Carl Weathers, Apollo actor in the Rocky saga, dies at 76
Carl Weathers, Apollo actor in the Rocky saga, dies at 76. Carl Weathers, remembered for his role as Apollo Creed in Rocky, recently worked on The Mandalorian, the successful series in the Star Wars universe.
By Megan Sauer
Goodbye to an icon, the death of Carl Weathers at the age of 76 has been confirmed. Sports movies would never have been the same without the actor who played Apollo Creed in Rocky.
The Sylvester Stallone franchise gave him perhaps his best stardom, but beyond those boxing gloves, he had an exceptional career, both in film and television.
Here we tell you better about his time in the industry.
Who was Carl Weathers, the actor of Apollo Creed in Rocky?
Born in 1948, in New Orleans, Carl Weathers had a brief football career for the Oklahoma Raiders. But acting ended up being his true passion.
After a series of appearances in so-called Blaxploitation films, his athleticism paid off when he was cast as the main antagonist of Rocky, Silvester Stallone’s iconic sports film.
As you surely remember, Apollo appears in the first four installments of the franchise and eventually becomes friends with the protagonist.
This film later propelled him to action movies, where he found another memorable role as Colonel Al in Predator, another classic in which he shared the screen with the genre icon, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But that is not all. Carl Weathers also had a long career in television. Particularly as a guest actor in all kinds of titles, most recently Arrested Development, Chicago PD, and Magnum PI.
But perhaps it would be in the farthest galaxy of pop culture in which he would find another memorable character.
Weathers was nominated for an Emmy in the Best Guest Actor category for his appearance in the first season of The Mandalorian. In the Star Wars universe, he gave life to a former bounty hunter named Greef Karga, a character who gives his missions to the protagonist.
Among them, Din ends up meeting the adorable Grogu, a Force-sensitive infant who survived Order 66.
His legacy as Apollo continued beyond his appearances. The character gave way to a completely new saga with Creed: Champion’s Heart.
The film, directed by Ryan Coogler, brought back the franchise but focused on Adonis, Apollo’s son who ends up looking for Rocky to help him train and form his own career in the world of boxing.
The role was left to Michael B. Jordan.
Weathers also ventured into directing and was, in fact, responsible for making episodes 12 and 20 of The Mandalorian. It is unknown what will happen to the character as the fourth season of this show is prepared.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann, and his two children. May he rest in peace.
