Sylvester Stallone
It wasn’t always spotlight, action movies, and fame for Sylvester Stallone. Much like Rocky Balboa, he had to fight his way to the top and overcome difficult hurdles to get to where he is now. Stallone was so broke, he had to sell off his wife’s jewelry. He worked at a deli when he was in his 20s and was so desperate, he even had to sell his beloved pet dog to a stranger at a local liquor store. Stallone parted with his best bud for a mere $25! Stallone claimed that this was the lowest point in his life. He said goodbye to his dog and went away sad and crying.
Stallone would later write the script to “Rocky” and instead of selling it and having someone else play the lead role, Stallone took it upon himself to be the main star. The rest is history, as the movie went on to win an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1977. The story of Rocky is one of rags to riches and is definitely a parallel to the real-life actor Sylvester Stallone. And can you guess what he did when he made money from the success of the movie? That’s right, he went back to buy his beloved dog back for $15K!