Carl Weathers, perhaps best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films, died on Thursday, February 1, his family told Deadline in a statement. He was 76.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” reads the statement. “He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1st, 2024. … Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.”
Weathers was also famous for his role as Colonel Al Dillon in Predator, as well as his more recent part as Greef Karga in Star Wars series The Mandalorian, for which he was nominated for an Emmy.
Weathers was born in New Orleans and had an extensive college football career before fully investing in Hollywood. He was scooped up by the Oakland Raiders in 1970 after trying out as a free agent, but told the Washington Post in a 1979 interview that he had been looking to "hop out of football as soon as I made some headway with acting."
"I forced the issue by exaggerating a little," he admitted. "In L.A. I lied about having acting credits up in San Francisco. How can they bother to verify your claim that you studied at ACT (the American Conservatory Theater) or worked as an extra in Dirty Harry?"
Weathers did indeed manage to get some small roles before nailing down his big break in 1976's Rocky as Apollo Creed, who held the heavyweight championship that Sylvester Stallone's title character was looking to win. Rocky, of course, was a massive hit, winning several Oscars including Best Picture and spawning four sequels. Weathers starred in three of those sequels, and appeared in archival footage in Rocky V.
Apollo Creed the character would also go on to inspire a current series of films starring Michael B. Jordan in the role that Weathers originated. Creed III released last year, and a fourth movie in the series is on the way.
Along with continuing to star in the Rocky series, Weathers would go on to score a number of big roles in the '80s, including in 1987's Predator, playing Arnold Schwarzenegger's former war buddy-turned-CIA operative. Around that same time, Weathers also appeared in Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Action Jackson (1988), and Hurricane Smith (1992).
And while Weathers was known for his action roles, he had plenty of comedy chops too, with a memorable part in Adam Sandlers' 1996 Happy Gilmore as Chubbs, a role he would reprise in Little Nicky. He, too, played a parody of himself in Arrested Development, serving as an acting coach to David Cross' Tobias Funke character. He also voiced the Combat Carl character in 2019's Toy Story 4.
His most prominent role recently, however, was in the Star Wars franchise, playing Greef Karga in all three current seasons of Disney+'s The Mandalorian. Weathers also directed a couple of episodes of The Mandalorian: Season 2's "Chapter 12: The Siege" and Season 3's "Chapter 20: The Foundling."
Weathers is survived by his ex-wife and their two sons.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
