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Car Weathers’ career spanned five decades and included more than 75 film and television appearances.
The Angels:
Carl Weathers, the American actor who played boxer Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” franchise, going toe-to-toe with Sylvester Stallone in some of cinema’s most memorable (and bloody) boxing moments, has died, his family said Friday. He was 76 years old.
Weathers, who also starred in the 1987 film “Predator” alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, recently appeared on the small screen in the “Star Wars” spin-off series “The Mandalorian,” a role for which he earned an Emmy nomination.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” his family said, according to Deadline.
“Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized around the world and across generations.”
The statement did not indicate the cause of death, but added that he died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday.
Weathers’ career spanned five decades and included more than 75 film and television appearances, beginning with the Blaxploitation films of the mid-1970s.
Younger audiences have been excited by his role in the Disney+ hit “The Mandalorian,” in which he played Greef Karga, the head of the Bounty Hunter Guild, who comes close to leading Pedro Pascal over the course of nine episodes.
Weathers also had a voice acting role in another beloved franchise when he played Combat Carl in 2019’s “Toy Story 4.”
He received praise for his role as a golf coach on “Happy Gilmore,” where his character began tutoring Adam Sandler after leaving the professional circuit when he lost his hand to an alligator.
– ‘Legend’ –
But it was as jingoistic heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who stood in the way of Stallone’s tough Rocky Balboa, that he will be best remembered.
The 1976 film “Rocky,” which spawned several sequels (and was rebooted through its spinoff franchise “Creed”), gave the world a brutally choreographed up-close look at championship boxing.
The film’s archetype of the underdog against all odds combined formidably with cinematic violence to create an instant classic that still resonates nearly half a century later.
The climactic scene, featuring blood, broken bones, and punches in slow motion, set the standard for fighting films.
It also put Stallone on the path to mega movie stardom.
The film won the Oscar for best picture in 1977, as well as a statue for director John Avildsen, and earned many other nominations.
Weathers reprized his role as Apollo Creed in “Rocky II” in 1979, which saw a rematch against Balboa.
He returned again for 1982’s “Rocky III,” and again for a final outing in 1985’s “Rocky IV,” in which Creed was killed in the ring by a Russian heavyweight played by Dolph Lundgren.
“Predator” star Schwarzenegger dubbed him a “legend.”
“An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor and a great person. We couldn’t have made Predator without him. And we certainly wouldn’t have had as much fun doing it,” he wrote.
Fellow “Predator” actor and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura said the world had lost “an icon.”
“Carl Weathers was a phenomenal talent, a true professional and a dear friend,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Sandler, who posted photos of the two men working together, called him a “great man.”
“Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to always be around. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell. Fun as hell,” he wrote on social media.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated channel.)