Sylvester Stallone was the hottest property in Hollywood in the '80s with smash-hit franchises Rocky and Rambo. He dated a bevvy of wild models, went head-to-head with muscle-bound rival Arnie in cinemas and even had a statue built in his honour in Philadelphia. Two years ago, Sly staged a comeback worthy of Darius Danesh to bring not one but two of the most iconic characters in cinema back to our screens. But can the fourth Rambo outing match the global success of 2006 smash Rocky Balboa? As the disgruntled Vietnam vet guns down all comers in cinemas from Friday, we offer up ten fascinating facts about the aging action hero.
1. Sly was born in July 1946 in a hospital in the New York ghetto of Hell's Kitchen. At his birth, a forceps mishap accidentally severed a nerve in his cheek, resulting in his trademark snarl and slurred speech.
2. Sly's mum Jackie originally named him Tyrone Stallone after actor Tyrone Power. Fortunately for Sly, she opened his birth certificate to find his name had been changed to Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone by his (slightly) more sensible dad.
3. Sly was expelled from 14 schools for antisocial and violent behavior - all before the age of 15! It's hardly surprising that his classmates voted him the pupil "most likely to end up in the electric chair".
4. Sly enjoys dabbling in oil painting so much that he reckons he'll probably be reincarnated as a paintbrush.
5. Sly's big break? 1970 porn flick Party at Kitty and Stud's, which was later re-released as Italian Stallion and Cocky to capitalise on his fame.
6. Sly reeled off his Oscar-nominated Rocky script in three days after watching little-known boxer Chuck Wepner go 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali in 1975. He had this to say about scribes who prefer to take their time: "I'm astounded by people who take 18 years to write something. That's how long it took that guy to write Madame Bovary. And was that ever on a bestseller list? No. It was a lousy book and it made a lousy movie."
7. Sly has five children - Sage Moonblood and Seargeoh with first wife Sasha Czack, and Sophia Rose, Sistine Rose and Scarlet with third wife Jennifer Flavin. Hmm, who thinks his next kid (if he's still up to it) will have a name beginning with S?
8. Sly turned down lead roles in Superman, Beverly Hills Cop, Witness, Die Hard, Pulp Fiction and Face/Off. Never mind, at least he had the sense to accept Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.
9. Sly is so attached to his black locks that he once refused $5 million to cut his hair for a beer commercial.
10. Sly has a veritable cabinet full of Golden Raspberry awards, having been nominated every year from 1985 to 1997 (mostly for worst actor). He was also the proud recipient of the "Worst Actor of the Century" award in 2000.