Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6, 1946) 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 early
'90s, Stallone is an international icon of machismo and Hollywood action heroism. He created two characters
who have become a part of the American cultural lexicon: Rocky Balboa, the boxer who overcame all odds to
become a champion, and John Rambo, the soldier who specialized in violent rescues and revenge.

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 (including the mayor of Philadelphia) as the one who made the city of
Philadelphia an international tourist attraction with the Rocky Steps. His immense 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's film Rocky has also been inducted into the National Film Registry as well as having its film
props placed in the Smithsonian Museum.