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A Guide To 6 Sylvester Stallone Tattoos and What They Mean
Sylvester Stallone is a well-known American actor, filmmaker, and screenwriter who rose to fame in the late 70s thanks to his starring role in Rocky. A box office gold mine during the 80s and 90s, Stallone went toe to toe with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the crown of the biggest action star in Hollywood. The leading man of Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, and the Rambo franchise is also known for his tattoos. This article is a guide to six Sylvester Stallone tattoos that are easily identifiable on his body.
His tattoos have become an integral part of his on-screen persona, as well as his personal life. Stallone’s tattoos are known for their bold and symbolic designs, representing his personality and life experiences. Surprisingly Stallone didn’t start getting inked until later in life, discussing the reasons why while on a press tour for his 2012 movie Bullet in the Head.
“I have all kinds of chest injuries; I tore my vein during Rocky II and had 60 stitches,’ Stallone said. “If you’ve seen Rocky Balboa, you’ll know how bad they look. It got worse and worse, and people were saying, ‘Urgh, has he got varicose veins?’ So I thought, ‘fuck it,’ and covered them with a tattoo of my wife.”
Some of his famous tattoos include the panther on his left upper arm, a skull with a knife through it on his right shoulder, and a portrait of his wife, Jennifer Flavin Stallone, on his right upper arm. Stallone’s tattoos have been a topic of discussion among his fans and the media, and they continue to be an important aspect of his iconic image. Below is a guide to his most important ink and what they mean.
A Guide To 6 Sylvester Stallone Tattoos and What They Mean
1. Skull And Crow Tattoos
These large pieces are on Stallone’s biceps. He got these two tattoos to cover up injuries he sustained during his time in front of the camera. The right bicep features a skull surrounded by roses and the left a crow, also surrounded by roses. These tattoos extend all the way to his shoulders. “The tattoo started to grow and it went to a skull and before I knew it, I was a mural,” he explained to Shortlist Magazine.
2. Large Angel Tattoo
Stallone’s back tattoo is hard to miss. Designed and inked by Fzeff Kogu, this image of an angel rising up from flames dominates Stallone’s back. The tattoo sits between his two bicep tattoos that reach over his shoulder. On the right side of the angel, the names Sophia, Scarlett, and Sistine are tattooed on a banner. Those are the names of Stallone’s three daughters.
3. Jennifer Flavin Stallone Portrait Tattoo
On Stallone’s right arm was a portrait of his third wife Jennifer Flavin Stallone. The two first started dating in 1988 when Flavin was 19 and Stallone 42 but split in 1994 after Stallone believed he was having a baby with model Janice Dickinson. After he discovered the child wasn’t his, he ended his relationship with Dickinson, got engaged to Angie Everhart, before dumping her and getting back together with Flavin in 1995. The two later married in 1997 and had three daughters.
The tattoo of Flavin was surrounded by three roses, representing each of his children. Sadly the tattoo is no more, with the Rocky star covering it up with a tattoo of his dog Butkus. The reason for this is Flavin filing for divorce in 2022. The good news is the two have managed to work things out, but the tattoo no longer remains.
4. Butkus Tattoo
This is the tattoo he got of Butkus that covered up the one of his wife. Zach Perez was the artist behind the new tattoo. While most believe Stallone got the cover-up due to the divorce (which is no longer going ahead), his publicist, Michelle Bega, said that had nothing to do with the tattoo.
“Mr. Stallone intended to refresh the tattoo image of his wife Jennifer however the results were unsatisfactory and, unfortunately, unfixable,” she told the Daily Mail. “As a result, he had to cover the original image with a tattoo of his dog from Rocky, Butkus. Mr. Stallone loves his family. The Stallones are presently filming a reality show together which will debut on Paramount+.”
5. Horse and Eyes Tattoo
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On the left arm of the Tulsa King is a tattoo of both a horse and a pair of eyes. The horse is a reference to his famous nickname, “the Italian Stallion,” while the blue eyes are a dedication to his wife. But just like the portrait tattoo of his wife Jennifer Flavin, Stallone got the blue eyes tattoo adjusted while they were in the midst of getting a divorce. The tattoo has been transformed into a pair of leopard eyes.
6. Leopard Eyes Tattoo
Stallone enlisted the services of tattoo artist Zach Perez to fix up his tattoo of his wife Flavin’s eyes. Perez turned the human blue eyes into those of a leopard. He did a really good job and the tattoo looks quite good, fitting in with the horse above.
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