Rocky Franchise Actors(1976-Present)
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- Producer
Sylvester Stallone is an athletically built, dark-haired American actor/screenwriter/director/producer, the movie fans worldwide have been flocking to see Stallone's films for over 40 years, making "Sly" one of Hollywood's biggest-ever box office draws.
Sylvester Stallone was born on July 6, 1946, in New York's gritty Hell's Kitchen, to Jackie Stallone (née Labofish), an astrologer, and Frank Stallone, a beautician and hairdresser. His father was an Italian immigrant, and his mother's heritage is half French (from Brittany) and half German. The young Stallone attended the American College of Switzerland and The University of Miami, eventually obtaining a B.A. degree. Initially, he struggled in small parts in films such as the soft-core The Party at Kitty and Stud's (1970), the thriller Klute (1971) and the comedy Bananas (1971). He got a crucial career break alongside fellow young actor Henry Winkler, sharing lead billing in the effectively written teen gang film The Lords of Flatbush (1974). Further film and television roles followed, most of them in uninspiring productions except for the opportunity to play a megalomaniac, bloodthirsty race driver named "Machine Gun Joe Viterbo" in the Roger Corman-produced Death Race 2000 (1975). However, Stallone was also keen to be recognized as a screenwriter, not just an actor, and, inspired by the 1975 Muhammad Ali-Chuck Wepner fight in Cleveland, Stallone wrote a film script about a nobody fighter given the "million to one opportunity" to challenge for the heavyweight title. Rocky (1976) became the stuff of cinematic legends, scoring ten Academy Award nominations, winning the Best Picture Award of 1976 and triggering one of the most financially successful movie series in history! Whilst full credit is wholly deserved by Stallone, he was duly supported by tremendous acting from fellow cast members Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith and Burt Young, and director John G. Avildsen gave the film an emotive, earthy appeal from start to finish. Stallone had truly arrived on his terms, and offers poured in from various studios eager to secure Hollywood's hottest new star.
Stallone followed Rocky (1976) with F.I.S.T. (1978), loosely based on the life of Teamsters boss "Jimmy Hoffa", and Paradise Alley (1978) before pulling on the boxing gloves again to resurrect Rocky Balboa in the sequel Rocky II (1979). The second outing for the "Italian Stallion" wasn't as powerful or successful as the first "Rocky", however, it still produced strong box office. Subsequent films Nighthawks (1981) and Victory (1981) failed to ignite with audiences, so Stallone was once again lured back to familiar territory with Rocky III (1982) and a fearsome opponent in "Clubber Lang" played by muscular ex-bodyguard Mr. T. The third "Rocky" installment far outperformed the first sequel in box office takings, but Stallone retired his prizefighter for a couple of years as another series was about to commence for the busy actor.
The character of Green Beret "John Rambo" was the creation of Canadian-born writer David Morrell, and his novel was adapted to the screen with Stallone in the lead role in First Blood (1982), also starring Richard Crenna and Brian Dennehy. The movie was a surprise hit that polarized audiences because of its commentary about the Vietnam war, which was still relatively fresh in the American public's psyche. Political viewpoints aside, the film was a worldwide smash, and a sequel soon followed with Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), which drew even stronger criticism from several quarters owing to the film's plot line about American MIAs allegedly being held in Vietnam. But they say there is no such thing as bad publicity, and "John Rambo's" second adventure was a major money spinner for Stallone and cemented him as one of the top male stars of the 1980s. Riding a wave of amazing popularity, Stallone called on old sparring partner Rocky Balboa to climb back into the ring to defend American pride against a Soviet threat in the form of a towering Russian boxer named "Ivan Drago" played by curt Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV (1985). The fourth outing was somewhat controversial with "Rocky" fans, as violence levels seemed excessive compared to previous "Rocky" films, especially with the savage beating suffered by Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, at the hands of the unstoppable "Siberian Express".
Stallone continued forward with a slew of macho character-themed films that met with a mixed reception from his fans. Cobra (1986) was a clumsy mess, Over the Top (1987) was equally mediocre, Rambo III (1988) saw Rambo take on the Russians in Afghanistan, and cop buddy film Tango & Cash (1989) just did not quite hit the mark, although it did feature a top-notch cast and there was chemistry between Stallone and co-star Kurt Russell.
Philadelphia's favorite mythical boxer moved out of the shadows for his fifth screen outing in Rocky V (1990) tackling Tommy "Machine" Gunn played by real-life heavyweight fighter Tommy Morrison, the great-nephew of screen legend John Wayne. Sly quickly followed with the lukewarm comedy Oscar (1991), the painfully unfunny Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992), the futuristic action film Demolition Man (1993), and the comic book-inspired Judge Dredd (1995). Interestingly, Stallone then took a departure from the gung-ho steely characters he had been portraying to stack on a few extra pounds and tackle a more dramatically challenging role in the intriguing Cop Land (1997), also starring Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta. It isn't a classic of the genre, but Cop Land (1997) certainly surprised many critics with Stallone's understated performance. Stallone then lent his vocal talents to the animated adventure story Antz (1998), reprised the role made famous by Michael Caine in a terrible remake of Get Carter (2000), climbed back into a race car for Driven (2001), and guest-starred as the "Toymaker" in the third chapter of the immensely popular "Spy Kids" film series, Spy Kids 3: Game Over (2003). Showing that age had not wearied his two most popular series, Stallone has most recently brought back never-say-die boxer Rocky Balboa to star in, well, what else but Rocky Balboa (2006), and Vietnam veteran Rambo (2008) will reappear after a 20-year hiatus to once again right wrongs in the jungles of Thailand.
Love him or loathe him, Sylvester Stallone has built an enviable and highly respected career in Hollywood, plus, he has considerably influenced modern popular culture through several of his iconic film characters.Rocky Balboa- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Talia Rose Shire is an American actress who played roles as Connie Corleone in The Godfather films and Adrian Balboa in the Rocky series. For her work in The Godfather Part II and Rocky, Shire was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively, and for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama for her role in Rocky.Adrian Pennino-Balboa- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Burly, talented character actor who remained consistently busy playing "rough edged" or scary characters, often on the wrong side of the law. Young was born on April 30, 1940, in New York City, the son of a high school shop teacher. He is of Italian descent. Young received his dramatic arts training under acting coach Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.
Young first gathered notice playing tough thugs in such films as The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971), Across 110th Street (1972), Chinatown (1974) and The Gambler (1974). Director Sam Peckinpah cast Young as the getaway driver/assassin, "Mac", in The Killer Elite (1975), and Young came to the attention of newcomer Sylvester Stallone, who cast him as future brother-in-law "Paulie" in the 1976 sleeper hit Rocky (1976).
Young was nominated for an Oscar, and has gone on to reprise the role in all five "Rocky" sequels to date! Peckinpah re-hired him to play renegade trucker "Pigpen" in the moderately successful Convoy (1978) (watch for "Pigpen's" Mack truck where the writing on the door states "Paulie Hauling"!).
Young also appeared in Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), Mickey Blue Eyes (1999) and The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002).Paulie Pennino- Actor
- Writer
- Director
One of the truly great and gifted performers of the century, who often suffered lesser roles, Burgess Meredith was born in 1907 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was educated in Amherst College in Massachusetts, before joining Eva Le Gallienne's Student Repertory stage company in 1929. By 1934 he was a star on Broadway in 'Little 'Ol Boy', a part for which he tied with George M. Cohan as Best Performer of the Year.. He became a favorite of dramatist Maxwell Anderson, premiering on film in the playwright's Winterset (1936). Other Broadway appearances included 'The Barretts of Wimpole Street'. 'The Remarkable Mr Pennypacker', 'Candida', and 'Of Mice and Men. 'Meredith served in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II, reaching the rank of captain. He continued in a variety of dramatic and comedic roles often repeating his stage roles on film until being named an unfriendly witness by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the early 1950s, whereupon studio work disappeared. His career picked up again, especially with television roles, in the 1960s, although younger audiences know him best for either the Rocky (1976) or Grumpy Old Men (1993) films. Meredith also did a large amount of commercial work, serving as the voice for Skippy Peanut Butter and United Air Lines, among others. He was also an ardent environmentalist who believed pollution one of the greatest tragedies of the time, and an opponent of the Vietnam War. Burgess Meredith died at age 89 of Alzheimer's disease and melanoma in his home in Malibu, California on September 9, 1997.Mickey Goldmill- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Carl Weathers was born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. A famous and successful football star at San Diego State, he played with the Oakland Raiders and retired from the sport in 1974, in order to give full attention to his goal: to be a real actor.
Weathers first played small parts in two blaxploitation flicks, Friday Foster (1975) (in which he played "Yarbro") and Bucktown (1975) (playing "Hambone"), both made in 1975 and directed by Arthur Marks. However, his big break came the following year when producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff chose him to play "Apollo Creed" in the blockbuster "sleeper" Rocky (1976) (real-life boxing legend Ken Norton was originally signed for the part, but it eventually went to Weathers). He went on to play "Creed" in three other "Rocky" movies, and the characters' adversarial relationship eventually evolved into a warm friendship. After Creed's death in Rocky IV (1985), Weathers met with producer Joel Silver and agreed to play an important supporting role in Predator (1987), an action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The following year, Silver produced Action Jackson (1988), a first starring role for Weathers, but it performed poorly at the box office and was panned by the critics.
During the 1990s, Weathers starred in four In the Heat of the Night (1988) two-hour TV specials that were much better received by critics and viewers alike. In 1996, he played the part of "Chubbs Peterson" in the blockbuster Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore (1996). He returned to his "action roots" in two TV-movies with Hulk Hogan: Assault on Devil's Island (1997) and Assault on Death Mountain (1999).
In addition to his acting career, Weathers is also a member of the Big Brothers Association and the U.S. Olympic Committee, handling the career of athletes of various sports such as gymnastics, wrestling, swimming and judo.Apollo Creed- Tony Burton, who is famous for playing the corner man in six "Rocky" movies, was himself, in real life, a professional heavyweight boxer. Boxing in such avenues as Palm Springs, Los Angeles, and Hollywood, California, the 6 feet 200 pound Burton knocked-out among others, Bob Smith and Denny Chaney. His most important match was an April 4, 1959 6th round knockout defeat at the hands of undefeated LaMar Clark at Palm Springs, California. Clark was the 10th rated heavyweight and had won 38 straight knockouts. Burton gave as good as he got for 5 rounds, but Clark's relentless mauling style finally wore him down.Tony "Duke" Evers
- Sylvia Meals was born on 13 June 1943 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Rocky IV (1985), Rocky II (1979) and Tournament of Dreams (2007). She was married to Robert L. Meals. She died on 29 March 2011 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Mary Anne Creed
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Joseph J. Spagnuolo was born on October 28, 1936 in Manhattan, New York City at his family's apartment on 2nd Avenue. Spinell was a tough guy on and off the screen all his life. During his teen years, while still in high school, he acted in various plays on the New York stage, on and off Broadway, eventually earning a place in Joe Papp's Shakespeare Festival Theater. In 1960, he parlayed his stage work into a performing contract for MGM, where it was suggested that he change his name to Joe Spinell to make his name easier to pronounce. For nine years, Spinell worked with the group, which was also known as the Theater of the Forgotten, which also put on plays in prisons for the inmates. His minimal salary for his stage work forced him to hold down other jobs to make ends meet. Those jobs included working as a taxi driver, a post office clerk, and a liquor store clerk during Christmas holidays.
In 1972, Spinell was originally noticed when he appeared in his first movie role, a small, uncredited speaking part in The Godfather (1972), the right film for a tough, mean-looking Italian with a New York City accent. After his success, he became a familiar character actor who appeared in violent urban movies where he was usually cast as vicious thugs or seedy gang leaders. In both Godfather movies he played the hit man Willy Cici. In Rocky (1976), the first of several films he made with Sylvester Stallone, he played the loan shark Gazzo who employs Rocky as a collector.
His best (or worst) or most disgusting role is probably the one for which he is best remembered: the rare starring role of Frank Zito in Maniac (1980), a serial killer who kills women and uses their scalps to dress up female mannequins he keeps in his apartment. After Maniac (1980), Spinell continued acting with big-name Hollywood and independent movie directors, usually playing villainous thugs in small to medium roles.
During the last years of his life, Spinell's choice of projects became increasingly suspect; for example, imprisoned serial killer John Wayne Gacy wanted Spinell to play him in a movie. But with Maniac (1980) still on his mind, Spinell always wanted to do a sequel to the movie and with New York filmmaker Buddy Giovinazzo, they shot a 10-minute promo reel in 1986 titled Mr. Robbie, which was to be the sequel for Maniac (1980). After a few years of hard work and searching, Spinell found financing for the sequel, though just as pre-production was to begin, Joe Spinell suddenly passed away in his apartment in Sunnyside, Queens, New York on January 13, 1989, at age 52, due to undetermined causes, still the subject of much speculation. Some say he died of a heart attack because of his failing health in recent months due to his heavy drinking, drug use, and the emotional turmoil resulting from his mother's death in 1987. Others say he died from an asthma attack, or that he bled to death from an accidental (or deliberate) cut since he was a hemophiliac.
Spinell left behind an impressive body of film work all of which stand as a testament to his talent and unique screen presence as a character actor. He is survived by an ex-wife, a daughter, two brothers and a sister.Anthony "Tony" Gazzo- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Terry Eugene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler and television personality. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s.
Hogan began his professional wrestling career in 1977, but gained worldwide recognition after signing for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1983. There, his persona as a heroic all-American helped usher in the 1980s professional wrestling boom, where he headlined eight of the first nine editions of WWF's flagship annual event, WrestleMania. During his initial run, he won the WWF Championship five times, with his first reign being the second-longest in the championship's history. He is the first wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumble matches, winning in 1990 and 1991. His match with Andre the Giant on WWF The Main Event on February 5, 1988, still holds American television viewership records for wrestling with a 15.2 Nielsen rating and 33 million viewers.
In 1993, Hogan departed the WWF to sign for rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, and holds the record for the longest reign. In 1996, he underwent a career renaissance upon adopting the villainous persona of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, leading the popular New World Order (nWo) stable. As a result, he became a major figure during the "Monday Night Wars", another boom of mainstream professional wrestling. He headlined WCW's annual flagship event Starrcade three times, including the most profitable WCW pay-per-view ever, Starrcade 1997.
Hogan returned to the WWF in 2002 following its acquisition of WCW the prior year, winning the Undisputed WWF Championship for a record equaling (for the year) sixth time before departing in 2003. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, and inducted a second time in 2020 as a member of the nWo.
Hogan also performed for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) - where he won the original IWGP Heavyweight Championship - and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA - now known as Impact Wrestling).
During and after wrestling, Hogan had an extensive acting career, beginning with his 1982 cameo role in Rocky III. He has starred in several films (including No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando and Mr. Nanny) and three television shows (Hogan Knows Best, Thunder in Paradise, and China, IL), as well as in Right Guard commercials and the video game, Hulk Hogan's Main Event. He was the frontman for The Wrestling Boot Band, whose sole record, Hulk Rules, reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart in 1995.Thunderlips- Actor
- Soundtrack
Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud on 21 May 1952, in the rough south side ghetto of Chicago. He is the second to youngest of twelve children (he has four sisters and seven brothers) and grew up in the housing projects. His father, Nathaniel Tureaud, left when Laurence was 5, and his mother raised the family on $87 a month welfare in a three-room apartment. Mr. T's brothers encouraged him to build up his body in order to survive in the area; he has commented, "If you think I'm big, you should see my brothers!" His mother is a religious woman who has had a strong influence on him. He says, "Any man who don't love his momma can't be no friend of mine." He was an average student in school. "Most of the time," he says, "I stared out the windows, just daydreaming. I didn't study much because I have a photographic memory." Apart from one spell between 5th and 7th grades when he went a little astray -- playing hooky, cursing, acting tough, being disrespectful -- he was a well-behaved child (he worried about how his mother would feel if he ended up in jail, and stayed out of trouble). He attended Dunbar Vocational High School. He was a football star, studied martial arts, and was three times city wrestling champion. He won a scholarship to play football at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, but he was thrown out after a year.
He was involved in the world of pro wrestling in 1985-86 and 1994-95. Was Hulk Hogan's tag team partner at the first WrestleMania I (1985), defeating the team of Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper on March 31, 1985. His feud with Piper continued into WrestleMania 2 (1986), when he defeated Piper in a boxing match by disqualification. Mr. T returned to the WWF as a special guest referee in 1987, then disappeared from the wrestling world. Seven years later, he reappeared as a special referee for a Hogan-Ric Flair match, in October 1994. He stayed with Hogan for a few matches before returning to obscurity.Clubber Lang- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Dolph Lundgren was born as Hans Lundgren in Stockholm, Sweden, to Sigrid Birgitta (Tjerneld), a language teacher, and Karl Johan Hugo Lundgren, an engineer and economist for the Swedish government. He lived in Stockholm until the age of 13, when he moved in with his grandparents in Nyland, Ångermanland, Sweden. Despite an early interest in music and the fine arts, Dolph decided to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue an Engineering degree. After having completed his military service, he enrolled at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
It was in the military when Dolph first came in contact with the martial arts. Five years later, he had become a world-class competitor in Japanese Karate and was deeply involved with a discipline that was to become an important part of his life. After graduating High School, Dolph spent considerable time studying in the United States and abroad on various academic scholarships. He attended Washington State University and Clemson University in South Carolina. In 1982, he received a scholarship to complete his Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Sydney, Australia. In 1983, he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, one of the world's top engineering schools.
However, that same year, he decided to move to New York City and take up acting. He changed his forename to Dolph. He started studying drama at the Warren Robertson Theatre Workshop in Manhattan, not knowing how quickly his life was about to change. His film debut came in A View to a Kill (1985). However, it was his performance in Rocky IV (1985) later that year that definitely got him noticed. After a 9-month audition process among 5,000 hopefuls, he was cast opposite writer-director Sylvester Stallone, as his Russian opponent, "Ivan Drago". Following the success of Rocky IV (1985), Lundgren moved to Los Angeles and has since starred in more than 30 feature films.
Lundgren portrayed the classic action-heroic lead in such films as Gary Goddard's Masters of the Universe (1987), Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) co-starring Brandon Lee and Blackjack (1998), by Hong-Kong action legend, John Woo. Lundgren has also continued to turning in memorable performances as the main adversary to other action-stars, most notably in Universal Soldier (1992) opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme, directed by Roland Emmerich, as well as Robert Longo's Johnny Mnemonic (1995) opposite Keanu Reeves. In February 2004, Lundgren directed his first feature film, the thriller The Defender (2004), in which he also starred. In 2005, he directed and starred in yet another feature, The Russian Specialist (2005) (a.k.a "The Russian Specialist").
In January 2006, he finished principal photography of The Final Inquiry (2006), a joint Italian/American/Spanish co-production, directed by Giulio Base, appearing opposite, among others, Daniele Liotti, Max von Sydow and F. Murray Abraham. In 2006, Lundgren starred in Diamond Dogs (2007), a Chinese/American co-production filmed on location in Mongolia. In 2007, he directed a modern day western shot in Texas, Missionary Man (2007). In 2009, he completed two new directorial efforts, the action-packed Command Performance (2009), which showcases Lundgren's longtime musical talents as a drummer; and the neo-noir thriller Icarus (2010). Lundgren also reunited with co-stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sylvester Stallone for Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2009) and the highly anticipated action blockbuster, The Expendables (2010).
Lundgren managed to not let his Hollywood career stand in the way of his athletic background. He has been awarded his Third Degree Black Belt by the World Karate Organization in Tokyo. His accomplishments include being the Captain of the Swedish National Karate Team, as well as a Champion of the Swedish, European and Australian Heavyweight Division titles. Lundgren still regularly performs Karate exhibitions at international tournaments worldwide. In addition, he was selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to serve as Team Leader of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Pentathlon Team during the Atlanta Games. He is actively involved in promoting the image of this sport. His production company, Thor Pictures, is developing several projects in which he will produce, star and/or direct. He is also a founding member of "Group of Eight", a New York theater group started in 1994.
Lundgren has reportedly been working on a fitness book and sports wear line for men, the creation and launch of a new eponymous brand, a licensing, media and publishing program, and the development of future entertainment and media projects. Lundgren was married to Anette Qviberg-Lundgren, an interior decorator and fashion designer, until their divorce in 2011. They had two daughters together.Ivan Drago- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Actress, model, presenter and singer Brigitte Nielsen was born July 15, 1963 in Rødovre, a little place near Copenhagen in Denmark. At the end of high school when she was sixteen, Gitte (her given name) left her family to begin her modeling career. She worked for top fashion designers like Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace and Gianfranco Ferré and divided her time between New York, Paris, Milan and Berlin. In 1983, she married Danish musician Kasper Winding, and the year after, her first son Julian was born but, in the same period, acted in Red Sonja (1985) and left her husband and son for an acting career. The film with Arnold Schwarzenegger was successful and, in 1985, she also acted in Rocky IV (1985) with her future husband, Sylvester Stallone. Stallone met Nielsen in the summer of 1985 during Red Sonja (1985)'s promo and, after six months, they married in Malibu. After 19 months, another film together Cobra (1986) and many scandals, Gitte and Sly divorced. In 1987, Brigitte acted in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), directed by Tony Scott, with Eddie Murphy, Paul Reiser and Chris Rock. She went to Italy, where she worked in a big Italian television show called Festival (1987), recorded a dance album, "Every Body Tells a Story", and a pop music single, "Body Next to Body" with Austrian singer Falco. In January 1988, she met football player Mark Gastineau in an Los Angeles gym and soon she was in love with him. In December 1989, her second son, Killian, was born but the relationship with Gastineau finished. In 1990, Nielsen married the photographer/director Sebastian Copeland (Orlando Bloom's cousin) in Las Vegas and recorded another album called "I'm the One...Nobody Else". In 1992, when her third marriage was finished, Brigitte met Swiss/Italian Raoul Meyer and married him in December 1993. The same year, her third son, Douglas Aaron, was born and Gitte also acted in some films such as: The Double 0 Kid (1992) with Seth Green and Wallace Shawn, Fantaghirò 2 (1992), and in the erotic thriller Chained Heat 2 (1993). Meanwhile, she also worked in European television and, in 1995, her last son, Raoul Jr. Ayrton (in memory of her friend Ayrton Senna) was born. Since then, Brigitte left her fourth husband. She continues to act in many films such as:She's Too Tall (1998), Body Count (1995), 976-Evil II (1991), Galaxis (1995) with Sam Raimi, Compelling Evidence (1995), Corey Feldman, George Hamilton, Snowboard Academy (1997), Hostile Environment (1999) and Doomsdayer (2000). She has also recorded some dance music singles: "No More Turning Back" and "You're No Lady", with RuPaul. In 2004, she participated in three reality television shows, the Italian La talpa (2004) (Celebrity Mole) and the American The Surreal Life (2003) and Strange Love (2005).
She divides her residences between Milan, Italy and the United States.Ludmilla Drago- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Excellent, prolific and versatile character actor Michael Pataki had a long, varied and impressive career in both movies and TV shows, alike, that spanned a little over 50 years. Pataki was born on January 16, 1938 in Youngstown, Ohio. He attended the University of Southern California as a double major in Drama and Political Science. Michael made his film debut with an uncredited small part in the 1958 feature, Ten North Frederick (1958). However, it was his acclaimed acting on stage in 1966 at a summer stock festival in Edinburgh that really launched Pataki's career. Although usually cast as mean and unlikable antagonistic characters, Michael on occasion portrayed more appealing folks with equal skill and conviction. Pataki gave a superbly chilling and compelling performance as vicious bloodsucker "Caleb Croft" in the creepy horror winner, Grave of the Vampire (1972). Other memorable roles included nasty biker "Snake" in The Dirt Gang (1972), Marianna Hill's weak masochistic boyfriend "Dennis" in the perverse The Baby (1973), the lecherous "Sergeant Ward" in the crummy, The Bat People (1974), hi-jacker "Wilson" in Airport '77 (1977), Dracula's modern-day descendant "Michael Drake" in the hilariously horrible Dracula's Dog (1977), sleazy bounty hunter "Harry Iverson" in The Glove (1979), hard-nosed "District Attorney Dino Fulgoni" in the splendidly gritty The Onion Field (1979), oddball cemetery caretaker "Sam" in the offbeat zombie doozy Dead & Buried (1981), ramrod Russian sports official "Nicoli Koloff" in Rocky IV (1985) and the stern "Dr. Hoffman" in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988). Pataki had a recurring role on the TV series, The Amazing Spider-Man (1977); he also appeared in the two spin-off theatrical pictures, Spider-Man (1970) and Spider-Man Strikes Back (1978). Among the numerous TV shows Michael made guest appearances on are The Twilight Zone (1959), Star Trek (1966), Combat! (1962), Rawhide (1959), My Favorite Martian (1963), Ben Casey (1961), Batman (1966), Mission: Impossible (1966), The Flying Nun (1967), Baretta (1975), Happy Days (1974), McCloud (1970), Barney Miller (1975), Little House on the Prairie (1974), Charlie's Angels (1976), T.J. Hooker (1982), WKRP in Cincinnati (1978), Laverne & Shirley (1976), The Jeffersons (1975), The Fall Guy (1981), Airwolf (1987), St. Elsewhere (1982) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). Moreover, Pataki provided voices for cartoon television programs; he was especially notable as the voice of the demented "George Liquor" on The Ren & Stimpy Show (1991). Michael directed two low-budget 70s drive-in exploitation features for producer Charles Band: the potently unnerving horror shocker, Mansion of the Doomed (1976), and the amusingly silly soft-core comedy musical, Cinderella (1977). In addition, Pataki also worked as an acting coach. Michael died of cancer at age 72 on April 15, 2010 in North Hollywood, California.Nicolai Koloff- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Sage Stallone was an American actor and film director from Los Angeles. His best known role was Robert Balboa, Jr. (Rocky Balboa's son) in the sports drama film "Rocky V" (1990).
Stallone was the eldest son of actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-) and his first wife Sasha Czack. His parents married in 1974, and divorced in 1985. Sage's paternal grandfather was hairdresser and beautician Frank Stallone Sr. (1919-2011). Sage's paternal grandmother was the astrologer Jackie Stallone (1921-). Through his father's side of the family, Sage had Italian, French, and Ukrainian-Jewish ancestry.
Stallone made his film debut in "Rocky V" (1990), when 14-years-old. From 1994 to 1995, Stallone studied filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, a public art school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1996 Stallone and film editor Bob Murawski became the founders of the film preservation company Grindhouse Releasing. The company preserved, digitally restored and distributed exploitation films, B-movies, and cult films. It was also known for the restoration of Italian horror films directed by Lucio Fulci, Ruggero Deodato, and other horror directors.
In 2006, Stallone directed the drama film "Vic", concerning a down-on-his-luck actor who struggles to make a career comeback. For this film, Stallone won the Best New Filmmaker at the Boston Film Festival .
In 2010, Stallone played an unnamed Mafioso in the drama film "Promises Written in Water". The film did not receive distribution, and was mainly exhibited in film festivals. Stallone's last film appearance was a role in the short film "The Agent" (2010).
Stallone died in July 2012,at his home in Studio City, Los Angeles. His autopsy indicated that the cause of death was coronary artery disease, caused by atherosclerosis. He was 36-years-old at the time of death. His funeral was held at the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Los Angeles. Stallone was buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.Robert Balboa- Actor
- Soundtrack
American actor of commanding presence and powerful voice, prolific on screen since 1980 and frequently cast in authoritarian roles as judges, attorneys, police chiefs or senior military officers. Richard Edward Gant graduated from California State University - East Bay with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual and Performing Arts and from Samuel Merritt University in 1967 with an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts and Afro-American Studies. Gant spent four years in the Air Force as a radar operator, before moving to New York to work off-Broadway as actor and director on some 35 productions. In 1978, he appeared alongside Morgan Freeman and Dorian Harewood in The Mighty Gents, a play about the decline of a once-feared Newark black youth gang. In films, he is perhaps best known as retired boxing promoter and manager George Washington Duke (the main antagonist in Rocky V (1990)), a role for which he was handpicked by Sylvester Stallone.
Gant's notable TV appearances have included the ill-fated livery stable owner Arnette Hostetler in HBO's Deadwood (2004); Captain Richard Page, commander of Special Unit 2 (2001), a secret police task force battling mythological entities in Chicago; Captain Edward "Mackie" MacDougan, an Earthforce commander sympathetic to Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) in Babylon 5 (1993); Dr. Russell Ford in the popular daytime soap General Hospital (1963); car dealership owner Owen Thoreau Sr., Andre Braugher's on-screen father in Men of a Certain Age (2009) and snarky English teacher Ray Hayward in Mr. Iglesias (2019). His numerous guest roles have included appearances in Miami Vice (1984), L.A. Law (1986), NYPD Blue (1993), Smallville (2001), Charmed (1998) and, more recently, NCIS: Los Angeles (2009).
In 2006, Gant co-founded PanAfricanist, a digital solutions company which focuses "on designing and developing cultural connectivity infrastructures." He is married to the costume designer and director Arline Burks Gant.George Washington Duke- Manager
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Mike Williams, founder and Talent Manager at the Los Angeles and Atlanta based firm Cylence Media Management, a boutique talent management representing a group of the most dedicated and career centered actors, models, content creators and talent in the entertainment industry, specializing in strategic content and talent development for our artist.Union Cane- He was a heavyweight professional boxer who held the WBO heavyweight title in 1993. He made national news Thursday, Feb. 15, 1996, when he announced that he was HIV positive. He then retired from boxing. He was suspended from worldwide boxing when he tested positive prior to a boxing match against Arthur Weathers in Las Vegas. The suspension was lifted in 2006. He died September 1, 2013 of multiple organ failures.Tommy Gunn
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Milo Ventimiglia is an American actor, director and producer.
Milo currently stars on the critically acclaimed drama series "This is Us." He has been nominated twice for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (2017 & 2018) and a Critic's Choice Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series (2019) for his portrayal of the family patriarch, Jack Pearson. The show won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and the People's Choice Award for Best New Drama. In 2016 he reprised his role of Jess in the continuation of critically acclaimed television drama "Gilmore Girls,' which returned with four 90-minute episodes on Netflix. His other television credits include a memorable recurring role as 'The Ogre' in the FOX drama "Gotham," the Frank Darabont helmed TNT drama "Lost Angels," NBC's "Heroes," the critically acclaimed drama "American Dreams" and David. E. Kelley's drama "Boston Public."
Milo's passion for the art of acting keeps him drawn to both studio and independent features. Milo is wrapped production on the Fox 2000 feature film "The Art of Racing in the Rain," an adaptation of the international best-selling novel by Garth Stein. The book focuses on a family dog named Enzo who evaluates his life through the lessons learned by his human owner, a professional race-car driver named Denny Swift, played by Milo. The film will be released in September 2018. Ventimiglia recently starred alongside Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy "Second Act" and had a memorable cameo in "Creed II." He starred alongside Sylvester Stallone as his son in sixth installment of the Rocky series "Rocky Balboa, in Adam Sandler's "That's My Boy," and "Grown Ups 2" and alongside Nicole Kidman in "Grace of Monaco." His other film credits include Xan Cassavetes' "Kiss of the Damned," a remake of the 1986 Burt Reynolds drama "Heat" alongside Jason Statham" and the "Killing Season" with Robert DeNiro.
Behind the camera Ventimiglia and his partner at Divide Pictures Russ Cundiff are involved in traditional content having sold TV shows to NBC, SyFy and FX, and producing the independent feature TELL which Ventimiglia co-starred along side of Jason Lee and Katee Sackoff as well as STATIC, which Ventimiglia co-starred with Sarah Shahi and Sara Paxton. Ventimiglia also produced the web-series Chosen, now in it's second season for Sony's Crackle as well as directed other digital projects for American Eagle Outfitters, Cadillac, GQ and Liberty Mutual. Divide Pictures' latest web-series "The P.E.T. Squad" Files for CW's Seed, is about a group of amateur ghost hunters who chase fame without having seen an actual apparition. The show launches summer 2013 from San Diego Comicon. Ventimiglia's passion for comic books led him to produce two titles for Top Cow / Image Comics "Rest" and "Berserker."
Ventimiglia spends his free time working with vets through the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America as well as taking USO tours to troops abroad.Robert Balboa- Actress
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Geraldine Hughes (born 1970) is a Northern Irish film, television and stage actress. She was born in West Belfast and lived in the Divis flats for a time. She won a private scholarship and attended university in America. She is best known for her portrayal of "Little Marie" in 2006's Rocky Balboa. Hughes also wrote and performed a one-woman show entitled Belfast Blues in New York City and appeared on television on ER and Profiler, among others. Recently, she played Clint Eastwood's daughter-in-law in Gran Torino.Marie- Producer
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To say that James Francis Kelly III is an exceptional young man would be putting it mildly. At the age of sixteen James is on the verge of becoming a household Hollywood name. With his role in "Rocky Balboa," the sixth film from Sylvester Stallone, James is preparing for the next step.
Whatever the next step may be, one thing is certain, James Francis Kelly III is ready. His background in theatre, athletics and academics has given him a breadth of skill and a depth of knowledge uncommonly seen in a teenager. His mature and confident nature make an immediate impact, as they obviously did on Stallone, who cast Kelly to play Steps, the troubled son of a down-on-her luck parent in the film, slated for a December release.
While honing his acting skills training at the Lee Strasberg Institute, James was singled out at the young age of nine to act as an assistant acting teacher for summer theatre. He has quietly been perfecting his craft since the age of four and now, as he stands on Hollywood's doorstep, he is ready to make his place.
Epitomizing the term "well-rounded," as a high school junior James is already being recruited to play football at many of the nation's top schools-but his passion is for acting. Although he is a captain on his varsity football team, James has also practiced Muai Thai, a traditional form of Thai self-defense, for many years as well as playing other sports such as soccer and racquetball.
Also unlike many young adults, James is interested in his cultural background, which has proven to be inspirational. Born to an African-American/Native American mother and a father who is second generation Irish. James has benefited from each of these cultures. Last summer James was adopted into the Crow Nation and given his formal Indian name, "Kawaysash," which means "he who does not give up."
And it is obvious that James Francis Kelly III is not going to give up. He has already proven that whatever the future holds, he will thrive. Renee Missel is James personal manager and American Artists Group Management is his business manager.Stephenson "Steps"- Antonio Tarver was born on 21 November 1968 in Orlando, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for Rocky Balboa (2006), ProBoxTV (2022) and Tuesday Night Fights (1982).Mason "The Line" Dixon
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Michael B. Jordan, the middle of three children, was born in Santa Ana, California and raised in Newark, New Jersey. He is the son of Donna (Davis), a high school counselor, and Michael A. Jordan. His middle name, Bakari, means "noble promise" in Swahili. (He is not related to, or named after, basketball legend Michael Jordan.)
Jordan has starred in three of the most critically acclaimed television dramas of the past decade. First, Jordan played the hard-shelled but softhearted Wallace in HBO's dramatic hit series The Wire (2002). He then went on to star as quarterback Vince Howard on Friday Night Lights (2006) (NBC), before playing a recovering alcoholic, Alex, on NBC's Parenthood (2010).
Jordan successfully took on his first major leading film role when he starred as Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station (2013). The film is an account of Oscar's controversial slaying by police officers on a San Francisco train platform. The cast includes Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz, and was produced by Forest Whitaker (Significant Films). It premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival where it received the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic Film. It also screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard category. The has garnered many awards including Best First Feature at the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards, Outstanding Independent Motion Picture at the 2014 NAACP Image Awards and the 2014 Stanley Kramer Award from the Producer's Guild of America. The 2013 New York Film Critics Circle honored it with Best First Film and the picture was also chosen as one of the Top Ten Films at the 2013 National Board of Review Awards, where Jordan took home the award for Breakthrough Actor. Jordan also won the 2013 Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Actor.
In 2015, Jordan starred in Josh Trank's Fantastic Four (2015), playing the role of 'Johnny Storm' aka 'The Human Torch', opposite Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, and Kate Mara for 20th Century Fox. The film was released on August 7th 2015. Jordan previously starred in 20th Century Fox's box office hit Chronicle (2012) (which was also directed by Trank), a supernatural thriller that follows three Portland teens (MBJ, Dane Dehaan, and Alex Russell) as they develop incredible powers after exposure to a mysterious substance; That Awkward Moment (2015) opposite Zac Efron and Miles Teller for Focus Films; and the George Lucas produced film Red Tails (2012), the story of the first African American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during WWII aka The Tuskegee Airmen.
Jordan reunited with Ryan Coogler for Creed (2015), starring alongside Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson. The film was released on Thanksgiving 2015 by MGM and Warner Brothers. A devoted fan of comic books growing up, Jordan starred as the villain, Eric Killmonger, in the 2018 box office smash Black Panther (2018). In 2018, he is also starring as Guy Montag in the HBO adaptation of Ray Bradbury's science fiction classic Fahrenheit 451 (2018).
He resides in Los Angeles, where he supports the charity Lupus LA.Adonis Johnson Creed- Actress
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The actress Tessa Lynn Thompson was born on October 3, 1983 in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of singer-songwriter Marc Anthony Thompson and the granddaughter of actor-musician Bobby Ramos. She was raised in Los Angeles before moving to Brooklyn, New York. Her father is of Afro-Panamanian ancestry and her mother is of Mexican and British Isles ancestry. Thompson attended Santa Monica High School, where she was featured in numerous theatre productions. After graduation, she enrolled at Santa Monica College, where she obtained a degree in cultural anthropology.
She starred as Juliet in William Shakespeare's drama "Romeo and Juliet" in a production held at the Boston Court Theatre in Pasadena, California. Her performance from earned her the NAACP Theatre nomination the same year. Away from the theatre stage, In 2005, Tessa made her first television appearance when she starred in the CBS series Cold Case (2003). Talented like her father Marc, Tessa's versatility extends to music, as a member of Electro Band, through which she has produced many songs, including one used in her film Dear White People (2017).
Since her acting career began in 2002, Tessa has played remarkable roles in popular television series and movies including Murder on the 13th Floor (2012), Make It Happen (2008), Red & Blue Marbles (2011), Selma (2014), Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), War on Everyone (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Sorry to Bother You (2018), Annihilation (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Men in Black: International (2019), Lady and the Tramp (2019) and Sylvie's Love (2020).Bianca Taylor-Creed- Actress
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Phylicia Rashad was born in Houston, Texas to African-American parents Vivian Elizabeth (Ayers), a poet and art director, and Andrew Arthur Allen, an orthodontist. As a child, Phylicia, her older brother Andrew (called Tex), and younger sister, dancer and actress Debbie Allen, lived in Mexico. She has another brother, Hugh Allen (a real-estate banker in North Carolina). Their mother decided to live in Mexico to give the Allen children a brief experience of not having to endure the chronic racism and segregation that was typical of Texas during the 1950s. Phylicia and Debbie are fluent in Spanish. Phylicia graduated from Howard University and later taught drama there.
With younger sister Debbie Allen, she has a production company, D.A.D., which stood for Doctor Allen's Daughters. Her Pulitzer-nominated mother is the artistic and free spirit that has influenced and encouraged the remarkable creativity that so marks Rashad as a performer.Mary Anne Creed- Leo Sporino
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Harris was born Sherwin David Harris in Chicago, Illinois, to John and Mattie Harris. However, he works under his nickname, "Wood". Attended New York University Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School. Has performed in many films and various stage productions including plays by August Wilson, William Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams. He is one of the stars of the HBO series The Wire (2002), which was recently chosen by Time magazine as one of best TV shows of all time. He is regarded as one of the best actors of his generation. Wood is the younger brother of Steve Harris, star of the ABC legal drama The Practice (1997). Wood, like his brother, splits his time between New York and California.Tony "Little Duke" Evers- Actor
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Andre Michael Ward is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world titles in two weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super), WBC, Ring magazine, and lineal super middleweight titles between 2009 and 2015; and the unified WBA (Undisputed), IBF, WBO, and Ring light heavyweight titles between 2016 and 2017. During his reign as light heavyweight champion, Ward was ranked as the world's best active boxer, pound for pound, by The Ring magazine and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB), as well as the world's best active boxer in the division by The Ring, the TBRB, and BoxRec. As of January 2022, BoxRec ranks Ward as the twelfth greatest fighter of all time, pound for pound.Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler- Actor
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Graham McTavish is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his roles as Dougal Mackenzie in the popular TV series "Outlander" (2014-16), as Dwalin in the "The Hobbit" trilogy for Peter Jackson (2012-14) as well as the Saint of Killers in AMC's series "Preacher", based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's cult comic book series (2016 onwards). He also starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in "Rambo" (2008) and "Creed" (2015), making him the only actor to perform opposite Rocky AND Rambo. He is also known for his roles in numerous other TV shows and movies including "Red Dwarf" (1998), "24" (2009), "Rome" (2004), "The Finest Hours" (2015) and "Colombiana" (2011). As well as extensive theatre work throughout the UK including The Royal Court, and The Royal National Theatre, he is well known for his voice work on games and animated TV, including "Uncharted 2, 3, and 4", "Call of Duty", "Dante's Inferno", Loki in "Hulk v Thor" and "The Avengers", "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Kung Fu Panda"Tommy Holiday- Tony "Bomber" Bellew, so-called because of his aggressive power punching, is an English former professional boxer and a former 3-time ABA heavyweight champion from Liverpool, England.
Born in 1982, the Merseysider enjoyed a 40-7 amateur career before turning professional in October 2007. He trained out of the Rotunda gym in Liverpool and was promoted by Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport.
A former Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion, Tony has a professional record of 30 wins, 20 by KO/TKO, 3 losses and 1 draw. He also held the WBC Intercontinental belt after stopping Colombian Edison Miranda in the 9th round at London's Alexandra Palace in September 2012.
Bellew is an avid supporter of Everton F.C. and often fought in blue boxing trunks adorned with the club's badge and also used the theme tune from Z Cars (1962) as his ring-walk music, the same song that Everton players walk onto the pitch to during every home game. In 2016, Tony headlined a show at the team's stadium, Goodison Park, as he claimed his greatest victory by winning the vacant WBC cruiserweight world title against Ilunga Makabu.
Following his retirement from boxing, Tony continues to be involved in the sport as an analyst and commentator for DAZN Boxing (2015), having previously worked in a similar role for Sky Sports World Championship Boxing (1989)."Pretty" Ricky Conlan - Bill Baldwin was born on 26 November 1913 in Pueblo, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for Rocky II (1979), Rocky (1976) and Rocky III (1982). He died on 17 November 1982 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.Fight Commentator # 1
- Stu Nahan was born on 23 June 1926 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985) and Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). He was married to Sandy Nahan. He died on 26 December 2007 in Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA.Fight Commentator # 2
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Russell Hornsby was born on 15 May 1974 in San Francisco, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Hate U Give (2018), Fences (2016) and Meet the Parents (2000). He has been married to Denise Walker since 1 August 2008.Buddy Marcelle- Florian Munteanu was born on 13 October 1990 in Würzburg, Germany. He is an actor, known for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Creed II (2018) and The Contractor (2022).Viktor Drago
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Deontay Wilder was born on 22 October 1985 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Vendetta, Magnum P.I. (2018) and Billions (2016). He has been married to Jessica Scales since 2009. They have four children.Clubber Lang Jr(Rumored)- Writer
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Max Kellerman was born on 6 August 1973 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Rocky Balboa (2006), Creed II (2018) and Creed (2015).as Himself- Actor
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Roy Levesta Jones Jr. is an American former professional boxer, commentator, and trainer who holds dual American and Russian citizenship. He competed in boxing from 1989 to 2018, and held multiple world championships in four weight classes, including titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight, and is the only boxer in history to start his professional career at light middleweight and go on to win a heavyweight title. As an amateur, he represented the United States at the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the light middleweight division after one of the most controversial decisions in boxing historyas Himself- Writer
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Scott Van Pelt is known for Creed II (2018), Champions (2023) and Ted Lasso (2020). He has been married to Stephanie Van Pelt since 22 October 2011. They have three children.as Himself