"No one will hit you harder than life itself. It doesn't matter how hard you hit back. It's about how much you can take, and keep fighting, how much you can suffer and keep moving forward. That's how you win."
~ Sylvester Stallone
One of the most popular and influential actors of all time, Sylvester Stallone needs no introduction. The legendary actor will always be known for his equally legendary movies such as The Rocky series, First Blood series, The Expendables series, and many more.
About Sylvester Stallone's Real Height
It may not seem so, but Sylvester Stallone's height is a long and complicated affair -- especially his real height (yes, there are two heights involved here). Please bear with us, we will guide you through this valley of doubt and uncertainty.
Our first clue in this investigative piece of journalism comes from the man himself -- Sylvester Stallone had claimed to be five feet ten and a half-inch tall back in the 80s. Though many people in the same time period had described him as "shockingly short" -- standing no taller than 5'7" or 5'8" tall --- even 5'6" was mentioned to describe his height.
In the movies, however, Mr. Stallone always managed to look like a proper 5'10" man most of his career. He stood shoulder to shoulder with a 6 feet tall glamazon Brigitte Nielsen after all. Though this could be explained by Sly's wearing custom-made lift shoes.
Many people have worn and still wear what is called "elevator shoes" -- some of the big names in this "elevated company" are John Wayne, Sylvester Stallone, Robert Downey Jr., etc, though people also have included Brad Pitt and Vin Diesel in this list.
But we are not convinced about Brad Pitt -- he always looked like a strong 5'11" guy to us, and Vin Diesel is a special case -- we are convinced that Mr. Diesel doesn't wear "lift shoes" but even his "normal" big boots are enough to make up for more than enough of it -- good boots that Mr. Diesel is so fond of wearing.
Another thing is Vin Diesel's good posture. You will never catch him slouching or slinking around the corners. He is a big man, who always stands with his chest pushed in front and head held high. Another big star to have such a good posture is Sylvester Stallone himself. Perhaps it is from Sylvester Stallone that Mr. Diesel has taken inspiration to always appear to look at his best.
That Sylvester Stallone has worn "elevator shoes" at times -- there is no doubt about it whatsoever. The Italian Stallion himself has joked about it on many occasions. Like when fighting Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV, Mr. Stallone said: "I'm fighting with elevator shoes on, this is ridiculous."
IMDb lists Sylvester Stallone at 5'9½" instead. Where did this number come from? We don't know about it but it surely seems a lot closer to Mr. Stallone's real height -- but still lefts something to be desired.
Conclusion
After looking at Sylvester Stallone from every angle possible and comparing him to every celebrity possible we think that Mr. Stallone looked closer to 5'9" than any other number in his prime.
But he certainly isn't in his prime anymore. Now in his seventies, Sylvester Stallone could be expected to have lost an inch of height -- while Arnold Schwarzenegger has lost several. Mr. Stallone is certainly starting looking closer to 5'8" now, but still, as fit as ever.
The real height of Sylvester Stallone is
5'8" or 173 cm
Height in his prime was 5'9"
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| The action superstars who have lost stature: Sylvester Stallone (5'9" to 5'8"), Arnold Schwarenegger (6'1¾" to 5'11"), and The Rock (6'3" to 6'2½") |
For reference, here is the average human height around the world.
| Country | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 5'4" | 4'11" |
| India | 5'5½" | 5'½" |
| Mexico | 5'6½" | 5'1½" |
| China | 5'6½" | 5'1½" |
| Japan | 5'7½" | 5'2½" |
| Brazil | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| Russia | 5'9" | 5'3¾" |
| France | 5'9" | 5'3¾" |
| United States | 5'9¼" | 5'4" |
| United Kingdom | 5'9½" | 5'4¼" |
| Canada | 5'10" | 5'4½" |
| Australia | 5'10" | 5'4½" |
| Germany | 5'10½" | 5'5" |
| Netherlands | 5'11½" | 5'6" |
| Dinka people of South Sudan | 6" | 5'7" |
Data collected more or less from Wikipedia and some other sources. Expect a slight discrepancy from real life. A more detailed chart can be found here.
"I learned the real meaning of love. Love is absolute loyalty. People fade, looks fade, but loyalty never fades. You can depend so much on certain people, you can set your watch by them. And that's love, even if it doesn't seem very exciting."
~ Sylvester Stallone