The character was created by Sylvester Stallone , who has also played him in all eight films in the franchise. He is portrayed as a working class or poor Italian-American from the slums of Philadelphia who started out as a club fighter and "enforcer" for a local loan shark . He is portrayed as overcoming the obstacles that had occurred in his life and in his career as a professional boxer . While the story of his first film is loosely inspired by Chuck Wepner, a former boxer who fought Muhammad Ali and lost by technical knockout in the 15th round, the inspiration for the name, iconography and fighting style came from boxing legend Rocco Francis". Rocky Marciano "Marchegiano , although his surname coincidentally also resembles that of middleweight boxing champion Thomas Rocco" Rocky Graziano "Barbella .
The character is considered Stallone's most iconic role and is often considered the role that launched his film career. He received critical acclaim for his performance in the first film, earning Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. When Stallone reprised his role once again in 2015 for Creed , his performance received universal acclaim and he received his first Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor , along with his third Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor , the National Board of Critics for Best Actor and several other accolades.
