The rivalry between American actor Sylvester Stallone and Austrian-American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger went on for about twenty years, often involving incidents of one-upsmanship and subterfuge from both parties. [1] [2]
The rivalry between American actor Sylvester Stallone and Austrian-American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger went on for about twenty years, often involving incidents of one-upsmanship and subterfuge from both parties. [1] [2]
The two actors first met each other in 1977 when assigned to the same table at the 34th Golden Globe Awards, where Rocky , written by and starring Stallone, had been nominated for six categories but came short in all but one of them, while Schwarzenegger was nominated for New Star of the Year, for Stay Hungry , which he won. [3] Stallone later spoke out in an interview with Variety, saying that Schwarzenegger laughed at him when Rocky lost in several categories. [4] Finally, when Rocky won Best Motion Picture – Drama, [5] Stallone threw a bowl of flowers at Schwarzenegger. [6]
The rival actors attacked each other in the press, and tried to surpass the other with more on-screen killings and larger weapons. [7] In an October 1985 interview with The News of the World , Schwarzenegger apparently insulted Stallone (who was considered a much bigger star at the time) by alleging that Stallone uses body doubles in a few of his films, and that one "would be angry at hearing their name in the same breath" as the Rocky actor. [8]
In November 1985, Rocky IV , starring Stallone, opened with a $20 million weekend, with Rocky's rival, Ivan Drago, a robotic, muscular villain with a strange accent perceived to be a facsimile of Schwarzenegger. [8]
In February 1988, The News of the World ran a story by journalist Wendy Leigh with the headline: "Hollywood Star's Nazi Secret." The article claims Schwarzenegger is a closet Hitler-lover with "fervent Nazi and anti-Semitic views." His father, Gustav, the article alleges, was responsible for rounding up Jews to put them in concentration camps. Leigh's source was claimed to be Stallone. While Schwarzenegger's father did indeed voluntarily apply to join the Austrian National Socialist Party on 1 March 1938 and held allegiance to Nazi Germany during World War II, there is no evidence to support Gustav rounded up Jews or directly participated in war crimes. [9] Gustav Schwarzenegger's Nazi links were revealed in 1990, two years after the accusation; however, Arnold, who was born two years after the fall of the regime, has always fervently denounced them. Wendy Leigh later claimed her source for the story, Stallone, also paid for her legal fees when Schwarzenegger sued for libel; the newspaper apologized late in 1989 and agreed to pay damages. [10]
In September 1988, the New York Post reported that Stallone and his entourage entered a nightclub, saw a picture of Schwarzenegger on the wall, and demanded its removal, or else Stallone would leave. The owner handed the picture of Schwarzenegger over to Stallone's minders, who destroyed it. [11] [8]
In March 1990, Stallone read an unauthorized biography by the aforementioned Wendy Leigh about Schwarzenegger's Nazi family, difficult childhood, and use of steroids in his teens. Stallone, according to Leigh, was so pleased after reading the first draft that he remarked "Reading this is better than getting four blow jobs". [8] Schwarzenegger has subsequently admitted to taking steroids while bodybuilding, and he also mentioned his father was indeed an abusive alcoholic. [12] [13]
In Twins, Schwarzenegger's character makes fun of a Rambo poster that he sees on the wall, implying with a hand gesture that he had bigger muscles than Stallone's depiction of Rambo. Stallone responded in the movie Tango & Cash , in which he beat up a man who looked like Schwarzenegger. Stallone later admitted that he imagined Schwarzenegger while shooting the scene. [8] In Last Action Hero , a Terminator 2 poster was shown with Stallone's face, and Schwarzenegger's character compliments his performance in a tongue-in-cheek manner. [14] In the 1993 film Demolition Man , John Spartan (Stallone) discovers that Schwarzenegger has a Presidential Library by the year 2032. [1]
In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Stallone stated that Schwarzenegger once tricked him into doing the critically reviled 1992 film Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot . [15] [16] Schwarzenegger later admitted to this in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, [17] [18] saying:
I read the script, and it was a piece of shit. Let's be honest. I say to myself, 'I'm not going to do this movie...' Then they went to Sly, and Sly called me (and asked), 'have they ever talked to you about doing this movie?' And I said, 'yes, I was thinking about doing it. This is a really brilliant idea, this movie.' When he heard that, because he was in competition, he said, 'Whatever it takes, I'll do the movie.' And of course the movie went major into the toilet. [17]
The rivalry ended in the late 1990s when both actors' impact on the box office had reduced significantly. [19] At the turn of the millennium, The Hollywood Reporter said that the pair were ideating a joint acting venture. Schwarzenegger also invited Stallone for multiple inaugurations during his time as the Governor of California; as a gesture of goodwill, Stallone had donated $15,000 to Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign in 2005. The pair also starred in three movies together: The Expendables 2, The Expendables 3 , and Escape Plan. Additionally, Schwarzenegger also had an uncredited cameo appearance in The Expendables. [19] [20]
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. He served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011.
Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Award, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and two BAFTA Awards. Stallone is one of only two actors in history to have starred in a box-office No. 1 film across six consecutive decades.
Rocky IV is a 1985 American sports drama film starring, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. The film is the sequel to Rocky III (1982) and the fourth installment in the Rocky film series. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Brigitte Nielsen, and Dolph Lundgren. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) confronts Ivan Drago (Lundgren), a Soviet boxer responsible for another personal tragedy in Balboa's life.
Cobra is a 1986 American action drama film directed by George P. Cosmatos and written by Sylvester Stallone, who stars in the titular role. The film, loosely based on the novel A Running Duck by Paula Gosling, co-stars Reni Santoni, Brigitte Nielsen and Andrew Robinson. Cobra follows Los Angeles police Lt. Marion "Cobra" Cobretti, who investigates a string of violent crimes and also protects a witness targeted by the perpetrators.
Beefcake is a performance or a form of glamour photography depicting a large and muscular male body. Beefcake is also a publication genre. A role a person plays in a performance may be called beefcake. The term was believed to be first used by Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky.
Jürgen Prochnow is a German actor. His international breakthrough was his portrayal of the good-hearted and sympathetic U-boat Commander "Der Alte" in the 1981 war film Das Boot.
Frank Stallone Jr. is an American actor and musician. He is the younger brother of actor Sylvester Stallone and has written music for Sylvester's movies. His song "Far from Over" appeared in the 1983 film Staying Alive and was included in the film's soundtrack album. The song reached number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received a Golden Globe nomination for Stallone, while the album itself, consisting of Stallone and various other artists, received a Grammy nomination.
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot is a 1992 American buddy cop action comedy directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Sylvester Stallone and Estelle Getty. The film was released in the United States on February 21, 1992. The film received highly negative reviews upon release but grossed $70.6 million worldwide.
Rocky is an American sports drama multimedia franchise created by Sylvester Stallone, based on the life of boxer Rocky Balboa, which began with the eponymous 1976 film and has since become a cultural phenomenon.
The Expendables is a 2010 American action film directed by Sylvester Stallone, who co-wrote it with David Callaham and also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars an ensemble cast of mostly action film actors consisting of Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, and Bruce Willis. The film was released in the United States on August 13, 2010. It is the first installment in The Expendables film series. This was Dolph Lundgren's first theatrically released film since 1995's cyberpunk film Johnny Mnemonic.
The Expendables 2 is a 2012 American action film directed by Simon West, written by Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone and based on a story by Ken Kaufman, David Agosto and Wenk. Brian Tyler returned to score the film. It is the sequel to The Expendables (2010), and is the second installment in The Expendables film series. The film stars an ensemble cast of largely action film actors consisting of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the film, The Expendables undertakes a mission which evolves into a quest for revenge against rival mercenary Jean Vilain, who murders one of their own men and threatens the world with a deadly weapon.
Patrick Mario Knapp-Schwarzenegger also known as Patrick Knapp, is an Austrian-American attorney, businessman, and investor based in Los Angeles, California.
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The Expendables 3 is a 2014 American action film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt and Sylvester Stallone. It is the third installment in The Expendables franchise and the sequel to The Expendables (2010) and The Expendables 2 (2012). The film features an ensemble cast of largely action film actors consisting of Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Kelsey Grammer, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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Derek Wayne Johnson is an American film director, screenwriter, editor and producer.
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