Editing Sylvester Stallone (section)

== Early life and education ==
Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone<ref name="digitalspy"/><ref name="Aging heroes"/><ref name="upi"/> was born in the [[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan|Hell's Kitchen]] neighborhood of New York City's Manhattan borough<ref name=guardianUK>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/24/sylvester-stallone-profile-creed-rocky|title=Sylvester Stallone: the wacky people's champ who battled his own ego|first=Ryan|last=Gilbey|work=[[The Guardian]]|location=UK|date=February 24, 2016|access-date=November 16, 2017|archive-date=April 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408195719/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/24/sylvester-stallone-profile-creed-rocky|url-status=live}}</ref> on July 6, 1946,<ref name=biography.com>{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/sylvester-stallone-9491745|title=Sylvester Stallone: Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Actor, Film Actor (1946–)|publisher=[[Biography.com]] ([[FYI (TV network)|FYI]] / [[A&E Networks]])|access-date=November 16, 2017|archive-date=December 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206233506/https://www.biography.com/people/sylvester-stallone-9491745|url-status=live}}</ref> the elder son of celebrity [[Astrology|astrologer]] and [[women's professional wrestling]] promoter [[Jackie Stallone|Jacqueline "Jackie" Stallone]] (née Labofish; 1921–2020) and hairdresser [[Frank Stallone Sr.|Francesco "Frank" Stallone Sr.]] (1919–2011),<ref name=StalloneSr>{{Cite news |first=Julie |last=Tremaine |url=https://people.com/all-about-sylvester-stallone-father-frank-stallone-sr-8384861 |title=All About Sylvester Stallone's Late Father, Frank Stallone Sr. |website=People |date=1 November 2023 |access-date=27 April 2025}}</ref><ref name="genealogy">{{Cite web| language=it| url=https://storiedifamiglia.com/2023/09/05/dalla-puglia-agli-usa-gli-antenati-di-sylvester-stallone/| title=Dalla Puglia a gli USA! Gli antenati di Sylvester Stallone| website=storiedifamiglia.com| date=September 5, 2023| access-date=January 8, 2024| archive-date=January 8, 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108114141/https://storiedifamiglia.com/2023/09/05/dalla-puglia-agli-usa-gli-antenati-di-sylvester-stallone/| url-status=live}}</ref> who opened up and run a group of hair salons in [[Maryland]] and was an avid [[polo]] player.<ref name=StalloneSr/><ref>{{Cite news|first=T. Rees|last=Shapiro|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/frank-stallone-polo-player-and-father-of-actor-sylvester-stallone-dies-at-91/2011/07/12/gIQAZ8wMBI_story.html |title=Frank Stallone, polo player and father of actor Sylvester Stallone, dies at 91.|work=[[The Washington Post]]|date=12 July 2011|access-date=27 April 2025}}</ref> His mother was an American from [[Washington, D.C.]], with [[Bretons|Breton French]]<ref>[http://www.letelegramme.com/ig/generales/regions/bretagne/cinema-stallone-est-de-brest-meme-06-10-2009-596723.php "Cinéma. Stallone est de Brest « même » !"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010001624/http://www.letelegramme.com/ig/generales/regions/bretagne/cinema-stallone-est-de-brest-meme-06-10-2009-596723.php |date=October 10, 2009 }} {{in lang|fr}}, ''Le Télégramme de Brest'', October 6, 2009</ref> and [[History of the Jews in Ukraine|Ukrainian Jewish]] ancestry,<ref>{{cite web|last=Bloom|first=Nate|title=Interfaith Celebrities: Stallone's Jewish Grandfather|url=http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Interfaith_Celebrities_Stallones_Jewish_Grandfather.shtml|website=www.interfaithfamily.com|date=June 23, 2009|publisher=interfaith family|access-date=March 12, 2016|archive-date=June 26, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626073935/http://www.interfaithfamily.com/arts_and_entertainment/popular_culture/Interfaith_Celebrities_Stallones_Jewish_Grandfather.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Lightening|first1=L.M.|title=Sylvester Stallone's Jewish Mom Forced Him To Become A Hairdresser|url=http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/08/18/sylvester-stallones-jewish-mom-forced-him-to-become-a-hairdresser/|website=www.jewishbusinessnews.com|date=August 18, 2014|publisher=Jewish Business News|access-date=March 12, 2016|archive-date=April 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412022311/http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/08/18/sylvester-stallones-jewish-mom-forced-him-to-become-a-hairdresser/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.artukraine.com/old/historical/stallone.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809172653/http://www.artukraine.com/old/historical/stallone.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=August 9, 2014| title=Mother of movie star Sylvester Stallone seeks grannie in Ukraine| website=ArtUkraine.com| access-date=July 5, 2015}}</ref> while his father was an Italian immigrant from [[Gioia del Colle]]<ref name="genealogy" /> who moved to the U.S. in the 1930s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsKu6TYaYpM | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211027/dsKu6TYaYpM| archive-date=October 27, 2021|title=Video of Stallone visiting Italy |work=Youtube | date=May 28, 2009|access-date=September 4, 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://equiery.com/blog/?p=852|title=Polo Player and former Marylander Frank Stallone Dies|work=equiery.com|date=July 13, 2011|access-date=February 20, 2013|archive-date=March 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323184634/http://equiery.com/blog/?p=852|url-status=live}}</ref> His younger brother is actor and musician [[Frank Stallone]].<ref name="genealogy" /> Many biographies of Stallone indicate that his birth name is "Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone" and his mother explained in an interview that she originally named him "Tyrone" because she admired the actor [[Tyrone Power]], but Stallone's father changed it to "Sylvester". His nickname as a child was "Binky" but he chose to go by the nickname of Mike/Michael after schoolmates began calling him "Stinky".<ref name="digitalspy">{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/10-things-about/a89634/ten-things-you-never-knew-about-sylvester-stallone/|title=Ten Things You Never Knew About Sylvester Stallone|website=digitalspy.com|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|date=February 20, 2008|access-date=February 1, 2023|archive-date=January 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120185911/https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/10-things-about/a89634/ten-things-you-never-knew-about-sylvester-stallone/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Aging heroes">{{Cite book| last1=Batchelor| first1=Bob| last2=Jones| first2=Norma| title=Aging heroes| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OtNbCQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Gardenzio%22&pg=PA35| publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]| page=35| date=2015| isbn=978-1-4422-5006-2| access-date=March 19, 2023| archive-date=April 7, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407174732/https://books.google.com/books?id=OtNbCQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Gardenzio%22&pg=PA35| url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="upi">{{Cite web| url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/12/17/TY-STALLONE/7459566715600| title=Ty Stallone?| website=upi.com| publisher=[[United Press International]]| date=December 17, 1987| access-date=February 1, 2023| archive-date=January 21, 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121162159/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/12/17/TY-STALLONE/7459566715600| url-status=live}}</ref> His middle name "Gardenzio" is an alteration of the Italian given name "[[Gaudenzio]]" and he usually shortened it to "Enzio".<ref name="bio">{{Cite web|url=https://sylvesterstallone.com/bio/|title=Bio - About Sylvester Stallone|website=sylvesterstallone.com|access-date=January 19, 2023|archive-date=June 1, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010601150127/https://sylvesterstallone.com/bio/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Complications during Stallone's birth forced his mother's obstetricians to use two pairs of [[forceps in childbirth|forceps]] while delivering him, accidentally severing a nerve in the process.<ref>{{cite web|author=The Biography Channel |title=Sylvester Stallone Biography |year=2007 |url=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/sylvester-stallone.html |access-date=December 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213163721/http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/sylvester-stallone.html |archive-date=December 13, 2009 }}</ref><ref name=tca>Stated on ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]'', 1999</ref> This caused paralysis of the lower left side of his face (including parts of his lip, tongue, and chin) which gave him his signature snarling look and slurred speech.<ref name=tca/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/sylvester-stallone-can-still-pack-a-punch-at-68/15540185|title=Sylvester Stallone can still pack a punch at 68|date=August 21, 2014|work=mid-day|access-date=August 6, 2015|archive-date=April 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427064858/https://www.mid-day.com/articles/sylvester-stallone-can-still-pack-a-punch-at-68/15540185|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, he was bullied in his childhood, with which he coped by getting into bodybuilding and acting.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://decoy.tvpassport.com/q_a/q-sylvester-stallone-has-very-interesting-voice-it-accent-or-something?subid=national-00001|title=Hollywood Q & A|last=Thomlison|first=Adam|work=[[Winston-Salem Journal]]|date=August 21, 2021|accessdate=August 26, 2021|archive-date=August 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814133615/http://decoy.tvpassport.com/q_a/q-sylvester-stallone-has-very-interesting-voice-it-accent-or-something?subid=national-00001|url-status=live}}</ref> A guidance counselor once told Stallone's mother: "Your son is suited to run a sorting machine or to be an assistant electrician, primarily in the area of elevator operations"; nevertheless, Sylvester aspired to be an actor and a screenwriter.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Güimil |first=Eva |date=2023-03-03 |title=Sylvester Stallone: How childhood rejection and bullying led the legendary actor to create 'Rocky' |url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-03-03/sylvester-stallone-how-childhood-rejection-and-bullying-led-the-legendary-actor-to-create-rocky.html |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}}</ref>

Stallone spent part of his infancy in foster and boarding care, rejoining and moving back with his family to [[Maryland]] when he was five. In the early 1950s, his father moved the family to his mother's native Washington, D.C. to open a beauty school. In 1954, his mother opened a women's gym called Barbella's.<ref>Stallone, Sylvester. ''Sly Moves: My Proven Program to Lose Weight, Build Strength, Gain Will Power and Live Your Dream'', Rogue Marble Productions, 2005, p. 12.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/09/22/jackie-stallone-dies-sylvester-stallone-mother-astrologist/5861878002/|title=Jackie Stallone, celebrity astrologer, Sylvester Stallone's eccentric mother, dies at 98|website=USA TODAY|access-date=May 20, 2023|archive-date=May 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520151925/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/09/22/jackie-stallone-dies-sylvester-stallone-mother-astrologist/5861878002/|url-status=live}}</ref> He initially stayed with his father following his parents' divorce when he was 11, but joined his remarried mother in [[Philadelphia]] when he was 15.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvester-Stallone|title=Sylvester-Stallone|work=[[Britannica]]|date=April 2023|access-date=June 14, 2023|archive-date=March 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315023235/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvester-Stallone|url-status=live}}</ref>

At one point, Stallone was voted "Most Likely To End Up In The Electric Chair" in high school;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shear |first=Robin |title=Celebrating UM Alumni |url=https://news.miami.edu/stories/2015/06/sharing-heart-and-humor.html |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=news.miami.edu |language=en}}</ref> nevertheless, Stallone attended Notre Dame Academy and [[Abraham Lincoln High School (Philadelphia)|Abraham Lincoln High School]] in [[Philadelphia]],<ref name=Edu>{{cite web|last=Birnbaum|first=Aspen|title=Stallone, Sylvester (Sly)|url=http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Stallone__Sylvester.html|publisher=Pabook libraries|access-date=November 27, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114162642/http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Stallone__Sylvester.html|archive-date=January 14, 2012}}</ref> and [[Charlotte Hall Military Academy]] in [[Charlotte Hall, Maryland]], prior to attending [[Miami Dade College]].<ref name="Alumni">{{Cite web|url=http://www.chma.org/listing.cfm?year=1964&Submit=Submit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118103903/http://www.chma.org/listing.cfm?year=1964&Submit=Submit|url-status=dead|title=Charlotte Hall Military Academy Alumni|archive-date=November 18, 2011}}</ref> He spent two years, from September 1965 to June 1967, at the [[American College of Switzerland]]. He returned to the United States to study as a drama major at the [[University of Miami]], from 1967 to 1969, but did not graduate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sylvesterstallone.com/bio/|title=Bio &#124; Sylvester Stallone|website=sylvesterstallone.com|access-date=June 14, 2019|archive-date=June 1, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010601150127/https://sylvesterstallone.com/bio/|url-status=live}}</ref> Decades later, after Stallone's request that his acting and life experiences be accepted in exchange for his remaining needed college credits to graduate, he was granted a [[Bachelor of Fine Arts]] (BFA) degree by the University of Miami in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=Celebrating UM Alumni|url=https://news.miami.edu/stories/2015/06/sharing-heart-and-humor.html|publisher=2015 University of Miami|access-date=March 25, 2023|archive-date=July 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710062857/https://news.miami.edu/stories/2015/06/sharing-heart-and-humor.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://www.themiamihurricane.com/2003/02/28/um-urban-legends-series-sylvester-stallones-um-porn-flick/ UM Urban Legends Series: Sylvester Stallone's UM porn flick.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326043906/https://www.themiamihurricane.com/2003/02/28/um-urban-legends-series-sylvester-stallones-um-porn-flick/ |date=March 26, 2023 }} The Miami Hurricane. February 28, 2003. Retrieved March 25, 2023.</ref>