Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa The Italian Stallion
Rocky character
Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa in Rocky III (1982)
First appearance	Rocky (1976)
Last appearance	Creed II (2018)
Created by	Sylvester Stallone
Based on	Chuck Wepner Rocky Marciano
Portrayed by	Sylvester Stallone
In-universe information
Full name	Robert Balboa
Alias	Rocky
Nicknames	The Italian Stallion The Pride of Philadelphia Philadelphia's Favorite Son The Iron Horse Stallion Unc Rocco Rock Meatball
Title	2x World Heavyweight Champion
Occupation	Professional boxer Restaurant owner and union butcher Boxing trainer Loan Shark Collector
Spouse	Adrianna Pennino Balboa (deceased)
Children	Robert Balboa Jr. (son)
Relatives	Paulie Pennino (brother-in-law; deceased) Logan Balboa (grandson) Donnie Creed (surrogate nephew) Amara Creed (surrogate great-niece; goddaughter)
Religion	Catholic
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	Italian

Robert "Rocky" Balboa (also known by his ring name the Italian Stallion) is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the Rocky franchise. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who has also portrayed him in eight of the nine films in the franchise. He is depicted 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 Philly Mafia 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 was partly inspired by a 1975 fight between underdog Chuck Wepner and heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (which nearly went the 15 round distance despite the odds), the inspiration for the name, iconography and fighting style came from boxing legend Rocco Francis "Rocky Marciano" Marchegiano, though his surname coincidentally also resembles that of Middleweight Boxing Champion Thomas Rocco "Rocky Graziano" Barbella.

The character is widely considered to be Stallone's most iconic role and is often considered the role that started his film career. He received critical acclaim for his performance in the first movie, earning Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. When Stallone reprised his role once again in 2015 for Creed, his performance received universal acclaim and he received his first Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, along with his third^[1] Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and several other accolades.