Actor Carl Weathers Dies at 76
Carl Weathers, best known for his portrayal of Apollo Creed in the early four “Rocky” movies with Sylvester Stallone, died Thursday, as his manager Matt Luber confirmed to Variety. He was 76 years old.
Weathers’ credits include the 1987 classic “Predator” and a memorable appearance in Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore.” His portrayal in the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian” earned him a Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
He provided the voice of Combat Carl in “Toy Story 4” and a fictional portrayal of himself in a recurring role in “Arrested Development”. His other notable works include TV series such as “Street Justice,” “Colony,” “The Shield,” “Chicago Justice,” and “Brothers” as well as films such as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Death Hunt,” and “The Comebacks.”
After collaborating with Sandler on the 1996 golf comedy “Happy Gilmore”, Weathers made a brief return to his role in “Little Nicky” and lent his voice to a character in Sandler’s animated Hanukkah comedy “Eight Crazy Nights”.
Born in New Orleans on January 14, 1948, Carl Weathers was a multi-talented athlete who excelled in various sports such as boxing, football, soccer, wrestling, and gymnastics. His collegiate years saw him play football for San Diego State University, where he notably contributed to the Aztecs’ victory in the 1969 Pasadena Bowl. Along with his athletic pursuits, Weathers earned a degree in theater arts at SDSU. However, his career took a turn in 1970 when he signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent. Throughout two seasons, Weathers demonstrated his skills as a linebacker, appearing in eight NFL games.
Following his career in professional football, Weathers turned to act with greater focus, securing small roles in blaxploitation films such as Arthur Marx’s “Bucktown” and “Friday Foster,” as well as “Good Times,” “Kung Fu Also worked in television series like ” , ”Cannon,” and ”Starsky and Hutch.”
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In “Predator” Carl played Colonel Al Dillon, sharing the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who later became governor of California, and Jesse Ventura, who served as governor of Minnesota. Weathers also hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 1988 and made a memorable return to the show for a spoof segment. In it, he humorously announces his candidacy for political office, citing “the role of the black man in ‘Predator'” as his qualification.
When Stallone asked Weathers for permission to use footage from previous “Rocky” films for the franchise’s sixth installment, “Rocky Balboa” (2006), Carl refused. Instead, he advocated for a new role in the film, despite the demise of his character Apollo Creed in “Rocky IV”. Stallone refused and hired a look-alike actor for the flashback fight scenes. However, the two eventually reconciled, with Weathers allowing Stallone to use his likeness in the “Creed” sequel series, where Michael B. Jordan plays the son of Apollo Creed.
During the latter part of his career, Carl secured small roles in television procedural dramas, even directing episodes of some. His breakthrough came with a 2021 Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Greef Karga in the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian”, appearing in nine episodes over three seasons. Weathers also served as director for episodes 12 and 20 of this “Star Wars” spinoff series.
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