A Hollywood Underdog Takes Plenty of Hits and Becomes a Heavyweight

As a kid, he was teased for his name and for the way one side of his face drooped a little. While trying to make it as an actor, Sylvester Stallone once had to sleep in a bus station. And then suddenly, he was one of the biggest movie stars in the world. As you'll see on Sylvester Stallone: The E! True Hollywood Story, his life in some ways parallels the character that made him an icon--Rocky. But unlike the mythical boxing champ, there wasn't always a Hollywood ending for Stallone.

Before hitting it big, Stallone had to hustle for any kind of acting job he could get--including a spot in an adult film that would come back to haunt him after he became a star. His personal life has been, well, rocky at times. And, of course, when you're on top, it only means you have farther to fall. Stallone, though, has been nothing if not resilient throughout the nearly 30 years since Rocky first thrilled audiences in 1976. He'll soon be encouraging young boxers on the reality series The Contender and has plans to launch a fitness magazine for mature men--a subject that, at 58, he knows a little something about. This proves once again that, like Rocky Balboa, it's tough to count Sylvester Stallone out.

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