Born with facial nerve damage that affected his speech and expression, Stallone endured bullying, family upheaval, and years of professional dismissal. Acting offered purpose, but little security. He later recalled selling his beloved dog, Butkus, when he could no longer afford to keep him. In 1975, watching Chuck Wepner battle Muhammad Ali into the fifteenth round sparked an idea. Stallone wrote the first draft of Rocky in three days, giving his frustrations a fictional voice.

Producers saw promise in the screenplay, but Stallone insisted on playing its battered, hopeful boxer himself. Eventually, the film moved forward on a modest budget. Released in 1976, Rocky became a phenomenon and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Stallone also reunited with Butkus, whom he said he bought back after selling the script. More franchises followed, but that first breakthrough remained especially personal: an actor repeatedly dismissed had finally made audiences see him.