Sylvester Stallone's Shocking Childhood Story: 'It Was Insane'
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Sylvester Stallone isn’t looking for pity.The action star opened up about a childhood marked by abandonment, violence and an almost total absence of affection in a new interview, telling The New York Times he deliberately left some of the darkest stories out of his book because he didn’t want readers to feel sorry for him.“I didn’t put a lot of stuff in the book because I didn’t want a pity party … but it was insane,” he admitted.After his parent’s divorce, Stallone spent time living with his father in Maryland. He described his father as volatile and physically abusive.“The next thing you know — wham! He had very big hands. You just learned to duck a little bit.”One memory particularly stayed with Stallone.The Hollywood star said his father sent him to a store before church to buy bread. He returned with nut bread after running into friends.“And he kicked me in the stomach and hit me and like laid me out, got in the car, and went to church.”Stallone said he was left lying in the street, saying, “Really, it’s unbelievable. It’s unbelievable.”Sylvester Stallone shared stories of abuse from his childhood that he considered too dark to include in his new memoir. Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesYears later, Stallone confronted his father. When he was in his 40s, Stallone told him, “I wish you and I could be the same age for three minutes.” When his father asked him why, he said, “Because I’d like to give you some of your own medicine, and you would know what it’d be like to have your a– kicked.”Stallone said his father then challenged him to fight, explaining, “He was ready to go at 68 years old.”The “Rocky” star connected that fierceness to one of the characters he’s best known for.Stallone in a scene from “Rocky III” in 1982. ©United Artists/Courtesy Everett Collection“So, when people go, ‘Where do you get the ferocity to play Rambo?’ Genetic,” he said.Stallone additionally recalled that his mother never showed affection toward him.“My mother never — and my brother will attest — hugged me. Ever, ever,” Stallone shared.His father rarely showed affection either. But when Stallone was about 9, he said he fell asleep in the car after working around his father’s horses. His father placed Stallone’s head on his knee and rested his hand on his head.“And I never got over that,” he admitted.Earlier in the interview, Stallone described being sent to live in a boarding house when he was very young, where his parents visited only once a month.“I just was raised by strangers, you know, in a boarding house. And it became sort of a natural environment. And my parents were really never nurturing, so this was actually a bonus compared to where I was living.”That emotional deprivation, Stallone acknowledged, shaped the man he became.When asked whether it made him tough, he replied, “In the wrong way, yeah, it did. It made me very tough.”Stallone attending the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 7, 2025. FilmMagicBut the toughness came at a cost. Stallone said he didn’t experience what he considers “real, real, real, real true love” until he was around 70, when he experienced it with his wife and kids, saying, “And that’s a big pity. It really is.”Stallone went on to build one of Hollywood’s most recognizable careers, writing about and starring as Rocky Balboa and going on to play John Rambo. The original “Rocky” received 10 Oscar nominations and won three Academy Awards, including best picture.Off screen, Stallone has five children from two of his three marriages.Stallone married his first wife, Sasha Czack, in 1974. They divorced in 1985 and shared two sons, Sage and Seargeoh. Stallone married “Rocky IV” co-star Brigitte Nielsen later in 1985, and the couple divorced in 1987.Stallone married Jennifer Flavin in 1997. They share three daughters: Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet.
Community GuidelinesWelcome to the Page Six Community!Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space.In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience.Simply put, keep it civil.Your post will/might be rejected if it contains:
Spam
Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind
Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice:
Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments
Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
So, how can you be a power user?
Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across.
'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions!
Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.
Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!
