Sylvester Stallone starred in Rocky.
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone . Rocky Balboa is a 2006 American sports drama film written , directed by , and starring Sylvester Stallone . Sylvester Stallone . He is well known for his Hollywood action roles , including boxer Rocky Balboa , the title character of the Rocky series ' seven films from 1976 to 2015 ; soldier John Rambo from the four Rambo films , released between 1982 and 2008 ; and Barney Ross in the three The Expendables films from 2010 to 2014 . Stallone 's film Rocky was inducted into the National Film Registry as well as having its film props placed in the Smithsonian Museum .