Drago may refer to:

• Drago (given name)
• Drago (surname).
• Drago, Italian for dragon
• Drago (river) in Sicily
• Drago restaurants of California
• Drago, Serbian footballer a.k.a. Ivica Dragutinović
• Drago, the nickname of American mixed martial artist Pete Sell
• Drago, ring name of professional wrestler Víctor Soto
• Drago (software), one of many Computer Go programs.

Fictional characters:

• Ivan Drago, boxer Rocky IV film
• Blackie Drago, in comics
• Drago (Jackie Chan Adventures)
• Drago, species in Mother 3 game
• A character in Bakugan.

See also[link]

• Drago Doctrine
• Proper names derived from Drag-
• Proper names derived from Draz-
• Draco (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

←

This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (August 2010)

This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (August 2010)

Ivan Drago
Statistics
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Nationality	Soviet
Born	Siberia, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	32
Wins	31
Wins by KO	31
Losses	1
Draws	0

Medal record
Men’s Boxing
Competitor for the  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Gold	1984 Los Angeles (Presumed)	Super Heavyweight

Ivan Drago (Russian: Иван Драго) is a fictional character that appeared as Rocky Balboa's rival in the 1985 film Rocky IV. He is portrayed by Dolph Lundgren. The character and his catchphrases have gone on to inspire multiple mentions in popular culture like Clubber Lang (Rocky III), including in the Family Guy episode "Brian Goes Back to College", the Chuck episodes "Chuck Versus the Final Exam" and "Chuck Versus the Anniversary", film Disaster Movie, as well as the name of Michigan heavy metal band, If He Dies He Dies.^[1]

Fictional character biography[link]

Drago is an Olympic gold medalist^[2] and an amateur boxing champion from the Soviet Union, who had an amateur record of 100-0-0 Wins (100 KO). He is billed at 261 pounds (118 kg, over 18 ½ stone). He wields a punch with which has been measured between 1850-2150psi due to his robotic limbs as shown at the end of the film, whereas the average psi for a boxer is 700psi.^[3] He is also a Captain in the Red Army and as seen on his chest, is a recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union award. Drago is carefully fitted and trained to be the consummate fighter. His heart rate and punching power are constantly measured via computers during his workouts.^[4] Drago is seen receiving injections in the movie, presumably anabolic steroids, though this is never explicitly stated.^[2]

Drago is married to another athlete, Ludmilla Drago (Brigitte Nielsen) who is mentioned to be a gold medalist in swimming. She is much more articulate than Drago, who seldom talks, and always speaks on his behalf at press conferences and interviews. Her status as an elite athlete is questionable given that she is seen smoking during the fight with Apollo Creed. She dismisses accusations of steroid use, explaining her husband's freakish size and strength by saying, "he is like your Popeye. He eats his spinach everyday!"

Personality[link]

Unlike the flamboyant Apollo Creed and the brash Clubber Lang, Rocky's opponents in previous movies who are abrupt and tell it how it is, Ivan Drago is a quiet man who lets his fists do the talking when inside the ring. Driven by his desire to be the best at all costs, this single-minded manner in which he pursues this goal deprives him of his humanity. Many viewers and critics have suggested that Drago was meant to symbolize America's perception of Russia: immense, powerful, and emotionless. This is made evident by his cold-blooded pulverization of Creed in an exhibition match as well as by his callous reaction towards news of his opponent's death. Drago generally allows his wife and trainers to talk on his behalf to the press. The character only speaks short sentences, throughout the film, all terse, short statements.

He speaks English four times in the film:

• [To Apollo], "You will lose."
• [during victory speech], "I cannot be defeated" "I defeat all man." (cut) "Soon... I defeat real Champion." (cut) "If he dies, he dies."
• [To Rocky], "I must break you."
• [To Rocky], "To the end."

And Russian twice (not including short phrases, e.g. "Привет" or "Давай"):

• [To his trainer in Russian], "Он не человек, он как кусок железа." ("He's not human, he's like a piece of iron.")
• [To his Informant and the Soviet Politburo], "Я борюсь, чтобы победить!" "Для меня!" "Для меня!" ("I fight to win!" "For me!" "For me!")

Plot[link]

Drago's trainers, Sergei Igor Rimsky (George Rogan) and Manuel Vega (James "Cannonball" Green), along with his wife Ludmilla (Brigitte Nielsen), are convinced that he can defeat any boxer. Drago enters professional heavyweight boxing in the beginning of the movie, as stated by the press. Former champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), now 42 years old, comes out of retirement to challenge Drago to an exhibition match, promoted by Creed's former rival Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). Creed arrives to the ring wearing his signature Stars & Stripes boxing garb to "Living in America," sung by James Brown, upon a huge stage that is lowered into the ring. Before the match begins, Drago ominously mutters "You will lose."

During the fight, Apollo is no match for the Russian fighter. In Apollo's corner, Rocky contemplates whether to throw in the towel and surrender the fight (against Creed's earlier instructions), but instead he decides to hold onto the towel. Defenseless, Apollo continues to absorb blows to the head until Drago finally kills him with a final blow to the head. Drago exhibits no remorse about what happened to the former champion, simply stating in an interview after the fight that "if he dies, he dies."

To avenge Apollo's death, Rocky travels to the Soviet Union to fight Drago on his home turf in Moscow. The fight eventually becomes a long, drawn-out war between Rocky and Drago, and to everyone's shock, Rocky manages to severely damage Drago, and the crowd begins to cheer for Rocky, whereas at the start of the fight, they were booing him. Drago's promoter — a Soviet/German official — insults him, claiming that by allowing an American to fight so admirably on Russian soil, Drago is disgracing the Soviet Union. The enraged Drago grabs him by the throat, throws him out of the ring and proclaims he only fights for himself. Rocky wins by KO in the 15th and final round in a dramatic ending.

According to Rocky: The Ultimate Guide, Ivan Drago wasn't permitted to resume his boxing career after his loss to Rocky Balboa because of the special circumstance that he could not officially turn pro in the USSR. Ivan Drago turned professional after the fall of the Soviet Union and accumulated a record of 31-1 (31 KO) while also winning a portion of the Heavyweight title. He never unified the title or fought the very top contenders (as a pro) because of promotional politics. It is possible that Drago defeated Tommy Gunn for the Heavyweight Championship. Drago seems to have retired the Champion, perhaps due to lack of success. The Heavyweight title may have gone to Mason Dixon's unnamed opponent. His only defeat as a pro or an amateur fighter was at the hands of Rocky Balboa.

References[link]

Jason Hall
Born	(1971-05-20) May 20, 1971 (age 41) Buffalo, New York
Nationality	American
Other names	Jace
Occupation	artist, producer, writer, gamer

Jason "Jace" Hall (born May 20, 1971 in Buffalo, New York) is an American film, television and video game producer, best known for being founder and Chief Executive Officer of Monolith Productions Inc^[1] and President of HDFILMS, INC^[2].

He is also the star, producer, and writer of the reality online series, The Jace Hall Show as well as the current Executive Producer of The Morning After (web series) and previously on ABC's new "V" Television series^[3].

Career[link]

After becoming the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) in 2004, Hall produced and released video games including The Matrix Online, F.E.A.R., Condemned: Criminal Origins, 300: March to Glory, Justice League Heroes, Happy Feet, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Batman Begins and Friends: The One with All the Trivia video game. One of his most notable roles inside a video game is as the voice of Tchernobog in Blood and Blood II: The Chosen as well as The Voice, the BloodBath commentator.And the up and coming adventures of where's Waldo^[4].

In 2007, Hall founded HDFILMS INC., a production company that produces film, television, videogame and online content. The company is best known for its original reality show, The Jace Hall Show, which debuted on Crackle.com and reached over 4 million viewers. In 2010, the show switched to IGN and is currently in production on its 5th season.

HDFILMS also produces The Morning After^[5], a daily, pop culture online series appearing on Hulu's front page.

Hall is adding singer-songwriter to his resume with recent release of the new Mortal Kombat music video (over 18 million views)^[6] and his EP VIDEO GAMES AREN’T BAD FOR YOU^[7]

Hall is also the main author of the Jace Hall Show website^[8], one of Alexa.com's Top 100,000 sites^[9].

[edit] Video games credited (partial list of over 40 titles)^[10]

==Television credited==^[11]

• V The Series (2009–2010) (Warner Bros. Television) Executive Producer

Television series based on V (1983 miniseries) which premiered on NBC. Pilot in development with ABC and written by Scott Peters of The 4400.

• The Unforgettable (2011) – (Warner Bros.) Co-producer and Original Concept by

Original concept entitled Species X or Iniquity, created by Hall and Nathan Hendrickson, is the basis for the movie as well as the video game Condemned: Criminal Origins and Condemned 2: Bloodshot.

• Brothers in Arms (2009) – Executive Producer

Supposedly based on a true story, action is set at the end of WWII, when Gen. George S. Patton ordered up a top-secret mission to rescue his son-in-law from a POW camp 60 miles behind German lines. The brass said 3,000 men were needed for the job; Patton allotted 294 and a leader who wouldn’t quit, a 24-year-old captain named Abe Baum.

• PVC-1 (2008) – Producer

Film was an award-nominated entry in the Cannes International Film Festival in 2007. IFC Films announced the acquisition of the film in 2008 for its Festival Direct arm.

Online content credited[link]

• "The Morning After" (2011–Present) (HDFILMS, INC.) Executive Producer

Pop Culture, Daily Online-Series appearing on Hulu.com

• Chadam – Executive Producer^[12]

Animated series created by Alex Pardee and produced by HDFilms and Warner Bros. Television with Todd Roy to air online in 2009. The entire series was built using the Unreal Engine 3 - known as the engine behind the games Gears of War and Bioshock. Hall pushed the boundaries of traditional filmmaking by using a computer game engine in order to meet the challenge of animating Pardee's surreal work.^[13]

• The Jace Hall Show – Executive Producer

The Jace Hall Show is an online reality show co-created with Todd Roy, which airs on Microsoft's XBOX Live Marketplace, Sony's Crackle.com and Ign.^[14] The show covers video game news and personalities as well as interviews with film/TV/sports celebrities.

Sources[link]

• Jace Hall at the Internet Movie Database
• Moby Games Database
• GameSpy
• HD Films

External links[link]

• Jace Hall at the Internet Movie Database
• The Jace Hall Show
• HDFILMS, Inc.

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (March 2012)

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since June 2011. It describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style that may require cleanup. Tagged since October 2010. Its lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. Tagged since September 2010.

Robert "Rocky" Balboa, Sr. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Rocky series from 1976 to 2006. During the series, he wins the Heavyweight Championship of the World twice. He was portrayed by Sylvester Stallone.

Biography[link]

Robert Balboa was born on April 6, 1946. He was the only child to a Roman Catholic Italian-American family. It was revealed in Rocky II that Rocky's black trunks with gold trim were the colors of his high school that he never graduated from. During the scene in which Rocky takes Adrianna "Adrian" Pennino skating on Thanksgiving, he tells her "Yeah -- My ol' man who was never the sharpest told me -- I weren't born with much brain so I better use my body." This encouraged him to take up boxing. He trained very hard so he could grow up to be like his idol Rocky Marciano. Unable to live on the small pay of club fights, and being unable to find work anywhere else, Rocky got a job as a collector for Tony Gazzo, the local loan shark, just to make ends meet. By late 1975, Rocky had fought in 64 fights, winning 44 (38 KO'S) and losing 20. Rocky was proud that he never had his nose broken in a professional fight. His nickname is "The Italian Stallion," spawning from his Italian-American heritage.

[edit] Rocky (Setting 1975-1976)

The film begins in 1975, in the slums of the Kensington section of Philadelphia on the night before Thanksgiving. Rocky Balboa is fighting Spider Rico in a local boxing ring called the Cambria Fight Club (nicknamed "The Bucket of Blood") inside a chapel. In the second round, Rico hits Balboa with a headbutt, leaving a gash on his forehead. Enraged, Rocky delivers a vicious barrage of punches, knocking Rico out. The next day, Rocky stops by the local pet store and trys to talk to the shy pet-shop worker Adrian Pennino, younger sister of his friend Paulie. Adrian was very shy though and was scared of Rocky's tough appearance. Afterwards, Rocky goes to collect a loan for his boss Tony Gazzo. Even though the client didn't have all the money, Rocky didn't break his thumb, even though Gazzo ordered him to do so. Later, Rocky stops by the local boxing gym and finds that he lost his locker to a contender. Unknown to him, the gym's owner and grizzled former boxer, Mickey Goldmill, doesn't hate him, but instead always considered Rocky's potential to be better than his effort. When Rocky leaves for home that night, he sees a young girl named Marie, hanging around a bad crowd and walks her home. On the way, Rocky lectures her about staying away from the wrong people. However, once they get to her house she tells Rocky "Screw you, creep'o." Rocky walks home, frustrated how nothing is going right in his life.

Balboa gets his big break when the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed decides that he wants to give an unknown fighter a chance to fight for the title after his intended challenger Mac Lee Green broke his hand while training. After getting picked by Apollo, Balboa reunites with his estranged trainer, Mickey Goldmill, who convinces Balboa that he can help get him prepared for this fight. Mickey reveals that his career never got anywhere either because he didn't have a manager and he didn't want the same thing to happen to Rocky. At the same time, Balboa begins dating Adrian. Rocky helped Adrian to become more self-confident and stand up for herself. Rocky confides in Adrian before the fight that though he figured he wouldn't win, he wanted to at least "go the distance."

On January 1, 1976 at the Philadelphia Spectrum, Balboa fights Creed, who didn't take the fight seriously during training. In the first round, Rocky knocks Creed down, the first time he had ever been knocked down in his career and Creed breaks Rocky's nose, also for the first time in his career. Creed soon realizes that while Balboa doesn't have his skill, he has a punch like a concrete block and was determined not to quit even when Mickey tells him to. The fight becomes a long and hard battle for both men. Rocky was almost knocked out in the 14th round, but managed to get up. The 15th round finally began. Rocky managed to pummel Creed until the bell rang. Although Creed wins the fight by a split decision, it is the first time an opponent has lasted the full 15 rounds against him. Both men, battered beyond belief, agree that there would be no rematch. Rocky was fine with this as he only wanted to go the distance with Creed. After the match, Adrian confessed to Rocky that she loved him.

[edit] Rocky II (Setting 1976)

After the match, Creed changed his mind and wanted a re-match under the stress of being humiliated by the press for failing to beat Balboa convincingly, as well as his own knowledge that he didn't give his best in the fight. Creed demanded a rematch with Balboa, stating that he would fight him 'anywhere, any place, anytime' to prove to the world that Balboa's feat was purely a fluke. At first, Rocky refused. He and Adrian got married, and at his wife's urging, Rocky tried living outside boxing. However, Rocky, a grade-school drop-out, soon realized he had no skills beyond fighting, and in fact could barely read. The money he made in the first fight was soon frittered away, and despite Adrian's objections, when Apollo called him out on national television, Rocky agreed to the rematch. Without Adrian's support, however, Rocky's heart wasn't in the training and he was close to quitting until the pregnant Adrian went into premature labor and slipped into a coma after giving birth to Robert. When Adrian came out of the coma, she gave her full support to Rocky. Together, Mickey and Rocky trained hard, focusing on Rocky's speed and improving his right-handed punching (Rocky being a southpaw). At the same time, the angry Apollo also focused fully on his training, taking this match seriously. The re-match was set for Thanksgiving '76. The grueling battle was another 15-round war with both Balboa and Creed falling to the canvas after Balboa landed a succession of left hands. Referee Lou Fillipo exercised his 10-count and as both Creed and Balboa struggled to make it to their feet, Creed crumbled back down in exhaustion. Only Rocky was able to get up, getting the better of Creed this time and beating the 10-count, winning the rematch by knockout, thus becoming heavyweight champion of the world.

[edit] Rocky III (Setting 1976-1982)

Over the next few years, Rocky successfully defended his title in 10 consecutive defenses against various contenders, amassing fortune and worldwide fame in the process. In addition, Rocky also fought an exhibition bout against the World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan) to a draw. However, in 1981, Rocky was challenged by intense and hungry newcomer James "Clubber" Lang. Rocky had some issues with his trainer Mickey Goldmill due to his revelation of having faced "hand-picked" challengers that were "good fighters, but not 'killers'" which Lang was; Mickey insisted that he would quit as Balboa's manager if he chose to fight Lang, but Rocky convinced him to train him for one last match. However, like Apollo in the first movie, Rocky didn't put his heart into the training, reinforcing Mickey's belief that Rocky had become too comfortable (or "civilized") as champion. Lang shoved Mickey out of the way before the match, sending the elderly trainer into cardiac arrest, which threw Balboa, already undertrained, completely off his game. As a result Rocky is brutalized by Lang and knocked out in the second round, losing his title; adding to his defeat, Goldmill died of a heart attack after the match, devastating Rocky. Despairing, Rocky was met by Apollo Creed, who told Balboa that when they fought, he won because he was hungry. He had the 'fire' Apollo no longer had, and the former champion convinced Rocky that he needed to get his fire ("the eye of the tiger") back. Along with his old trainer Tony "Duke" Evers, Apollo offered to train Rocky for a rematch against Lang, taking Balboa home to his old gym where he first trained to get Rocky "back to basics." After a while Rocky managed to purge his doubts and get his fire back. Fighting a style very reminiscent of Creed's own boxing technique mixed with his own style, Rocky won the second match with Lang by KO, dodging Lang's best blows and still standing, regaining his world heavyweight title. After the fight, Rocky and Apollo were last seen alone in Mickey's Gym, Creed taking his "payment" for his training services: one last rematch, just the two of them, no spectators. But this fight was only a sparring session between two new friends.

[edit] Rocky IV (Setting 1985)

In 1985, Apollo Creed came out of retirement and agreed to fight a Soviet World Amateur Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist-turned-professional fighter Ivan Drago in Las Vegas with Rocky Balboa and Tony "Duke" Evers in his corner. Creed, past his prime and again not taking his opponent seriously, was brutally beaten by massive Drago in the first round but begged Rocky not to stop the fight. In the second round, Creed continued to be beaten by Drago, falling limp in the ring and dying from the injuries. Feeling responsible for not stopping the fight, Balboa set up a match with Drago, which was held on Christmas Day in Moscow. Rocky had to surrender his World Heavyweight Championship crown to accept the bout. With Evers assuming the role as his new trainer, Balboa trained hard using all-natural methods within the mountainous terrain of Krasnoyarsk Siberia, while Drago was shown being trained with state-of-the-art equipment and steroid enhancement.

During the fight, Drago dominated the early moments of the match, but in the second round, Balboa caught Drago with a haymaker to the eye and cut him. The fight continued in a bloody back-and-forth battle, with the Soviet crowd who had originally rooted for Drago began cheering for Balboa while Drago's handler became increasingly upset over his inability to finish the American. In the end, Rocky's superior stamina and will to win persevered and he defeated the Russian in the fifteenth round. After the fight, Rocky gave an impassioned thank you speech to the crowd which received a standing ovation both from the crowd and the politicians in attendance, effectively ending the Cold War by catalyzing the thaw in relations that would occur between the United States and USSR. Rocky then retired because of injuries to his head.

[edit] Rocky V (Setting 1985-1990)

After the fight with Drago, Balboa realizes he has sustained some type of injury while showering. His hands tremble relentlessly and he tells Adrian he is tired and just wants to go home. Upon return to the United States (in a Soviet airplane), his press conference is interrupted by promoter George Washington Duke and Union Cane. They challenged him to a title fight called "Lettin' it Go in Tokyo." Balboa hints at retirement and leaves without accepting the challenge. Balboa’s doctor, Presley Jensen, discovered that he had apparently suffered brain damage, caused by repeated blows to the head, and so he decides to retire. He then lost his fortune after his brother-in-law Paulie mistakenly granted power of attorney to their accountant, who subsequently embezzled Rocky's money in a housing deal gone bad.

His only remaining asset was the now closed Mickey's Gym, which had been willed by Mickey to Robert, Rocky's son. Rocky was forced to return to the Philadelphia slums in which he had been raised. He reopens Mickey's Gym as a means of income while Adrian returns to work at the pet store where she was employed when she first met Rocky. Rocky asks Adrian "Did we ever leave this place?"

Though retired from boxing himself, Balboa starts training an up-and-coming fighter, Tommy Gunn. Gunn slowly becomes an excellent fighter, but suffers some from being constantly put in Rocky's shadow; he is nicknamed "Rocky's Robot" by the media. Gunn is wooed by seedy promoter George Washington Duke and leaves Rocky after an argument about whether Balboa is holding him back. At the same time, Robert also has problems adjusting to the new, less-than-lavish lifestyle his family was now leading, and by his father's distance. After a while, Rocky realizes the damage he is doing to his relationship with his son and makes amends.

Gunn wins the World Heavyweight title from Union Cane in 1990. However, he is ridiculed in the press—since he had never fought a "real contender", he is not regarded as a real champion or heir to the belt. This motivates Gunn, with prodding from Duke, to publicly challenge Rocky to a fight. Balboa initially declines, but when the hot-tempered Gunn punches Paulie, Rocky accepts, telling Gunn his ring is in the alley right outside. The two engage in a street brawl which quickly gets the attention of the locals, the police (who allow the fight to continue) and the media. In the end, Rocky defeats his protege, then punches Duke (who had obnoxiously threatened to sue if Rocky touches him), telling him "Sue me for what?"

[edit] Rocky Balboa (Setting 2006)

Rocky Balboa statue

After the events of Rocky V, Rocky eventually opened up a restaurant called 'Adrian's' in 1995, named after his wife. In 2002, Adrian dies of ovarian cancer.

Robert Balboa, Jr.(now 30 years old), who unlike his father goes by Robert, with whom Rocky has an eroding relationship, has since moved out to become a struggling corporate employee. Robert later makes an effort to discourage Rocky from fighting, blaming his own personal failings on his father's celebrity shadow, but Rocky rebukes him with some profound advice; that to succeed in life, "it ain't about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward," and that blaming others won't help him. The next day, father and son meet over Adrian's grave and reconcile, which is when Robert announces he has quit his job to be at Rocky's side.

In 2006, ESPN’s program Then And Now featured a computer animation about a simulated fight between Rocky (in his prime), and the current champion, Mason "The Line" Dixon. The fight simulated Rocky winning by knockout in the 13th round, which stirred up a great deal of discussion about the result if such a fight ever occurred.

Inspired by the simulation and feeling he still has some issues to deal with ("stuff in the basement"), Rocky (who is now 59 years old) decides to return to the ring. Rocky applies for a boxing license and though passing the physical with flying colors the Licensing Committee denies his license, however they change their minds and give him his license after Rocky makes an impassioned speech to them. The brain damage suffered in Rocky V is not addressed; Stallone has said that the storyline explanation would've been that Rocky's brain damage was within the normal range for boxers, and that he was suffering the effects of a severe concussion as a result of the Drago fight but he never sought a second opinion because he intended to retire anyway. He had said (via the TV commentators that no matter what it would be his last fight)^[1] Rocky's intentions were originally just to compete in small, local fights for fun and charity. However with the publicity of Rocky's return Mason Dixon's promoters convince Rocky to face The Champ in an exhibition bout in Las Vegas. Despite being champion, Dixon is haunted by criticism, claiming that he has never had a truly great opponent or memorable match. Originally against fighting an aged Balboa, Dixon recognized the opportunity to fight a legend and hoping to end all prognosticating about who would win and agreed to the fight.

In the press, commentators dismiss Rocky's chances, assuming that the fight will be one-sided due to his age. Robert is also against the fight, believing himself held down due to his father's shadow, though after a confrontation with Rocky he realizes that the only one holding him back is himself. Reunited with his old trainer Duke, Rocky and Duke quickly realize that age and arthritis have sapped Rocky of any speed he once possessed, so they decide to focus on his one major remaining weapon: power. The fight initially seems lop-sided with Dixon's speed allowing him to punish Rocky at will. However, the champion soon realizes Rocky will not go down and that the old man "has bricks in his gloves." The tide turns when Dixon injures his hand while punching Rocky. This evens the playing field and allows Rocky to mount an offense. In the end, the two fighters go the distance with Dixon winning by split decision. Dixon is finally recognized as being a warrior for fighting through and Rocky proves to the world that he is no joke, mirroring the ending of the first Rocky.

Personal life[link]

Balboa married Adriana "Adrian" Pennino in 1976 during Rocky II. Adrianna suffered from cancer. They were married for 26 years. The two have a son, Robert "Rocky" Balboa, Jr., who unlike his father goes by Robert. He was born in 1976. As evidenced by conversations with his priest, Father Carmine, Rocky understands Italian very well; however, it is unknown whether or not he speaks the language because his responses are in English. Balboa was a humble man with great heart of forgiving others on their mistakes.

Boxing record[link]

• Before fighting Apollo Creed: 64 Fights, 44 Wins (38 KO), 20 Losses and 0 draws.

• In the film Rocky Balboa, Rocky's record was shown to be 57-23-1 (54 K.O.) before his fight with Dixon. This has become a point of great debate amongst the fans because it has 3 extra K.O.'s and an extra loss. Stallone admitted himself he made this mistake; he stated that he was never good with calculations.

Character origin[link]

The name, iconography, and fighting style of Rocky Balboa were inspired by the legendary heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. Balboa was also inspired by other fighting legends: Joe Frazier, for his Philadelphia origin and victory against Muhammad Ali (The inspiration of Apollo Creed), and Jake LaMotta, for his Italian-inner city roots, ability to absorb many blows and his rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson, which heavily resembled Rocky and Apollo's. However, it was the not-so-legendary Chuck Wepner who inspired the movie and Balboa's underdog personality.

Boxing style[link]

Rocky Balboa fights as a southpaw (left-handed). He is a hybrid fighter, possessing the qualities of an inside fighter, brawler, and swarmer. With the exception of his rematch against Clubber Lang (where he fights as an outside fighter), he often advances quickly upon his opponents, driving them into the ropes in order to attack the body. Balboa's best attribute is without question his near-superhuman ability to absorb a multitude of the hardest hits without falling — an attribute he often employs on purpose to wear down his opponents, sacrificing defensive strategy to land his own punches. Because of this rare talent, Balboa can afford to keep his hands in position to strike rather than up high to block. Because he takes more punches than he throws, it is easy to overlook his incredible punching power. Rocky also has an uncanny ability to sense weakness in his opponents, often capitalizing on every shift in momentum possible. He is acknowledged as having the most devastating body attack in the sport, with his body blows causing internal bleeding in Creed and breaking Drago's ribs. After going fourteen rounds with Balboa, Ivan Drago told his trainer (in Russian), "He's not human, he's like a piece of iron." Mason Dixon once remarked about Balboa, "...that guy's got bricks in his gloves." These qualities, in concert, helped land him a high percentage of KO victories over the course of his career.

Height 5'11

Reach 74 inches

191 pounds for first Apollo Creed fight

202 pounds for Apollo Creed rematch

201 pounds for Clubber Lang fight

191 pounds for Clubber Lang rematch

204 pounds for Ivan Drago fight

217 pounds for Mason Dixon fight

Honors[link]

Rocky Statue, situated just northeast of the Rocky Steps.

Rocky Balboa was named the 7th greatest movie hero by the American Film Institute on their 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains list.^[3] Additionally, he was ranked #34 on Empire Magazine's compilation of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters.^[4] Premiere magazine ranked Rocky Balboa #64 on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.^[5]

The Rocky character is immortalised by a bronze statue erected near the Rocky Steps in Philadelphia recalling the famous scene from the original Rocky movie.

In December 2010 it was announced that the Rocky Balboa character was going to be inducted into the boxing hall of fame.

Merchandising[link]

Hasbro intended to license Rocky and make him a member of the G.I. Joe toyline, as they had with wrestler Sgt. Slaughter. A toy prototype was produced.^[6] Marvel Comics' G.I. Joe: Order of Battle profile book came out during the negotiations and included Rocky as a current Joe member, specializing in hand-to-hand combat training and an example of what it means to persevere under seemingly impossible odds. As the negotiations then collapsed, due to Stallone licensing Rambo to another company, Marvel had to run a retraction in the third issue of the limited-run series indicating that the character was never a part of G.I. Joe.^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rocky Balboa at the Internet Movie Database

Kevin Costner
visiting Andrews Air Force Base in 2003
Born	Kevin Michael Costner (1955-01-18) January 18, 1955 (age 57) Lynwood, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, producer, director; musician
Years active	1974–present
Spouse	Cindy Silva (1978–1994) Christine Baumgartner (2004–present)
Children	7

Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards and has been nominated for three BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J. Dunbar in the film Dances with Wolves, Jim Garrison in JFK, Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams, Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Crash Davis in Bull Durham, Robert "Butch" Haynes in A Perfect World, Frank Farmer in The Bodyguard, Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell in No Way Out, and Eliot Ness in The Untouchables. Costner also founded the band Modern West, and has performed with the band since 2007.

Early life[link]

Born in Lynwood, California, the youngest of three sons (the middle of whom died at birth). His mother, Sharon Rae (née Tedrick), was a welfare worker, and his father, William Costner, was an electrician and later utilities executive at Southern California Edison.^[1][2] Costner's patrilineal ancestry originates with German immigrants to North Carolina in the 1700s;^[3] he also has English and Irish ancestry, and has said that one of his ancestors had "married a Cherokee woman".^[3][4][5][6] Costner was raised Baptist.^[7] He attended Cabrillo Middle School and Villa Park High School. Costner was not academically inclined. Rather, he enjoyed sports, took piano lessons, wrote poetry and sang in the First Baptist Choir.^[1][8] He has stated that a viewing of the film How the West Was Won at the age of seven had "formed" his childhood.^[3]

Spending his teenage years in various parts of California as his father's career progressed,^[3] Costner has described this as a period when he "lost a lot of confidence", having to make new friends often.^[3] Costner lived in Orange County, then in Visalia (Tulare County), attending Mt. Whitney High School, and then back to Ventura, graduating from Buena High School in 1973. He went on to earn a B.A. in marketing and finance from California State University, Fullerton, in 1978.^[3]

Post-graduation[link]

Costner became interested in acting while in his last year of college,^[3] and on graduation married Cindy Silva. The couple honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta and on the return plane journey had a chance encounter with actor and fellow passenger Richard Burton, who had purchased all the seats around him for solitude. Burton agreed to speak to Costner after he finished his book. Costner, who had been taking acting classes, but had not told his wife about his desire to be an actor, watched Burton closely and approached when Burton gestured. Costner told Burton that he would prefer that his life was not filled with the type of drama that had followed Burton and asked if he would have to tolerate that if he became an actor. Burton replied, "You have green eyes. I have green eyes. I think you'll be fine." After landing, Burton's limousine pulled up to the curb where Costner and Cindy were waiting for a taxi, where Burton wished Costner luck. Costner would never see Burton again, but credits Burton with partially contributing to his career.^[1][9]