Vinnie de Carlo was both a boxer and an actor. He was born Thomas D'Ambrosia, and made his film debut in the boxing drama The Harder They Fall (1956) after coming to Hollywood in 1953. Before that, de Carlo was a fighter in Philadelphia and claims that his boxing career inspired Sylvester Stallone to make Rocky. The claim has not been substantiated, but de Carlo did train in a slaughterhouse. De Carlo continued to appear periodically in films through 1981. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
