Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone was born on July 6, 1946 in New York City, and he is the son of Frank Stallone Sr. (1919 – 2011), a hairdresser, and Jackie Stallone (1921 – 2020), an astrologer, former dancer, and supporter of wrestling for women. During his birth, doctors used , an instrument that looks like a pair of pincers or tongs, that damaged a nerve and caused paralysis in parts of Stallone's face. The paralysis caused his well known speech and drooping lower lip.