Sylvester Stallone became a superstar after writing and starring in Rocky, a story about a poor Italian-American boxer who gets a shot at becoming world heavyweight champion. The movie, which was released in 1976, catapulted Stallone to stardom and opened the door for his career as an action movie star. 

Even though Rocky had a small budget and its production studio didn’t believe it would be successful, the film was extremely popular and became one of the most recognizable franchises in all of cinema. A slew of sequels have been released over the years, and today the story lives on through Creed, a film franchise that stars Michael B. Jordan.