American actor Carl Weathers has died at the age of 76, his family has announced. Weathers was known for his role as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four parts of the Rocky series.
Weathers died in his sleep yesterday. “Carl was an extraordinary person and lived an extraordinary life,” his family said in a statement. “With his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized by generations worldwide.”
Weathers has appeared in more than 75 films and TV shows. He started his career in 1970 as an American football player with the Oakland Raiders. In his spare time he studied theater at San Francisco State University, where he obtained a bachelor's degree.
Weathers said he got the role because he commented on his acting performance during an audition with Sylvester Stallone. Weathers went into the audition under the impression that Stallone was solely the writer of the film, he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 .
The audition did not go well, according to Weathers, after which he said: "It would go a lot better if I did the audition with a real actor." Stallone and the producers were charmed by this, because that cheeky attitude was exactly what they were looking for for the role of Creed.
In his role as Creed, he was an opponent of boxer Rocky Balboa who eventually befriended him. He played that role three more times. In the fourth film, Creed is killed during a boxing match with Russian boxer Ivan Drago.
After his role in the Rocky films, he played a major role in Predator (1987) with Arnold Schwarzenegger and he had supporting roles in the comedy film Happy Gilmore (1996). He also appeared in comedy series such as Arrested Development and provided the voice of Combat Carl in the animated film Toy Story 4 .
Weathers married and divorced three times. He had two children with his first wife Mary Ann Castle: Jason and Matthew. He had four grandchildren. In an interview on The Mandolorian , he spoke about them in 2021: "I want them to see something they're proud of," he said. “ The Mandalorian is something that kids can watch and I love that.”
Weathers died in his sleep yesterday. “Carl was an extraordinary person and lived an extraordinary life,” his family said in a statement. “With his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized by generations worldwide.”
Weathers has appeared in more than 75 films and TV shows. He started his career in 1970 as an American football player with the Oakland Raiders. In his spare time he studied theater at San Francisco State University, where he obtained a bachelor's degree.
Supporting roles
He retired from professional sports in 1974 and focused on acting. In his early years he played supporting roles in television series such as Starsky and Hutch and Kung Fu . He broke through to the general public with his role in the first Rocky film in 1976, in which he played heavyweight boxer Apollo Creed.Weathers said he got the role because he commented on his acting performance during an audition with Sylvester Stallone. Weathers went into the audition under the impression that Stallone was solely the writer of the film, he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 .
The audition did not go well, according to Weathers, after which he said: "It would go a lot better if I did the audition with a real actor." Stallone and the producers were charmed by this, because that cheeky attitude was exactly what they were looking for for the role of Creed.
In his role as Creed, he was an opponent of boxer Rocky Balboa who eventually befriended him. He played that role three more times. In the fourth film, Creed is killed during a boxing match with Russian boxer Ivan Drago.
After his role in the Rocky films, he played a major role in Predator (1987) with Arnold Schwarzenegger and he had supporting roles in the comedy film Happy Gilmore (1996). He also appeared in comedy series such as Arrested Development and provided the voice of Combat Carl in the animated film Toy Story 4 .
Emmy nomination
His last major role was in the Star Wars series The Madalorian. He appeared in ten episodes and directed two. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role as Greef Karga in the series.Weathers married and divorced three times. He had two children with his first wife Mary Ann Castle: Jason and Matthew. He had four grandchildren. In an interview on The Mandolorian , he spoke about them in 2021: "I want them to see something they're proud of," he said. “ The Mandalorian is something that kids can watch and I love that.”
