The Amazing True Story Behind Rocky

Turns out, the rags-to-riches story of a determined underdog who refuses to let anyone hold him down is pretty much Sylvester Stallone's own story. In the words of the Italian Stallion, "Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

Sylvester Stallone was born paralyzed in the lower left part of his face, causing his face to snarl and speech to slur - a kiss of death for an actor, but he didn't let this deter him from his dream.

He moved to New York City to pursue his acting career, but nobody would hire him. At one point, he slept in the New Jersey Bus Terminal for 3 weeks because he was so broke. At his lowest point, he was forced to sell his loyal companion, his dog, for $25 so he could afford to eat.

One day he got an idea for a screenplay while watching Muhammad Ali box. He didn't sleep for a whole weekend and wrote the screenplay for Rocky in just 3 days.

Eventually, he found producers who offered to buy the screenplay for $125,000, but said he couldn't act in it. Despite his poverty, he turned them down. A few weeks later, they offered him $325,000, but still wouldn't be allowed to act in it. He said no again. Finally, they offered him $35,000 and allowed him to act in it.

With his newly earned money, he spent $15,000 tracking down and buying back his best friend, his dog - the dog you see in the movie.

Rocky went on to make $225 million worldwide.