Carl Weathers (1948-2024)
It is with great sadness that the actor Carl Weathers has died on 1st February 2024. He was 76 years old. The actor was famous for his role as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four "Rocky" films. He also appeared as Colonel Al Dillon in "Predator", Chubbs Peterson in "Happy Gilmore", and his recent part as Greef Karga in the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian". Weathers made over 75 films and television appearances in a screen career spanning over 50 years.
Born in New Orleans on 14th January 1948, Weathers was a football linebacker at San Diego State University, where he also studied drama, before joining the Oakland Raiders. Weathers gravitated to Hollywood, inspired by Woody Strode, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte and Muhammad Ali. After appearing in bit parts in numerous projects in the mid-70s, Weathers rose to stardom in 1976 as the fictional boxer who rivalled Sylvester Stallone's champion, Rocky Balboa. He appeared in the first "Rocky" film before reprising his role for the second, third and fourth films. Weathers' character was the source of inspiration for Jordan's "Creed" film series.
While continuing to star in the "Rocky" franchise, Weathers scored several significant roles in the 1980s, including 1987's "Predator", in which he played Arnold Schwarzenegger's former war buddy turned CIA operative. Weathers also appeared in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Force 10 from Navarone", "Action Jackson", and "Hurricane Smith". While Weathers was known for his action roles, he had a knack for comedy too, with a memorable turn as Chubbs in Adam Sandler's 1996 film "Happy Gilmore". He would reprise his character in "Little Nicky" and had a minor voice role in "Eight Crazy Nights". He also played himself in the sitcom "Arrested Development", serving as an acting coach for David Cross' character, Tobias Funke. Weathers was also the voice of Combat Carl in the "Toy Story" series, beginning with the television special "Toy Story of Terror" to the Oscar-winning "Toy Story 4".
Most recently, however, his most high-profile role has been in the Star Wars universe, where he has played Greef Karga in all three current seasons of the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian". It earned him an Emmy Award nomination for his performance in 2021. Aside from starring in his role, Weathers was also a director of two episodes in the show, such as Season 2's "Chapter 12: The Siege" and Season 3's "Chapter 20: The Foundling". He also helmed episodes in television shows like "Law & Order" and "The Last O.G."
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