Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, died on Thursday, February 1st. He was 76 years old.
The actor was best known for playing Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky movies, opposite Sylvester Stallone, and Greef Karga in the Star Wars spinoff series The Mandalorian, which earned him an Emmy nomination. He also starred in Predator, Happy Gilmore, Arrested Development, and Toy Story 4.
According to a statement released by his family through his agent, Weathers died “peacefully in his sleep”. The cause of his death was not disclosed, but he had been battling health issues for some time. His family said that he was “an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life” and that he was “a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner and friend.”
Carl Weathers was born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in a poor family and developed a passion for sports and acting at a young age. He attended Long Beach City College, where he played football and earned a scholarship to San Diego State University. He graduated with a degree in drama in 1974.
He started his professional football career as a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders in 1970, and later played for the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League. He retired from football in 1974 and pursued his acting career full-time.
He made his film debut in 1975, in a blaxploitation movie called Friday Foster. He then landed his breakthrough role in 1976, as Apollo Creed, the charismatic and confident world heavyweight champion who challenges Rocky Balboa, a struggling boxer from Philadelphia, in the Oscar-winning film Rocky.
He reprised his role in three sequels, Rocky II, Rocky III, and Rocky IV, and became one of the most iconic characters in the franchise. He also appeared in archival footage in the spin-off films Creed and Creed II, which focused on his son, Adonis Creed, played by Michael B. Jordan.
Carl Weathers continued to star in action and comedy films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, such as Predator, Action Jackson, Happy Gilmore, and Little Nicky. He also showed his comedic chops in television shows like Arrested Development, where he played a fictionalized version of himself as a frugal acting coach, and The Mandalorian, where he played Greef Karga, a former bounty hunter and the leader of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild.
He also directed two episodes of the show, which earned him critical acclaim and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Weathers also lent his voice to animated films and shows, such as Toy Story 4, where he played Combat Carl, a toy soldier who helps Woody and Bo Peep, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil, where he played Omnitraxus Prime, a member of the Magic High Commission. His last film role was in a comedy called Senior Moment, which was released in 2021.
Carl Weathers is survived by his two sons, Jason and Matthew, from his first marriage to Mary Ann Castle.
