Apollo Creed actor Carl Weathers dies at 76 ›

Apollo Creed actor Carl Weathers dies at 76, who starred as Apollo Creed in the first four “Rocky” films opposite Sylvester Stallone, died Thursday, his manager Matt Luber confirmed to Variety. He was 76. Apollo Creed actor Carl Weathers dies at 76.

Weathers also starred in 1987’s “Predator” and had a memorable role in Adam Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore.” He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his work in the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.”

He voiced Combat Carl in “Toy Story 4” and played a fictionalized version of himself in a recurring role on “Arrested Development.” His other credits include the TV series “Street Justice,” “Colony,” “The Shield,” “Chicago Justice” and “Brothers,” and the films “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Death Hunt” and “The Comebacks.”

Born: 14 January 1948, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Died: 1 February 2024 (age 76 years)

Spouse: Jennifer Peterson (m. 2007–2009), Rhona Unsell (m. 1984–2006), Mary Ann Castle (m. 1973–1983)

Height: 1.88 m

Children: Jason Weathers, Matthew Weathers

Apollo Creed actor Carl Weathers dies at 76.

In “Predator,” Weathers starred as Colonel Al Dillon alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, who went on to become the governor of California, and Jesse Ventura, who became the Minnesota governor.

In 1988, Weathers hosted “Saturday Night Live” and, many years later, he returned to the live sketch show for a spoof segment in which he announces he is running for political office on the basis that he was “the Black guy in ‘Predator.’”

When Stallone asked Weathers for permission to use footage from earlier “Rocky” films for the sixth movie in the franchise, 2006’s “Rocky Balboa,” Weathers refused and lobbied for an actual part in the film, despite his character, Apollo Creed, dying in “Rocky IV.”

Stallone said no and hired a lookalike actor to shoot flashback fight sequences. The pair reconciled, and Weathers later allowed Stallone to use his likeness in the “Creed” sequel series, in which Michael B. Jordan plays Apollo Creed’s son.

He also appeared in Michael Jackson‘s “Liberian Girl” music video and co-starred in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore, as Chubbs, a golf legend teaching Happy how to play golf. He reprised the role nearly four years later in the Sandler comedy Little Nicky.

Filming a fall stunt in Happy Gilmore, Weathers fractured two vertebrae and his osteophytes grew out and connected and self-fused badly. He says he was in excruciating pain for three to four years.

Another notable television role was Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux on the cop show Street Justice. Afterwards, during the final two seasons of In the Heat of the Night (1992–1994), his character, Hampton Forbes, replaced Bill Gillespie as the chief of police. He also played MACV-SOG Colonel Brewster in the CBS series Tour of Duty.

In 2004, Weathers received a career revival as a comedic actor beginning with appearances in three episodes of the comedy series Arrested Development as a cheapskate caricature of himself, who serves as Tobias Fünke‘s acting coach.

He was then cast in the comedies The Sasquatch Gang and The Comebacks. Weathers had a guest role in two episodes of The Shield as the former training officer of main character Vic Mackey.

Weathers provided the voice for Colonel Samuel Garrett in the Pandemic Studios video game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. In 2005, he was a narrator on Conquest! The Price of Victory — Witness the Journey of the Trojans!, an 18-part television show about USC athletics.

Weathers is a principal of Red Tight Media, a film and video production company that specializes in tactical training films made for the United States armed forces. He also appeared in one episode of ER as the father of an injured boxer during their 2008 finale season.

For the sixth film in the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa (2006), Stallone asked Weathers, Mr. T, and Dolph Lundgren for permission to use footage from their appearances in the earlier Rocky films. Mr. T and Lundgren agreed, but Weathers wanted an actual part in the movie, even though his character had died in Rocky IV. Stallone refused, and Weathers decided not to allow Stallone to use his image for flashbacks from the previous films.

They instead used footage of a fighter who looks similar to Weathers. Weathers and Stallone patched up their differences and Weathers agreed to allow footage of him from previous films to be used throughout Creed

Apollo Creed actor Carl Weathers dies at 76

CAUSE OF DEATH

Weathers died at his home in Los Angeles on February 1, 2024, at the age of 76. His family issued a statement saying he died “peacefully in his sleep”,Apollo Creed actor Carl Weathers dies at 76

RELATED QUESTIONS:

1. Are Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers friends?

Sylvester Stallone is still in Carl Weathers’ corner. The action star, who created and played Rocky Balboa, posted a moving video tribute to Weathers, the actor who played his rival-turned-friend in the Rocky franchise’s first four movies. Weathers died Thursday at 76.

2. Who did Carl Weathers play in Predator?

Colonel Al Dillon

Weathers also had memorable roles as the brash Colonel Al Dillon in the 1987 film Predator, starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, and as one-handed golf coach Chubbs Peterson in the Adam Sandler-led comedy, Happy Gilmore.

3. Was there a real Apollo Creed?

Apollo Creed is a fictional character from the Rocky films, played by Carl Weathers. He appeared in the series’ first four films and served as the main antagonist in Rocky and Rocky II. He became one of the protagonists in Rocky III and Rocky IV.

4. Why did Carl Weathers leave Rocky?

During filming, Dolph Lundgren and Carl Weathers really did not get along and got into an altercation. Lundgren threw Weathers into a corner of the boxing ring. After that, Weathers shouted profanities at Lundgren while leaving the ring and announced that he was calling his agent and quitting the movie.

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Apollo Creed actor Carl Weathers dies at 76

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