Famous for his larger-than-life roles in classic films like Rocky and Rambo and, of course, his good looks, Sylvester Stallone’s family has also shared some of his famous spotlights along the way. Did you know that his real life is just as fascinating as his character on screen?
The relationship between his father, Frank Stallone Sr., and his mother, Jackie Stallone, has been quite interesting. Eventually, Stallone’s mother had had enough. The unceasing squawking, the feathers all over the place, and most of all, the uncooked sparrows were becoming intolerable to the late astrologist.
Indeed, his mother had gone extremely crazy over her ex-husband’s strange obsession with “raw sparrows” and “rabbit entrails”. The Guardian reported that Stallone’s late father used to consume “raw sparrows and rabbit entrails” and resembled a caveman. The actor’s mother, who was presumably sick of sparrows and entrails, thus, found a new husband.
The Intriguing Story Of Sylvester Stallone’s Parents’ Separation
Sylvester Stallone hails from a family that does not mind being in front of the camera: his father, Frank Stallone Sr., was a hairdresser who pursued acting and writing, while his mother, Jackie Stallone, was a famous astrologer.
Frank Sr., who immigrated to the United States as a teenager from Italy, is described by The Washington Post as having led a colorful life, opening and running a chain of hair salons and being an avid polo player.
When it came to his eating habits, Stallone Sr.—who sadly passed away on July 11, 2011—was said to have had a bit of a wild side. It was reported that his former wife was not fond of his taste for strange and unusual foods. According to the Rocky Balboa star, his dad used to consume raw sparrows and rabbit entrails. The actor informed The Guardian in 2016:
“Weird, right? He was a caveman type. A real character.”
Jackie Stallone, presumably tired of her former husband’s eating entrails and sparrows, found a new man and relocated to Philadelphia with the young Stallone. “The most sadistic man God has ever allowed on this earth”, she said of her ex-husband, according to El País US.
Her two sons were born out of her first marriage to Frank Stallone Sr.; their wedding ended in 1957. She tied the knot with Anthony Filiti for the second time in 1959; however, they later divorced.
In 1998, she got hitched to Stephen Levine for the final and third time; their marriage lasted until she died in 2020.
Sylvester Stallone’s Tumultuous Relationship With His Dad
Sylvester Stallone experienced an upbringing full of turmoil from the day he was born. In his 2023 Netflix documentary, Sly, he disclosed that his mother, Jackie Stallone, who was nine months pregnant at the time, boarded a bus and gave birth while traveling. The actor, 77, admitted (via Mirror):
“And that’s where I was brought into the world via this accident which kind of paralyzed all the nerves on the side of my mouth. So I was born with this snarl.”
Passengers eventually succeeded in rushing the late mother of the actor to a hospital’s charity ward, where the doctor made a serious delivery mistake that left half of his mouth paralyzed (via The List). That is how Stallone got a speech impediment and a permanent snarl, which, of course, made him easy prey for his childhood bullies.
His violent childhood prepared Stallone for the film industry. The actor revealed in his documentary that his traumatizing childhood left him with an extreme threshold for both emotional and physical suffering. He stated, emphasizing that his inspiration for the John Rambo character came from his late father:
“My father was Rambo, in reality. I was raised by a very physical father. Nothing was ever settled verbally. It was usually a physical ultimatum.”
Stallone went on to say that he “was no stranger to serious pain” and that he and his brother had been abused when they were young. He also opened up about that difficult period of his life on the Unwaxed podcast, hosted by his daughters.
So, the next time you see Stallone on screen, remember that beneath the tough exterior lies a man who has overcome adversity both on and off the screen.