Sylvester Stallone

With $106 in the bank and no career to speak of, he wrote the first draft of Rocky in three days after watching Muhammad Ali fight Chuck Wepner. Studios offered up to $360,000 for the rights, but wouldn't cast him as the lead. He turned them down every time. Rocky grossed over $200 million worldwide, won three Oscars including Best Picture, and the guy who wrote it broke got nominated for both Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Not bad for someone every studio wanted off the set.

At 79, he's not coasting on franchise nostalgia. Tulsa King, his Paramount+ mob comedy, drew 21.1 million global streaming viewers for its Season 2 premiere in 2024, a record for the platform. Seasons 3 and 4 are already confirmed. He and Harrison Ford are the only two actors to headline a #1 box-office film in six consecutive decades, which is either a testament to longevity or to Hollywood's inability to let go of its muscle-bound past.

The slurred speech wasn't method acting. Forceps complications at birth left him with partial facial paralysis that shaped the entire persona. Before Rocky, he sold his dog Butkus for $50 when he hit rock bottom, then bought him back for $3,000 once the checks started clearing. His mother Jackie was a celebrity astrologer and women's wrestling promoter. The guidance counselor told her he was best suited for elevator operations, which tells you everything about how he got where he is.