‘Rocky’ was released almost 50 years ago in December 1976

NEED TO KNOW

• Rocky was released on Dec. 3, 1976
• The boxing movie won Best Picture at the 49th Academy Awards
• Original cast members like Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers appeared in Rocky sequels

It’s been nearly five decades since Rocky first stepped into the ring, and the beloved boxing franchise is still going strong.

The original 1976 film, starring Sylvester Stallone as underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, is set to return to nearly 1,000 theaters nationwide — including AMC, Regal and Cinépolis — from Saturday, Nov. 7 to Wednesday, Nov. 11 ahead of its milestone 50th anniversary.

When it first hit theaters on Dec. 3, 1976, Rocky was a knockout with audiences and critics alike, becoming one of the year’s highest-grossing films and winning three Oscars, including Best Picture.

Stallone not only starred as “The Italian Stallion” in the movie, but he also wrote it. “Nobody wanted to make it. It was my best writing too,” he said during a September 2023 appearance at the Toronto Film Festival, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The original Rocky spawned multiple sequels, including five more Rocky movies and a Creed trilogy.

In honor of the 1976 movie premiering in theaters almost 50 years ago, here’s a ringside retrospective of the Rocky cast from their debuts to their last appearances in the franchise.

01 of 05

Sylvester Stallone

Stallone starred as Rocky Balboa in the original Rocky and the five sequels.

After 1990’s Rocky V, Stallone reprised the role in 2006’s Rocky Balboa, and again in 2015’s Creed.

His return to the boxing gym in Creed earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also won at the Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture.

Backstage at the latter event, he spoke about how his Rocky character “will not live on forever.”

“He represents what life is all about,” the actor continued, per Deadline. “It’s a cycle, and the greatest men have died. … As it’s said in Creed, ‘Life is undefeated. Your time passes.’ ”

Stallone returned to play the character again in 2018’s Creed II.

Outside of the Rocky franchise, he is most known for his roles in action films including The Expendables, Demolition Man, Cliffhanger and Cop Land.

Since 2022, Stallone has been starring as Dwight “The General” Manfredi on Tulsa King. The Paramount+ series returned for its fourth season in October 2026 and has already been renewed for a fifth, which began filming in New York that same month.

02 of 05

Talia Shire

Talia Shire played Rocky’s love interest, Adrian Pennino, from Rocky through Rocky V.

Since then, she has continued to land different roles across Hollywood. More recently, Shire appeared in 2024’s Megalopolis — directed by her brother, Francis Ford Coppola — and the 2025 Netflix original movie Nonnas.

Shire’s work in Rocky still resonates with audiences today. In a May 2025 New York Times interview, the actress quipped, “My grandson saw Rocky. He became very into that movie. And then he was nicer to me, too, after that.”

03 of 05

Carl Weathers

Carl Weathers portrayed the undefeated boxing champion Apollo Creed in Rocky. He later reprised the role in Rocky II, Rocky III and Rocky IV.

Two years after the fourth Rocky movie, Weathers starred in another action classic: Predator with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Weathers went on to appear in shows like In the Heat of the Night, Arrested Development and Chicago Justice. He was also in the first three seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney+.

Weathers died at age 76 on Feb. 1, 2024.

“I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him,” Stallone said in an Instagram video at the time, per Entertainment Tonight. “He was absolutely brilliant; his voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but, more importantly, his heart, his soul. It’s a horrible loss.”

The actor ended his tribute with the words, “Apollo, keep punching.”

04 of 05

Burt Young

Burt Young played Paulie Pennino, Rocky’s brother-in-law, a role that earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

In November 2009, the actor told The Sweet Science how he was the only cast member who didn’t have to audition for Rocky.

“I was on the MGM lot when Sly Stallone came over and introduced himself to me, told me he wrote Rocky and said, ‘You gotta do it,’ ” Young recalled. “I wanted to do it right away, but wanted to twist their arms a little bit, not look too eager.”

Young reprised the character in the next five Rocky movies. His final appearance as Paulie was in 2006’s Rocky Balboa.

Outside of the franchise, he starred in TV series such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Russian Doll and more.

Young died at age 83 on Oct. 8, 2023.

Afterward, Stallone posted a tribute to his former costar on Instagram, sharing a picture of them from the movie, with the caption, “To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man and artist, I and the World will miss you very much…RIP.”

05 of 05

Burgess Meredith

Burgess Meredith portrayed Mickey Goldmill, Rocky’s gruff trainer in Rocky.

He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role and returned to play Mickey again in Rocky II and Rocky III. He also appeared in flashbacks in Rocky V and Rocky Balboa.

His final screen appearance was in the Grumpy Old Men sequel Grumpier Old Men, which was released in 1995.

According to The New York Times, Meredith died at age 89 on Sept. 9, 1997, in Malibu, Calif.

#Rocky #Cast #Original #Movie #Final #Franchise #Appearances