He was Rocky’s rival and later mentor, wrestled the Predator and co-starred with Pedro Pascal in the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian”: Carl Weers can look back on an eventful career. Now the actor has passed away at the age of 76. His family announced this in a statement. The Hollywood legend died peacefully in his sleep last Thursday.
Carl Weathers was born in New Orleans in 1948. Before he discovered acting, the mime played professional American football for many years, including with the Oakland Raiders in the NFL. In 1974, he ended his career as a professional athlete and tried smaller roles in film and television. And with success – in his almost 50-year film career, Carl Weathers appeared in more than 75 film and television productions.
Numerous former companions of the actor, including Hollywood stars such as Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, have already expressed their grief on social networks.
Unforgettable as Apollo Creed!
He made his breakthrough in 1976 in the sports drama ‘Rocky’. Here he starred alongside Sylvester Stallone and played the likeable but somewhat aloof boxing champion Apollo Creed, who had a spectacular fight with Rocky Balboa. The role quickly became a cult figure – and he also portrayed the boxer in the sequels. In “Rocky III,” former rivals Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed finally became good friends. In “Rocky IV,” he appeared for the final time in the series – and died a spectacular on-screen death against Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger, he also fought the killer alien of the same name in ‘Predator’ and taught Adam Sandler to play golf in the cult comedy ‘Happy Gilmore’. Carl Weathers was last seen in the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” where he portrayed the head of a bounty hunter guild, Greef Karga.