When we spot a Hollywood star, we often think they had everything handed to them from the start. It looks like everything works out for them, but that’s not always true.
The young boy in the picture below is now a well-known Hollywood actor. While he is easily recognized as an adult, not many people knew him when he was younger.
He grew up in a home that lacked the usual warmth and kindness we expect from families. His parents didn’t take care of him, and he missed out on the love and support needed to grow up healthy and happy.
As he was growing up, he and his siblings watched their mother get married several times. She had different relationships, and more kids came along each time.
Even though he came from a broken family, he realized he had to be strong. He even said: “I grew up in a really bad household, it was tough. […] Everyone was really unhappy with who they were. My mom and dad, they definitely weren’t good parents.”
Sometimes, he would spend days at a boarding house where his parents would leave him. He described it as a ‘transient’ home run by an older woman. This made him feel very alone.
As he grew older, he became someone who kept to himself. He struggled to connect with others, and his mother talked about the absence of love in their home. She would say: “The only reason you’re here is because the hanger didn’t work.” And sometimes: “bouncing down those steps didn’t cause you to get lost.”
Eventually, he found out more about his mom’s history. She had been put in an orphanage where she was tied to a bed, abused, and whipped. This made it really hard for her to show love to her kids.
When he got older, he moved to New York City with very little money. He couldn’t pay for a place to live, so he ended up sleeping in the bus station. He really wanted to be an actor, but he was scared he would only be a ‘professional extra’ because he didn’t look like a typical handsome guy.
He decided to get plastic surgery to change his looks, but it didn’t go well and left one side of his face partially paralyzed. After that, he had to have another surgery to lift his face, and people often thought the scar was from plastic surgery.
If you haven’t guessed yet, we’re talking about Sylvester Stallone. He went from having nothing at that time in his life to achieving amazing success.
He also faced issues because of his acting career and the active lifestyle he led. He had two shoulder surgeries, four back surgeries, and a spinal fusion. He stayed away from sports like basketball or golf to keep his body in shape.
He talked about his career, saying: “When you become known for blunt-force trauma, you’re not really leaving anyone with thought-provoking aftershocks of your performance.”
His personal life was also very tough. He got married three times and had two sons with his first wife. The oldest, Sage, sadly passed away from a heart attack at just 36 years old.
He was married again for a short time in the 80s but got divorced after only two years.
His longest marriage was to his third wife, Jennifer Flavin. They had three daughters together after they got married in 1997. They did file for divorce in 2022 but got back together and are still married today.
Life hasn’t always been easy for Sylvester Stallone, but he remained strong throughout the journey.
