Who sculpted the bronze Rocky statue commissioned for Rocky III?

A. Thomas Schomberg sculpted the bronze Rocky statue commissioned for Rocky III. Sylvester Stallone commissioned the work, which Schomberg created in 1981.

The statue was made for the film and placed at the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps during production. Its location connected the fictional boxer's training ritual with the real landmark that became known worldwide as the Rocky Steps.

Three two-ton, 10-foot versions were cast. After filming, Philadelphia debated whether the statue should be treated as public art or merely as a movie prop. It moved between locations, including the Spectrum, before returning to the museum steps in 2006.

The statue's history explains why several famous sculptors can seem plausible as answers, but Robert Graham, Daniel Chester French and Frederic Remington did not create this Rocky. Schomberg is the sculptor specifically associated with Stallone's iconic bronze figure.