Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone in the lead role. It is the first installment in the Rocky series and also features Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone), a poor club fighter and debt collector for loan sharks from Philadelphia, receives an unlikely chance at the heavyweight world championship held by Apollo Creed (Weathers).