Sylvester Stallone made his debut in the 1969 American sports drama film ‘Downhill Racer’ where he made an uncredited appearance as a restaurant patron. He continued to appear as an uncredited extra in films like ‘M*A*S*H’ (1970), ‘Lovers and Other Strangers’ (1970), ‘The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker’ (1970), ‘Bananas’ (1971), ‘Klute’ (1971), and ‘What's Up, Doc?’ (1972). In 1973, he starred as ‘Jerry Savage’ in the American thriller film ‘No Place to Hide’ directed by Robert Allen Schnitzer. In 1975, he portrayed Frank Ralph "The Enforcer" Nitti in the Canadian-American biographical crime film ‘Capone’ directed by Steve Carver. The film was based on the life of the infamous American gangster ‘Al Capone.’ He was next seen in films like ‘Death Race 2000’ (1975), ‘Mandingo’ (1975), and ‘Cannonball’ (1976). In 1976, he portrayed Robert "Rocky" Balboa in the John G. Avildsen-directed American sports drama film ‘Rocky’ which was also written by him. The film received a positive response from critics and became a sleeper hit, grossing over $225 million on a budget of $225 million. Stallone also received 2 Academy Award nominations (Best Actor and Best Screenplay) for the film.
In 1978, he starred in the American neo-noir crime drama film ‘F.I.S.T.’ directed by Norman Jewison. The film opened to positive reviews and was a commercial success. He was also the writer of the film. That same year, Stallone made his directorial debut in the American sports drama film ‘Paradise Alley’ where he also played the role of ‘Cosmo Carboni.’ The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. He was next seen in films like ‘Rocky II’ (1979), ‘Nighthawks’ (1981), ‘Escape to Victory’ (1981), ‘Rocky III’ (1982), ‘First Blood’ (1982), ‘Staying Alive’ (1983), Rhinestone’ (1984), ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985), ‘Rocky IV’ (1985), ‘Cobra’ (1986), ‘Over the Top’ (1987), ‘Rambo III’ (1988), and ‘Lock Up’ (1989). The year 1989 saw the release of the American buddy cop action comedy film where Stallone played the role of Lieutenant Raymond "Ray" Tango. The film received a mixed response from critics and grossed over $120.4 million on a $54 million budget. He continued to star in films like ‘Rocky V’ (1990), ‘Oscar’ (1991), ‘Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot’ (1992), ‘Cliffhanger’ (1993), ‘The Specialist’ (1994), ‘Your Studio and You’ (1995), ‘Judge Dredd’ (1995), ‘Cop Land’ (1997), ‘Antz’ (1998), ‘Get Carter’ (2000), ‘Driven’ (2001), ‘D-Tox’ (2002), ‘Rocky Balboa’ (2006), and ‘Rambo’ (2008).
In 2010, he starred as ‘Barney Ross’ in the American action film ‘The Expendables’ which was also directed by him. While the film opened to a mixed response, it managed to emerge as a commercial success. He next starred in films like ‘Zookeeper’ (2011), ‘The Expendables 2’ (2012), ‘Bullet to the Head’ (2012), ‘Escape Plan’ (2013), ‘Reach Me’ (2014), ‘Creed’ (2015) which earned him an Academy Award nomination, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (2017), ‘Escape Plan 2: Hades’ (2018), ‘Creed II’ (2018), and ‘Rambo: Last Blood’ (2019). In 2021, he voiced Nanaue / King Shark in the American superhero film ‘The Suicide Squad’ directed by James Gunn. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.