Sylvester Stallone rose to global stardom with the sports drama Rocky. The film was made with a shoestring budget and became the highest-grossing film of 1976. It was an underdog story of a local boxer who goes against a champion in an exhibition match but ends up being a legitimate threat to the established boxer.
Stallone’s film has become one of the most iconic films of all and has been an irreplaceable part of pop culture. Many elements of the film have become pop culture history, with fans finding new things to appreciate every year. The film was not just responsible for the stardom of Stallone but was also the feature film debut of the legendary Michael Dorn, who is known for playing Worf in the Star Trek franchise.
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Sylvester Stallone In Rocky
Before he became a global action star, Sylvester Stallone was a struggling actor who could barely make ends meet. He was reportedly homeless for a brief period of time and was sleeping at the bus terminal. He was not getting the jobs he desired to form a stable career while acting. So Stallone decided to change his fate by writing a script.
Stallone was inspired by a legendary match between Muhammed Ali and Chuck Wepner, where the latter, who was a relative underdog, lasted over fifteen rounds with the champion before being knocked out. Stallone remembered the match which did not seem as one-sided as it was made out to be and wrote the story Rocky.
The actor shopped around the script to multiple studios and was only willing to sell it on the condition that he would star in the film. United Artists finally agreed to it for a lower budget as they initially wanted Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, or James Caan in the film. The producers reportedly hoped to recoup losses with Martin Scorsese’s New York New York.
The film became a massive hit at the box office, earning over $225 million worldwide. The film was made on a shoestring budget of over $1 million and it became the highest-grossing film of 1976. The film also won three Oscars including Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Film Editing.
Also read: Arnold Schwarzenegger Can Never Beat Sylvester Stallone in 1 Area When it Comes to Movies
Michael Dorn Made His Film Debut In Rocky
Over the years, the Rocky films have become one of the most popular film franchises in the world The original film received five sequels and three spin-off films and has collectively earned over $1.9 billion at the box office. The original film is also considered a classic by many and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation at the National Film Registry.
One of the most interesting trivia bits about the Sylvester Stallone starrer is that it was the feature film debut of one Michael Dorn, who is better known for playing the character of Worf in the Star Trek series. Dorn played the role of the film’s antagonist Apollo Creed’s bodyguard and is seen in the film sometimes. Dorn was not credited for the role.
Michael Dorn would go on to achieve notoriety for playing the role of Worf, starting with the show Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Kilongon native was extremely popular among Trekkies and Dorn was cast in multiple spin-off shows of the sci-fi franchise. Worf is the only character to have appeared the most times in the franchise.
Dorn began his tenure as Worf in the series Star Trek: The Next Generation and went on to reprise his role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Picard, and the feature films Star Trek Generations, First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis. He has also appeared as a parody version of the character in Family Guy.
