The fictional Rocky Balboa of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky movies was immortalized in bronze by artist A. Thomas Schomberg in 1980 for a scene in the film Rocky III. After the filming was complete, Stallone donated the statue to the City of Philadelphia.
In 1980, Sylvester Stallone commissioned A. Thomas Schomberg to create the Statue of ROCKY™ for the movie "ROCKY III". Today, this iconic statue resides at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, adjacent to the famous ROCKY steps, for visitors from around the globe to enjoy.
Sylvester Stallone was born in New York on July 6, 1946. He moved to Philadelphia after his parents' divorce where he attended High School at Devereux Manor. After marrying his first wife Sasha Czack, Stallone moved to California where he pursued a career in acting.
The controversy was rekindled in 1990, when the film producers relocated the sculpture for the filming of Rocky V, but, in the end, Rocky was returned to the Spectrum. Rocky was ultimately relocated to an area next to the Museum's steps in 2006.
At over thirty-six feet tall and weighing more than 53,000 pounds, Alexander Milne Calder's sculpture William Penn atop City Hall is one of Philadelphia's most prominent landmarks. Completed in 1892 as a city public works project, the work was hoisted to the top of City Hall in 1894.
Sly Stallone REACTS to Adele Keeping 'Rocky' Statue at Former Mansion
What is the new statue in Philadelphia?
“It is appropriate that this statue portraying Harriet Tubman as a strong soldier is located on the apron of City Hall where two other statues of Civil War soldiers stand,” OACCE Public Art Director Marguerite Anglin said. The sculpture is planned to be completed in 2025 and will stand at least 15 feet tall.
The statue has been taken down after the events of Rocky V, due to Rocky and Tommy Gunn's street brawl, in which the city believes it's unacceptable to have a statue of a legendary boxer involved in a street fight.
After the filming was complete, Stallone donated the statue to the City of Philadelphia. Since 2006, the statue has been located at the bottom of the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and there is a near-constant stream of people waiting in line to get their pictures taken with the “Italian Stallion.”
The Family Stallone star revealed that there are only two original Rocky statues -- one that resides at the Philadelphia museum and another that remains with the Stallones.
Interestingly, young Sylvester Stallone, brother Frank, and their mother and stepfather lived at the Chateau Crillon Apartments (222 S. 19th St., Philadelphia, PA) in Rittenhouse Square during the late 1950's.
The Rocky movies series filming locations were split between Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love and Los Angeles, and on this driving tour, you will discover where the most iconic scenes were shot in Philly from the steps of the Art Museum to the Italian Market.
In the movie Rocky III, there is scene where Rocky is honored with a statue at the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. After the move, Sylvester Stallone donated that statue to the city of Philadelphia. There was a great deal of debate about whether to accept and display the statue.
On his Instagram account, Stallone published a video of the statue, which was auctioned off by SCP Auctions last month for $403,657, coming off a truck. "Welcome home," Stallone said. "It only took him, what, only 41 years to get to California."
Originally created for the movie Rocky III in 1982, this statue has become one of Philadelphia's most famous pieces of public art. In the original Rocky movie, the fictional boxer, Rocky, ended his morning run with an ascent up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
While the story of his first film was partly inspired by a 1975 fight between underdog Chuck Wepner and heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (which nearly went the 15 round distance despite the odds), the inspiration for the name, iconography and fighting style came from boxing legend Rocco Francis "Rocky Marciano" ...
Now, you're wondering whether or not Rocky was based on a real person. The answer is yes and no: while this film focuses on fictional characters like Rocky Balboa and his opponent Apollo Creed, it was inspired by the life of real-life boxer and former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Marciano.
Born in New York City, Sylvester Stallone went on to study at Lincoln High School in Philadelphia. The city clearly made a big impact on the actor, who set his Oscar-winning boxing drama Rocky (1976) here. The movie is still regarded as one of the greatest sports movies ever made.
The Rocky Steps are 72 stone steps leading up to the East entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia that gained global fame after being featured in a notable scene from the 1976 film Rocky.
In addition to adding more Native American resources and materials, the park service proposed removing the statue and the model of Penn's home, called the Slate Roof House. It also wanted to add a ceremonial gathering space and replace existing educational panels about Penn with new exhibits.
