A dynamic journey of Carl Weathers from athletics to Hollywood stardom

A dynamic journey of Carl Weathers from athletics to Hollywood stardom. Carl Weathers, the tough actor best known for his portrayal of heavyweight wrestler Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” franchise, has died at the age of 76.

By Megan Sauer

A former professional football player, Weathers played numerous roles in action and law enforcement films, but his flamboyant presence as Creed helped catapult the Rocky brand and inspire various cultural references and parodies.

Weathers was born in New Orleans in 1948. As a young man, he became involved in football and martial arts. His first taste of entertainment was a singing role in a school play written by a teacher named Mr. Slush. Weathers participated as a vocalist in various musical groups and bands based in New Orleans.

When his family moved to California, he enrolled at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where his football prowess led him to Long Beach City College. Injured there during training, he transferred to San Diego State University, where he played on nationally recognized teams under coach Don Coryell. He also specialized in Theater.

After contacting his old college linebackers coach, Sid Hall, expressing interest in playing professionally, Weathers signed as a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders (who had hired Hall as their linebackers coach) as a free agent in 1970.

He participated in that season and was let go by the team in the early stages of the 1971 campaign. Raiders head coach John Madden informed Weathers when he cut him: “You’re too sensitive.”

Undaunted, like when he moved to California, then changed colleges, then signed undrafted by a professional team, Weathers continued his career with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League. During the offseasons, until his retirement from athletics in 1974, he studied acting.

In 1975, he landed speaking roles in the exploitation films “Bucktown” and “Friday Foster,” the latter starring Pam Grier. That same year, he participated in an episode of the comedy “Good Times,” as well as the dramas “Cannon” and “Kung Fu.” The subsequent television season saw Weathers securing roles in “Barnaby Jones” and “Starsky and Hutch,” both detective series. He also auditioned for the role of Creed and was cast as Rocky’s swaggering adversary.

Weathers drew inspiration from the antics of heavyweight king Muhammad Ali (who was born Cassius Clay, hence the Greco-Roman name Apollo) in his performances as Creed, peppering the cartoon with his own blend of menace and comic timing.

The stark contrast to the heroic but improbable performance of ordinary boxer Rocky Balboa gave the rivalry a David versus Goliath tone. Weathers also co-starred in “Rocky II,” “Rocky III” and “Rocky IV.”

As much as they cheered for Rocky, movie fans came to love their colorful adversary. In the 1970s and ’80s, Weathers also appeared in “Force 10 from Navarone,” briefly in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and memorably in the action hit “Predator.” He was the star of “Action Jackson” in 1988. It is a tribute to his versatility that he was not pigeonholed or limited to the bombastic Creed.

In the 1996 film “Happy Gilmore,” Weathers again showed off his comedic chops. That sense of humor that clashed with his exterior bravado distinguished him as an actor. It helped differentiate him from former professional football players like Jim Brown and Fred Williamson.

On television in the 1990s, he had roles in “In the Heat of the Night,” “Street Justice” and “Tour of Duty,” primarily as law enforcement or military characters.

In 2004, he played an acting coach in a recurring role on the comedy “Arrested Development.” Weathers also worked as a voice actor, documentary narrator, and video game voice actor.

He often cited Coach Madden’s criticism of his sensitivity, though he resented it at the time, not only as a drive to excel in another field, but as a vital trait for dramatic success.

When the movie “Rocky Balboa” was made in 2006, Weathers was the only previous Rocky rival actor who refused to allow footage of his previous roles to be used in flashbacks; Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren had given their consent.

Weathers, although Creed dies in “Rocky IV“, had asked for a role. Nine years later, Weathers agreed to Sylvester Stallone’s request to use footage in the 2015 film “Creed.

In 2021, his role as Greef Karga in “The Mandalorian” earned him an Emmy Award nomination for Best Guest Actor. Thus, three generations of fans know Carl Weathers. He took advantage of his recognition to make humorous advertisements forBud Light.

Additionally, Weathers directed two episodes of “The Mandalorian.” The former drama student and Stallone’s co-star was a man of many talents.