The Tragic Real Life Story Of Sylvester Stallone Is Just Plain Sad

Is there a greater underdog story than that of Rocky Balboa? Well, it turns out art only sort of imitates life, because the creator and star of the storied Rocky franchise had an arguably way rougher origin story than his titular character. This is Sylvester Stallone’s tragic real-life story. Sylvester Stallone’s curled lip and vocal delivery aren’t a tough guy act, they’re actually the result of a traumatic childbirth. According to the Chicago Tribune, an accident during Stallone’s delivery resulted in a severed facial nerve, paralyzing part of his tongue and chin. In addition to Sylvester Stallone’s traumatic birth, the actor suffered a slew of medical problems throughout his early life. He got rickets as a young child and was heavily bullied. He claimed his father was physically abusive. As a result, he’d act out in dangerous ways.