Known for physically demanding roles and his willingness to do the majority of his own stunts, Stallone has suffered numerous injuries during his acting career. For a scene in Rocky IV, he told Dolph Lundgren, "Punch me as hard as you can in the chest." He later said, "Next thing I know, I was in intensive care at St. John's Hospital for four days. It's stupid!" While filming a fight scene with Steve Austin for The Expendables, he broke his neck, which required the insertion of a metal plate. During the filming of Escape to Victory, he broke a finger trying to save a penalty kick from Pelé.
In 1993, he made a comeback with the hit Cliffhanger, which was a success in the US, grossing US$84 million, but even more successful worldwide, grossing US$171 million. Later that year, he starred with Wesley Snipes in the futuristic action film Demolition Man, which grossed over US$158 million worldwide. His string of hits continued with 1994's The Specialist (over US$170 million worldwide gross). In 1995, he played the futuristic character Judge Dredd (from the British comic book 2000 AD) in the eponymous film Judge Dredd. His overseas box office appeal saved the domestic box office disappointment of Judge Dredd, which cost almost US$100 million and barely made its budget back, with a worldwide tally of US$113 million. Despite its performance, he signed a three-picture deal with Universal Pictures for $60 million, making him the second star after Jim Carrey to receive $20 million per film, however the deal expired in February 2000 without him making any films and therefore, received no payment. He later appeared in the thriller Assassins (1995) with Julianne Moore and Antonio Banderas and the following year he starred in the disaster film Daylight (1996).
More InfoIn 2012, Stallone co-wrote the book for the Broadway musical adaptation of Rocky. In 2013, Stallone starred in the action film Bullet to the Head, directed by Walter Hill, based upon Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tete. Also in 2013, he starred in the action thriller Escape Plan, along with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Caviezel, and in the sports comedy drama Grudge Match alongside Robert De Niro, harkening back to the Rocky franchise. Stallone was reported to be developing an English-language remake of the Spanish film No Rest for the Wicked, though the project was shelved.
More InfoIn 2000, Stallone starred in the thriller Get Carter, a remake of the 1971 British Michael Caine film of the same name, but the film was poorly received by both critics and audiences. Stallone's career declined considerably after his subsequent films Driven (2001), Avenging Angelo (2002) and D-Tox (2002) were also critical and commercial failures. In 2003, he played a villainous role in the third installment of the Spy Kids series: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, which was a huge box office success (almost US$200 million worldwide). Stallone also had a cameo appearance in the 2003 French film Taxi 3 as a passenger.
More InfoStallone was engaged to model Janice Dickinson for less than a year in the early 1990s. Stallone had ended his relationship with Jennifer Flavin via FedEx after Dickinson gave birth to her daughter Savannah in February 1994. It was reported that Stallone was the father, and Savannah was given his surname at birth. They split up when Stallone discovered he was not the father of her daughter. In 1995, Stallone was briefly engaged to model Angie Everhart before rekindling his relationship with Flavin.
More InfoAfter moving to New York City, Stallone shared a flat with his girlfriend, Sasha Czack, who supporting them by working as a waitress and she was an aspiring actress herself. Stallone took odd jobs around this time, including being a cleaner at a zoo, and an usher, where he scalped tickets, but he was caught by the manager, and fired. Stallone apparently bathed wearing his clothes, and persisted with auditions, but never really got anywhere. He visited a local library, furthering his writing skills, and became interested in the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
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