American actor and former American football player Carl Weathers, best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the first four “Rocky” films, has died at the age of 76. His family made the announcement in a statement released on Friday.
“He died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, February 1, 2024…Carl was an extraordinary person who lived an extraordinary life. “Through his contributions to cinema, television, art and sport, he left an indelible mark,” his relatives remembered in their farewell text.
Weathers (New Orleans, 1948) had an acting career spanning nearly half a century, appearing in dozens of notable films, including the “Rocky” saga (1976); “Predator” (1987) with Arnold Schwarzenegger; “Action Jackson” (1988) or “Happy Gilmore” (1996) and in many other television titles, most recently “The Mandalorian” (2019) with the Chilean Pedro Pascal.
“He will be recognized throughout the world through the generations. He was a very dear brother, father, grandfather, companion and friend,” the family statement concluded.
His best-known role was that of world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in “Rocky” (1976). due to his anthology fights against Sylvester Stallone, who starred as Rocky himself in this very popular franchise.
Weathers repeated an episode in which he lost his life in the ring at the hands of Russian heavyweight Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren) in “Rocky II” (1979), “Rocky III” (1982) and “Rocky IV” (1985). .
He also voiced one of the characters in the Oscar-winning “Toy Story 4” (2019) and had already worked on the television special “Toy Story of Terror” that was released six years earlier.
At the beginning of his career, the small screen was his preferred habitat, as he appeared as a guest in series such as “SWAT” and “Starsky and Hutch” in the 1970s.
Furthermore, Weathers played football at San Diego State Universitywhere he majored in theater and played the 1970 season in the NFL professional league with the Oakland Raiders.