Carl Weathers, Star of ‘Rocky’ and ‘The Mandalorian,’ Dies at 76
Legendary actor Carl Weathers, who rose to fame for his portrayal of Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films before playing celebrated roles in Predator, Happy Gilmore, and The Mandalorian, has passed away at the age of 76.
Weathers was born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Initially, he pursued a career in football, attending San Diego State University before signing with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent.
Photo: Variety
While football was Weather’s first career, he received a master’s in theatre arts at San Diego State and would transition to Hollywood after his football career fizzled out.
Early Acting Roles and ‘Rocky’
After appearing in episodes of Kung Fu, Barnaby Jones, and Starsky and Hutch, Weathers landed the role of Apollo Creed in Rocky due in part to the fact that he criticized Sylvester Stallone’s acting.
Photo: Variety
For his portrayal of the prizefighter Apollo Creed, Weathers would become an international star. He subsequently would go on to appear in Predator, Action Jackson, and Happy Gilmore.
‘The Mandalorian’
Later in his career, Weathers returned to prominence for his role in the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian. Portraying Greef Karga in nine episodes, the actor would receive his first Emmy nomination. Additionally, Weathers directed Episodes 12 and 20 of the series.
THE MANDALORIAN (Left to right) Gina Carano is Cara Dune, Pedro Pascal is the Mandalorian and Carl Weathers is Greef Karga
Disney fans may also recognize Weathers as Combat Carl from Toy Story of Terror! Carl is an African-American version of GI Joe who helps Jesse overcome her fears. Weathers would go on to reprise his role in Toy Story 4. Additionally, the actor did voice work for Disney, starring as Omnitraxus Prime in 10 episodes of the animated series Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
Photo: Pixar
Weathers is survived by his ex-wife, Maryanne, and his two children.
