Sylvester Garenzio Stallone (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. One of the biggest box office draws in the world from the '70s to the early '90s, Stallone is an international icon of machismo and Hollywood action heroism. He has played two characters who have become a part of the American cultural lexicon: Rocky Balboa, the boxer who overcame all odds to become a champion, and John Rambo, a sensitive soldier who specialized in violent rescues and revenge.