Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the B次元官网网址淩ockyB次元官网网址� movies, facing off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in B次元官网网址淧redatorB次元官网网址� and teaching golf in B次元官网网址淗appy Gilmore,B次元官网网址� has died. He was 76.
Matt Luber, his manager, said Weathers died Thursday. His family issued a statement saying he died B次元官网网址減eacefully in his sleep.B次元官网网址�
Comfortable flexing his muscles on the big screen in B次元官网网址淎ction JacksonB次元官网网址� as he was joking around on the small screen in such shows as B次元官网网址淎rrested Development,B次元官网网址� Weathers was perhaps most closely associated with Creed, who made his first appearance as the cocky, undisputed heavyweight world champion in 1976B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淩ocky,B次元官网网址� starring Sylvester Stallone.
B次元官网网址淚t puts you on the map and makes your career, so to speak. But thatB次元官网网址檚 a one-off, so youB次元官网网址檝e got to follow it up with something. Fortunately those movies kept coming, and Apollo Creed became more and more in peopleB次元官网网址檚 consciousness and welcome in their lives, and it was just the right guy at the right time,B次元官网网址� he told The Daily Beast in 2017.
Most recently, Weathers has starred in the Disney+ hit B次元官网网址淭he Mandalorian,B次元官网网址� appearing in all three seasons.
Creed, who appeared in the first four B次元官网网址淩ockyB次元官网网址� movies, memorably died in the ring of 1984B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淩ocky IV,B次元官网网址� going toe-to-toe with the hulking, steroided-using Soviet Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren. Before he entered the ring, James Brown sang B次元官网网址淟iving in AmericaB次元官网网址� with showgirls and Creed popped up on a balcony in a Star-Spangled Banner shorts and waistcoat combo and an Uncle Sam hat, dancing and taunting Drago.
A bloodied Creed collapses in the ring after taking a vicious beating, twitches and is cradled by Rocky as he dies, inevitably setting up a fight between Drago and Rocky. But while Creed is gone, his characterB次元官网网址檚 son, Michael B. JordanB次元官网网址檚 Adonis Creed, would lead his own boxing trilogy starting in 2015.
Weathers went on to 1987B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淧redator,B次元官网网址� where he flexed his pecs alongside Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura and a host of others, and 1988B次元官网网址檚 nouveau blaxploitation flick B次元官网网址淎ction Jackson,B次元官网网址� where he trains his flamethrower on a bad guy and asks, B次元官网网址淗ow do you like your ribs?B次元官网网址� before broiling him.
He later added a false wooden hand to play a gold pro for the 1996 comedy classic B次元官网网址淗appy GilmoreB次元官网网址� opposite Adam Sandler and starred in Dick WolfB次元官网网址檚 short-lived spin-off series B次元官网网址淐hicago JusticeB次元官网网址� in 2017 and in DisneyB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭he Mandalorian,B次元官网网址� earning an Emmy Award nomination in 2021. He also voiced Combat Carl in the B次元官网网址淭oy StoryB次元官网网址� franchise.
Weathers grew up admiring actors such as Woody Strode, whose combination of physique and acting prowess in B次元官网网址淪partacusB次元官网网址� made an early impression. Others he idolized included actors Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte and athletes Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali, stars who broke the mold and the color barrier.
B次元官网网址淭here are so many people that came before me who I admired and whose success I wanted to emulate, and just kind of hit the benchmarks they hit in terms of success, who created a pathway that IB次元官网网址檝e been able to walk and find success as a result. And hopefully I can inspire someone else to do good work as well,B次元官网网址� he told the Detroit B次元官网网址 2023. B次元官网网址淚 guess IB次元官网网址檓 just a lucky guy.B次元官网网址�
Growing up in New Orleans, Weathers started performing in plays as early as grade school. In high school, athletics took him down another path but he would reunite with his first love later in life.
Weathers played college football at San Diego State University B次元官网网址� he majored in theater B次元官网网址� and went on to play for one season in the NFL, for the Oakland Raiders, in 1970.
B次元官网网址淲hen I found football, it was a completely different outlet,B次元官网网址� says Weathers told the Detroit B次元官网网址. B次元官网网址淚t was more about the physicality, although one does feed the other. You needed some smarts because there were playbooks to study and film to study, to learn about the opposition on any given week.B次元官网网址�
After the Raiders, he joined the Canadian Football League, playing for two years with the B.C. Lions while finishing up his studies during the offseason at San Francisco State University. He graduated with a B.A. in drama in 1974.
After appearing in several films and TV shows, including B次元官网网址淕ood Times,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淭he Six Million Dollar Man,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淚n the Heat of the NightB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淪tarsky & Hutch,B次元官网网址� as well as fighting Nazis alongside Harrison Ford in B次元官网网址淔orce 10 From Navarone,B次元官网网址� Weathers landed his knockout role B次元官网网址� Creed. He told The Hollywood Reporter that his start in the iconic franchise was not auspicious.
He was asked to read with the writer, Stallone, then unknown. Weathers read the scene but felt it didnB次元官网网址檛 land and so he blurted out: B次元官网网址淚 could do a lot better if you got me a real actor to work with,B次元官网网址� he recalled. B次元官网网址淪o I just insulted the star of the movie without really knowing it and not intending to.B次元官网网址� He also lied that he had any boxing experience.
Later in life, Weathers developed a passion for directing, helming episodes of B次元官网网址淪ilk StalkingB次元官网网址� and and the Lorenzo Lamas vehicle B次元官网网址淩enegade.B次元官网网址� He directed a season three episode of B次元官网网址淭he Mandalorian.B次元官网网址�
Weathers introduced himself to another generation when he portrayed himself as an opportunistic and extremely thrifty actor who becomes involved with the dysfunctional clan at the heart of B次元官网网址淎rrested Development.B次元官网网址�
The Weathers character likes to save money by making broth from discarded food B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址橳hereB次元官网网址檚 still plenty of meat on that boneB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淏aby, you got a stew going!B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� and, for the right price, agrees to become an acting coach for delusional and talent-free thespian Tobias Funke, played by David Cross.
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