Rocky Balboa from ‘Rocky’

The Character: Sylvester Stallone wrote and starred in the boxing classic 'Rocky' as Rocky Balboa, a Philadelphia fighter who isn't quite living up to his potential. But when he meets a beautiful girl, he feels inspired to "go the distance," and when the opportunity arises to fight boxing legend Apollo Creed, Rocky trains long and hard to prepare for the fight -- in the end, he perseveres and lasts all 15 rounds with Creed, making him the first boxer in history to go the distance and last every round with Creed, even though their fight ends in a draw.

The Inspiration: Stallone was inspired by several well-known boxers, namely Rocky Marciano, a legendary heavyweight champ; Joe Frazier, who came from Philadelphia; and Jake LaMotta, who was also an Italian inner-city guy and had a long-standing rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson, which inspired the Rocky/Apollo fight. But the biggest inspiration was the little-known boxer Chuck Wepner, whose underdog story inspired Rocky's own. Stallone said of Wepner's fight with Muhammad Ali: "A battling, bruising club fighter who had never made the big time, was having his shot. It wasn't at all regarded as a serious battle. But as the fight progressed, this miracle unfolded. He hung in there. People went absolutely crazy. Wepner was knocked out in the 15th and final round, almost lasting the distance. We had witnessed an incredible triumph of the human spirit and we loved it."