Somebody Up There Likes Me

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Somebody Up There Likes Me

film by Wise [1956]

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July 17, 2026

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Somebody Up There Likes Me is a 1956 film directed by Robert Wise. It is a biographical drama about the life of former world middleweight boxing champion Rocky Graziano. The film stars Paul Newman as Graziano, portraying his rise from a troubled youth and petty criminal to a celebrated boxer. The movie is based on Graziano's autobiography of the same name. Wise was known for his ability to convey a sense of reality in his films, and this boxing biography is an example of his work in the 1950s.123

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Robert Wise
Films of the 1950s
… (1956), with James Cagney, and Somebody up There Likes Me (1956), a charming biography of one-time world middleweight boxing champion Rocky Graziano, who is appealingly portrayed by Paul Newman.
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… (1956), with James Cagney, and Somebody up There Likes Me (1956), a charming biography of one-time world middleweight boxing champion Rocky Graziano, who is appealingly portrayed by Paul Newman.
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boxing
Boxing in art, literature, and film
…Wise’s The Set-Up (1949) and Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956); Mark Robson’s Champion (1949), loosely based on Ring Lardner’s short story of the same name, and The Harder They Fall (1956), inspired by the rise and fall of Primo Carnera; Kurt Newman’s The Ring (1952), about a young Mexican…
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…Wise’s The Set-Up (1949) and Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956); Mark Robson’s Champion (1949), loosely based on Ring Lardner’s short story of the same name, and The Harder They Fall (1956), inspired by the rise and fall of Primo Carnera; Kurt Newman’s The Ring (1952), about a young Mexican…
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Rocky Graziano
…was made into a popular film starring Paul Newman in 1956. Graziano’s career record was 67 wins (52 by knockout), 10 losses, and 6 draws. He was inducted into The Ring magazine’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 1971.
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…was made into a popular film starring Paul Newman in 1956. Graziano’s career record was 67 wins (52 by knockout), 10 losses, and 6 draws. He was inducted into The Ring magazine’s Boxing Hall of Fame in 1971.
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Steve McQueen
…with a bit part in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956). His first starring role was in the camp horror classic The Blob (1958), and that same year he earned the lead role of a bounty hunter on the television series Wanted: Dead or Alive, which ran until 1961.
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…with a bit part in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956). His first starring role was in the camp horror classic The Blob (1958), and that same year he earned the lead role of a bounty hunter on the television series Wanted: Dead or Alive, which ran until 1961.
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Paul Newman
First films
…he starred in Robert Wise’s Somebody Up There Likes Me, and his impressive portrayal of boxer Rocky Graziano secured his future in films. A string of acclaimed performances in notable dramas soon followed. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) was a highly praised adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play…
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…he starred in Robert Wise’s Somebody Up There Likes Me, and his impressive portrayal of boxer Rocky Graziano secured his future in films. A string of acclaimed performances in notable dramas soon followed. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) was a highly praised adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play…
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