Picture: Sylvester Stallone is spotted out and about in Studio City Los Angeles, California - 06.05.11
Hollywood action man Sylvester Stallone has slyly fought his way to a landmark age - the actor turns 65 on Wednesday (06Jul11).
The hardman, nicknamed Sly, started off as a penniless actor, but shot to fame in the 1970s playing rags-to-riches boxer Rocky Balboa.
Stallone went on to become one of Hollywood's highest paid actors, filming six Rocky movies and four in his other famous franchise featuring violent Vietnam veteran John Rambo.
And despite now hitting retirement age, Stallone has no plans to slow down - he's already lined up to resurrect his character in action series The Expendables next year (12), alongside movie hardmen Jason Statham and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
To celebrate Stallone's milestone age, WENN has compiled 10 fascinating facts about the action hero. Happy birthday, Sly!
- Stallone's first starring role was in The Party at Kitty and Stud's - a softcore porn film. He was paid $200 (£125) for two days work.
- In 1991, he teamed up with fellow movie tough-guys Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger to launch a Planet Hollywood restaurant.
- He was nominated for two Academy Awards - for Best Actor and Best Writing - for Rocky, but despite his extensive career, he's never received another Oscars nod.
- Stallone's famous slurred speech is a result of paralysis in his face caused by birth complications.
- When he was close to graduating at the University of Miami, Stallone dropped out to pursue his acting career.
- He is a big fan of luxury Montegrappa fountain pens - and signed up as a consultant for the company last year (10).
- Stallone has been married three times and has five children.
- The actor rewarded his loyal dog with a role in the Rocky films - the bull mastiff used in the boxer's training scenes was the star's own pet.
- He enjoys oil painting and loves the works of Leonardo Da Vinci.
- Stallone has sustained a number of injuries from his roles over the years - he once famously spent four days in intensive care after Dolph Lundgren punched him for a scene in Rocky IV and broke his neck during filming of 2010's The Expendables.
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