From everything i've ever read about Roman Gladiators, they were always slaves or extremely poor people. But im wondering if any gladiator in particular ever became famous?
Hi, yes some gladiators became early examples of celebrities. Here are a couple of answers that may be of interest
/u/Alkibiades415 in What was the social standing of a former gladiator?
/u/XenophonTheAthenian in Were there any incidents where free men chose to become gladiators during the Late Roman Republic?
... and there's more about gladiators here: