Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone have many things in common, including undergoing multiple surgeries. The pair started their journey as bitter rivals and competing action stars. Their feud shaped the genre in the 80s and has shaped action cinema as we know it today. However, their careers as action heroes have led to several injuries on set.
These injuries accumulated into further damage that required surgery. While Arnold Schwarzenegger underwent multiple major surgeries due to a genetic heart defect, Sylvester Stallone paid the price while performing his stunts well beyond his prime. Regardless of the cause, the two actors earned their fame through literal blood, sweat, and tears.
Arnold Schwarzenegger underwent four heart surgeries
Arnold Schwarzenegger had no idea that he suffered from an aortic valve defect until he had already become a Hollywood star. The Austrian Oak found out about his heart defect during one of his mother’s visits to America. After arriving from Austria, Aurelia Schwarzenegger fell ill. Arnie rushed his mother to a hospital where the doctors found her aortic valve had a defect.
Since they knew it was a hereditary issue, they told Arnold Schwarzenegger to get tested as a precaution. By then the Austrian had won seven Olympia titles, five Mr. Universe titles, and many more. In fact, his illustrious bodybuilding career had come and gone without an issue. So Arnie was shocked to discover he had inherited the defect from his mother.
Aurelia Schwarzenegger refused surgery and died within a few years of her prognosis. However, doctors told Arnold Schwarzenegger that he would require surgery when he got older. Sure enough, after years of regular checkups, Arnie needed surgery in 1997. That was the first of his three open-heart surgeries.
“My mother and her mother’s bicuspid valves killed them. I’m still here because of medical innovation and being very diligent about staying in touch with my doctors and listening to them,” the bodybuilding icon said after his first surgery. Although the valve replacements were supposed to last around 10 to 15 years they lasted more than twenty years. Arnie had them replaced in 2018.
However, the 2018 surgery became a disaster. Arnold Schwarzenegger went under the knife for a noninvasive surgery. Yet, things went wrong and it turned into an emergency open heart surgery with Arnie’s permission. He underwent a third surgery for the second valve in 2020. This time, things went smoothly.
Arnold Schwarzenegger recently underwent his fourth heart surgery. The bodybuilding icon now has a pacemaker installed. Yet again, the surgery was a smooth one. In fact it went so well that Schwarzenegger didn’t even stop work. “A lot of people have asked if my pacemaker will cause any problems with FUBAR Season 2. Absolutely not. I will be ready to film in April,” he announced in an Instagram post. Besides these four heart surgeries, Arnold Schwarzenegger has also undergone other surgeries stemming from bodybuilding and a lifetime of doing his stunts.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had other comparatively minor surgeries
The seven-time Mr. Olympia injured his knees in 1973 during a bodybuilding exhibition in South Africa. The organizers of the event didn’t arrange for a stage he could pose on, so the then-reigning Mr. Olympia made his own. However, the stage collapsed in the middle of the posing routine and the champion injured his knees in the process.
After returning to the States, Arnold Schwarzenegger had to undergo knee surgery that same year. Although he had recovered, there would be longer-lasting effects. Years of doing his stunts in action films would lead to Schwarzenegger getting another knee surgery at 61. The Terminator also got shoulder surgery at 55 after tearing his rotator cuff while performing a motorcycle stunt for Terminator 3.
The bodybuilding legend underwent another shoulder surgery after starring in Expendables 2 with Sylvester Stallone. In fact, the two action stars ended up in side-by-side beds at the same hospital for surgery. While Arnie had a few other minor surgeries on his elbow, they didn’t hinder the actor in any way. However, Expendables 2 turned out to be far worse for Sylvester Stallone than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Sylvester Stallone’s stunt-related injuries and surgeries
Throughout his film career, Sylvester Stallone suffered recurring injuries. The two action heroes competed with one another on everything including stunts and physicality. This resulted in Stallone doing most of the stunts. Sly did everything from boxing in Rocky to fighting like a special forces operative in Rambo and rock climbing in Cliffhanger. This resulted in multiple injuries.
Stallone even had to get hospitalized because Dolf Lundgren broke his rib and damaged his pericardial sack while filming Rocky 4. Although Stallone had to get hospitalized several times in his career, the Rocky actor never needed surgeries. However, age caught up with the action star. The 77-year-old was severely injured while filming a fight scene with Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The biggest rival of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 80s revealed he had to undergo seven surgeries after the stunt. Sly had to get back surgeries and has a metal plate installed in the back of his neck. He also tore his Achilles and Peroneal tendon and needed surgeries for both. Finally, filming Escape Plan with Arnold Schwarzenegger resulted in bicep tears, but Sly refused surgery.
Hence, it’s safe to say that Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Shcwarzenggerare action icons. They earned that title by giving it their all to the craft.