What Is Sylvester Stallone's Net Worth and Salary?
Sylvester Stallone is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, and director who has a net worth of $400 million. Sylvester Stallone is easily one of the most famous and beloved action stars of all time. He is the only actor in American cinema history to have starred in box office #1 films across six consecutive decades.
After launching to superstar status thanks to "Rocky," Stallone became one of the highest-paid action stars of the 1980s and 1990s. He has written and produced a handful of highly successful franchises, including "Rocky," "Rambo," and "The Expendables." As of this writing, Stallone's movies have generated more than $4 billion in global revenue. Unlike most Hollywood stars, Sylvester has written, produced, and/or directed many of his major franchise movies.
Some of Stallone's biggest films by box office gross include "Rocky IV" (1985), which earned $300 million, "Rambo: First Blood Part II" (1985) with $300 million, and "Creed" (2015), which earned $173 million. To date, his movies have earned over $4.5 billion worldwide. This is an impressive number that puts Stallone among the highest-grossing actors of all time, along with other major stars like Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, and Robert Downey Jr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, another iconic action movie star, has a box office total of approximately $4.4 billion worldwide, which is slightly lower than Stallone's total.
Salary Highlights
Between the 1970s and 2012, from just the movies we are about to mention… which is not every Stallone movie during that period or the 10+ years after… Sylvester earned $300 million in base film salaries alone. After adjusting for inflation, his earnings from this period alone were worth roughly $500 million in today's dollars.
After writing the screenplay for "Rocky" in just three days, Stallone found interest in his project at multiple studios. United Artists was the front runner but they wanted it as a starring vehicle for Robert Redford or James Caan. He relentlessly pressured the film's producers, Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, to allow him to star in the movie. He accepted a cut-rate salary of $23,000 for the film. That's the same as around $110,000 today. The movie went on to earn $225 million on a budget of $1 million.
- For "Rocky II," Sylvester took a $75,000 paycheck
- For "Rocky III," his base salary was $120,000
- For "Rocky V," he earned $15 million
- For "Creed" and "Creed II," he earned $10 million base salaries
In 1982, Sylvester earned $3.5 million for "First Blood." The following year, he earned $10 million – the inflation equivalent of $25 million – and earned his first Producer credit for "Staying Alive."
He earned $4 million and his second Producer credit for 1984's "Rhinestone." The following year, he earned $12 million and another Producer credit for "Rocky IV." He earned another $12 million for "Over the Top." For "Rambo III," he earned $16 million.
Sylvester earned $15 million or $16 million for each of the following films:
- "Lock Up"
- "Tango & Cash"
- "Rocky V"
- "Oscar"
- "Demolition Man"
- "Judge Dredd"
- "Assassins"
- "The Specialist"
- "The Expendables"
- "The Expendables II"
Stallone earned $17.5 million for "Daylight," $20 million for "Driven," and another $20 million for "Eye See You."
(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Early Life
Sylvester Stallone was born Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone on July 6, 1946, in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. He's the elder son of Italian-born Francesco "Frank" Stallone Sr, a hairdresser, and Jackie Stallone, an astrologer and dancer. He has a younger brother, Frank Stallone, who is an actor and musician. Complications during childbirth caused the lower left side of Sylvester's face to be paralyzed, giving him his now-iconic "snarling" look and slightly slurred speech.
Stallone spent some of his early years in foster care due to his parent's volatile relationship. The couple later divorced. For a period, Sylvester lived with his father in Maryland after his parents divorced.
Stallone studied drama at the American College in Switzerland before moving on to the University of Miami. He left school before completing his degree and moved to New York City to pursue acting as a career.
(Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)
Career
Stallone's first starring role was in "The Party at Kitty and Stud's," a softcore adult film. Stallone would later explain that he did the movie out of desperation after being evicted from his apartment. He was paid $200 for two days of work.
His first few early film roles were minor, including an uncredited role in Woody Allen's 1971 film "Bananas." In 1973, he had a role in a movie called "Rebel," and in 1974, he earned some early critical praise for his work in "The Lords of Flatbush."
In the mid-1970s, Stallone decided to move to Los Angeles. During his free time, he wrote screenplays. Inspired by a Muhammad Ali versus Chuck Wepner fight he'd seen, he wrote a screenplay about a struggling underdog thug with ambitions to become a professional boxer. Stallone reportedly refused to sell the script unless he was the star of the film. He held out until he found Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, two producers who were willing to let him play the lead role of Rocky Balboa. The name "Balboa" came to him because his LA apartment was two blocks away from Balboa Avenue.
In 1976, "Rocky" was released. Despite some lukewarm test screenings, the movie would go on to become a Global phenomenon, catapulting Stallone to instant A-list status and world fame. The film was a critical and box office hit and went on to earn $117 million at the box office, off a budget of $1 million; it earned ten Academy Award nominations. It was up for Best Picture against other now-classic films such as "All the President's Men," "Network," and "Taxi Driver," but incredibly "Rocky" clinched the win. It also nabbed awards for Best Directing and Best Film Editing. "Rocky II" was released in 1979, followed by two more in the '80s, and Stallone continued to enjoy box office success.
In 1982, Sylvester launched another critical and box office smash with his role as John Rambo in the action movie "Rambo: First Blood." Three sequels were made after the first film. In preparation for both of his roles as Rocky and Rambo, he adhered to an incredibly vigorous training program, two workouts a day, six days a week, and more exercise in the evenings. He reduced his body fat percentage to an all-time low of 2.8% for the third "Rocky" installment.
In 1987, Stallone began to face a decline in popularity when he starred in "Over the Top," a box office flop that fared poorly amongst critics. In the '90s, he released "Rocky V," which was yet another box-office disappointment. He attempted to make movies in the comedy genre but was met with critical and commercial disasters in the form of the early-nineties movies "Oscar" and "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot." Stallone enjoyed a brief career warm-up with "Cliffhanger" in 1993, which grossed $170 million, as well as 1996's "Daylight," but by the early 2000s, he was acting in a string of box office disappointments and critical letdowns.
Stallone took a three-year hiatus and, in 2006, had a comeback with the sixth "Rocky" film. He wrote, directed, and starred in critically-acclaimed "Rocky Balboa", which had a budget of $24 million and made $155.7 million worldwide. He also reprised his role of Rambo in the fourth installment of that series, "Rambo." In 2010, he wrote, directed, and starred in the successful "The Expendables," which went straight to #1 at the box office upon opening weekend. A sequel was released in 2012 to similarly positive reviews and a #1 slot at the box office.
In 2015, Stallone added another chapter of the "Rocky" series with a spin-off film, "Creed." Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film focused on Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan, the son of Rocky's rival Apollo Creed. Stallone received widespread acclaim and his third Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. "Creed II," released in 2018, was also met with positive reviews and a $35.3 million opening weekend. The fifth "Rambo" movie was released on September 20, 2019, and grossed $91 million worldwide.
Stallone has also played the roles of Stakar Ogord in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies and Dwight "The General" Manfredi in the "Tulsa King" series on Paramount+. In 2023, Sylvester, his wife, and their three daughters starred in the reality series "The Family Stallone," which was quickly renewed for a second season.
(Photo by TriStar/Getty Images)
Other Ventures
Sylvester formed Balboa Productions, a film production studio, with Braden Aftergood in March 2018. The studio has an extensive production slate, including "Creed II," "Rambo V," and "Expend4bles." The studio is currently working on a film depicting the story of Jack "Galveston Giant" Johnson, the first African-American boxing heavyweight champion.
Stallone also has sung on soundtracks for many films. He recorded the "Gonna Fly Now" theme for the first Rocky and "Take Me Back" in Rocky IV. In addition to these, he did duets with Dolly Parton on their movie "Rhinestone" in 1984. He is also a boxing promoter, and his company name is Tiger Eye Productions.
Personal Life
In 1974, Sylvester married Sasha Czack. They had two sons together, Sage Moonblood, who died of heart disease at age 36, and Seargeoh. Stallone and Czack divorced in 1985. Stallone was married to Brigitte Nielson from 1985 to 1987.
Sylvester married Jennifer Flavin in 1997. They would go on to have three daughters, Sophie, Sistine, and Scarlet. On August 24, 2022, it was revealed that Jennifer filed for divorce from Sylvester. The divorce was filed in Palm Beach County, Florida. The two ultimately reconciled.
Real Estate
In 1999, Sylvester sold a home in Coconut Grove, Florida, for $16 million.
For the last few decades, Sylvester's primary residence has been an opulent mansion in the tony gated community at the top of Beverly Hills called Beverly Park. His property spans 3.5 acres and features a 20,000-square-foot home. Nearby neighbors include Eddie Murphy, Mark Wahlberg, and Denzel Washington. Similar homes have sold recently for $40 – $70 million. In January 2021, it was reported that Sylvester was listing this home for a staggering $130 million. In August 2021, he lowered the price to $85 million.
In December 2021, Sylvester accepted a $58 million offer. The buyer was Adele, and it was the highest price ever paid for a home in Beverly Park.
Here's a video tour:
In January 2010, Sylvester and his wife, Jennifer Flavin, paid $4.5 million for a vacation retreat in La Quinta, California. They attempted to sell this house a number of times, starting in 2014. By 2016, they had even reduced the price to $3.625 million but still did not find a buyer. They finally sold this home in May 2020 for $3.1 million.
In December 2020, Sylvester paid $35.4 million for a 1.5-acre property with 13,000 square-foot mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. The sellers of the property cleared nearly $10 million in profits from the sale, having acquired the property in 2018 for $26 million.
In February 2022, Sylvester paid $18.2 million for a 2.26-acre estate in Hidden Hills, California. Unfortunately, this home earned Sly some negative headlines in August 2022 when it was revealed that the property was using an ungodly amount of water. In May 2022 and June 2022, the property exceeded its monthly water allocation by 195,000 gallons and 230,000 gallons, respectively. In their defense, the Stallones claimed the property featured more than 500 mature trees that needed constant watering, or they would die and become an extreme fire hazard. If the Stallones exceeded their allocation by 150% in four total months, the local water department reserved the right to place a restrictor on the water before it entered the property.
Here's a video tour from when it was listed in early 2022:
In December 2022, less than a year after purchasing the property for $18.2 million, Sylvester listed it for sale for $22.5 million. In October 2023, he sold the home to musician John Fogerty for $17 million, a $1.2 million loss compared to his February 2022 purchase price.
