Sylvester Stallone opened up about his challenging childhood in the latest Netflix documentary, Sly. Born to Jackie and Frank Stallone, the Rocky actor experienced a medical accident during childbirth that left him with a drooping lower lip and a distinctive slurred speech pattern for the rest of his life. However, these birth defects also became an iconic feature for Stallone, one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood.
Stallone delved into the circumstances surrounding his birth, revealing how his mother was afraid of having children and was not very careful of her pregnancy. Stallone also recounted the story of how a kind stranger carried his pregnant mother into the charity ward where he was born.
Sylvester Stallone’s Medical Accident That Left Him With A Snarl
Sylvester Stallone’s father was a barber who came to New York with the dream of becoming a professional hairdresser. He met Stallone’s mother, who worked as a cigarette girl at the nightclub Diamond Horseshoe. Stallone shared that when she went into labor, she was traveling by bus. A stranger on the bus helped her off the bus and carried her into a charity ward.
The Expendables actor touched upon the irresponsible medical accident that occurred during his birth, which paralyzed all the nerves on one side of his chin and gave him a “snarl”. The obstetricians at the charity ward encountered a complication during Stallone’s birth and had to use two pairs of forceps. While handling the tool, they accidentally severed a facial nerve of the baby. Stallone shared his birth story on the Netflix documentary, Sly:
“My father told me that she just was afraid to have a kid. Even though she was nine months pregnant, she kept riding around on the bus. And she’d gone into labor. Somebody smart enough to get her off the bus, they carry her into a charity ward. 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.”
The accident gave the First Blood actor his signature snarling look and slurred speech patterns. During his early life, he was bullied because of his birth defect. To make matters worse, his father and mother constantly argued and yelled at each other. As a result, he turned to bodybuilding and acting to cope with the struggles.
Sylvester Stallone Spent Most Of His Childhood In Boarding Houses
Until the age of five, Stallone spent his time in foster and boarding care because his family struggled to support him and his younger brother, Frank Stallone Jr. Both his mother and father worked hard at the time, so much so that they went more than a year without seeing their children. Stallone has fond memories of his mother, but he also shared a kind of ferocity for his father. The Tulsa King actor shared:
“She was quite eccentric, colorful, very, very, very outspoken and unpredictable. I know I’ve got a certain kind of… ferocity for my father. No question.”
After his parents’ divorce, Stallone stayed with his father in Washington, D.C., until he was 15 years old. Then, he moved in with his remarried mother in Philadelphia. The Demolition Man actor spent most of his teenage years in Philadelphia, a city he came to love so much that it later became known for the Rocky movies.
Also Read: Tragic Story of Sylvester Stallone’s Son: How Did Sage Stallone Die?
