Carl Weathers has passed away at the age of 76. I thought I would put a little bio up of some of his films.
The former NFL and CFL linebacker (he played 8 games for Oakland Raiders 1970-71 and 13 for BC Lions 1971-73) first came to the big screen in 1973, but it was his role as heavyweight world champion boxer Apollo Creed in Rocky (1976) that propelled him upwards. He would go on to appear in Rocky II (1979) and Rocky III (1982).
He appeared alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator (1987) and in 1988 was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for "Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture" for his leading role in Action Jackson (1988).
During a twelve year gap where he focused on television work, Weathers starred in Hurricane Smith (1992), and in Happy Gilmore (1996) appears as Adam Sandler's coach. He would go on to reprise this role in Little Nicky (2000) in a cameo where his character is now a dance instructor in Heaven.
Between 1988 and 2000, he would take the lead in two television series - Street Justice (1991-1993) and In the Heat of the Night (1993-1995) - along with a number of television movies and a recurring guest role in Tour of Duty (1989-1990).
From 2000, Weathers had regular film roles in smaller, more independent films. His final film, however, was Toy Story 4 (2019) where he voices "Combat Carl" - a spoof of "Action Man".
In between these films Weathers had a successful television career, ending with a regular recurring guest role as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian (2019-2023), directing a couple of episodes, and getting a nomination for a Primetime Emmy for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series".
A beloved actor, Carl will be missed by all who knew him. He had a great charisma on screen, and brought something special to his projects.
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