The Character of Rocky Balboa
Director John G. Avildsen would say about Rocky, “I was taken by the character of Rocky, and how he treated people. He didn’t break the guys thumbs and came up with lame jokes for his unrequited love in the pet shop. So I was very charmed by the guy.” 
Born Robert “Rocky” Balboa in 1946, the self-proclaimed “Italian Stallion” took his father’s words to heart: “You weren’t born with much of a brain, so you better learn to use your body.” Growing up in the mean streets of Philadelphia, Rocky discovered a talent for boxing at age 16. However, nobody would take him seriously. Even worse, local amateur boxing fights didn’t pay enough for Rocky to survive, so Rocky became an enforcer for loan shark, Tony Gazzo. His innate kindness and strong sense of right and wrong constantly conflicted with his career as a collector, often refusing to break the thumbs of those who owed as instructed by his boss.