchises. Stallone's culturally influential films changed pop culture in the 80's and he has largely enjoyed a career on the Hollywood A list for over 30 years.

He is considered by many (including the mayor of Philadelphia) as the one who made the city of Philadelphia an international tourist attraction with the Rocky Steps. His incredible popularity there has led to a statue of his Rocky character being placed permanently near the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a cultural landmark. On August 2007, a statue of Rocky was also erected in the Serbian village of Zitiste.

Stallone did not gain world-wide fame until his starring role in the smash hit Rocky (1976). The film was awarded the 1976 Academy Award for Best Picture. On March 24, 1975, Stallone saw the Ali-Chuck Wepner fight which inspired the foundation idea of Rocky. That night Stallone went home, and in three days he had written the script for Rocky. After that, he tried to sell the script with the intention of playing the lead role. Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler in particular liked the script (which was suggested by Stallone after a casting), and planned on courting a star like Burt Reynolds or James Caan for the lead role. The final result was an unequalled success; Rocky was nominated for ten Academy Awards in all, including Best Actor for Stallone himself.

Resurrecting Rocky Balboa and John Rambo

After three years since his last film appearance in Shade, Stallone made a comeback to films in 2006 with the sixth and final installment of his successful Rocky series; Rocky Balboa, which was both a critical and commercial hit. After the critical and box office failure of the previous and presumed last instalment Rocky V, Stallone had decided that he should end the series with a sixth installment which would be a much more appropriate climax to the series. The total domestic box office gross came to a close with US$70.2 million (an impressive US$155.3 million worldwide), almost three times its production budget. His performance in Rocky Balboa has been praised and garnered mostly positive reviews.

Stallone is currently in post-production on the fourth instalment of his other successful Rambo franchise with the sequel being titled simply Rambo. The film is experiencing very positive buzz due to a favourable reception of its rough cut trailer for Cannes. The movie is scheduled for a January 25, 2008 release.

The real Rocky

Rocky Marciano was born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, on September 1, 1923, in Brockton, Massachusetts. During his career, Marciano held the heavyweight boxing title for four years in the 1950s, and he is the only boxing champion to ever retire undefeated.

There were those who didn/'t think much would become of the 190-pound heavyweight from Brockton in the early days. Goody Petronelli, noted fight trainer, caught one of his early fights and recalled for Sports Illustrated, "I never thought he'd make it. He was too old, almost 25. He was too short, he was too light. He had no reach. Rough and tough, but no finesse." The hometown folks became believers, though, traveling in groups to Marciano's fights in nearby Providence, Rhode Island, and yelling "Timmmmberrr" when Rocky had an opponent ready to go down.

Trainer Charley Goldman taught Marciano his trademark technique, which would serve him well as champion. On October 26, 1951, with 37 wins and 32 knockouts under his belt, Marciano faced his most formidable opponent in former heavyweight champion Joe Louis. Louis was past his prime and when Marciano knocked him out in the eighth round, he had such mixed feelings at beating his hero that he cried in Louis' dressing room after the fight. Sentiment aside, however, the fight established Marciano as one of the marquee fighters in the heavyweight division, and assured him of a title shot before too long.

Marciano defended his title against Don Cockell in 1955, knocking him out despite organized crime enticements for Marciano to throw the fight. His last fight was September 21, 1955, his third Yankee Stadium defense. He knocked out Archie Moore in the ninth round. The unofficial attendance through closed-circuit television across the great cities of North America was over 400,000.

On April 27, 1956, Marciano retired from boxing at the age of 31. "I thought it was a mistake when Joe Louis tried a comeback," the New York Times quoted him as saying. "No man can say what he will do in the future, but barring poverty, the ring has seen the last of me. I am comfortably fixed, and I am not afraid of the future." He said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Marciano spent the years following his retirement making money from personal appearances. On August 31, 1969, the day before his 46th birthday, he died in a private-plane crash near Des Moines, Iowa. He was survived by his wife of 19 years, Barbara, and their two children, Rocco Kevin and Mary Anne.