Carl Weathers, who lit up screen as Apollo Creed in ‘Rocky,’ dead at 76
(Reuters) - Actor Carl Weathers, a former professional American football player who shot to stardom by playing the brash and charismatic boxer Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies, died yesterday of undisclosed causes. He was 76.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers. He died peacefully in his sleep,” his manager, Matt Luber, said in a statement on Friday.
Though he had other prominent roles, starring in the recent “Star Wars” spinoff series “The Mandalorian” and the 1987 science fiction horror movie “Predator,” Weathers was best known for playing Apollo Creed opposite Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa in the hit movies of the 1970s and 1980s.
Weathers’ character was at first a rival and later an ally to the Rocky character in the first four movies of the series.
Modeled after Muhammad Ali, the Creed character demonstrated smarts and flare, offering audiences a strong and positive Black character at a time when mainstream movie roles were just starting to break out of stereotypes.
While he could show off his physique in movies like “Action Jackson,” in which he played the lead character in the 1988 film, Weathers also played comedy, taking a turn opposite Adam Sandler as the one-handed golf coach in “Happy Gilmore” in 1996, and parodying himself in the television series “Arrested Development” in four episodes from 2004 to 2013.
“So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Funny as hell,” Sandler said of Weathers on Instagram.
Weathers had a brief career playing for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League and retired from the sport in 1974 to pursue an acting career.