Carl Weathers, the US 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. Weathers, who also starred in the 1987 film Predator, opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, was recently seen on the small screen in Star Wars spin-off series "The Mandalorian," a role for which he scored 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 worldwide and across generations."
The statement gave no cause of death but added that he had died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday. After a brief stint in American football's NFL, where he played linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, Weathers embarked on a screen career that would span five decades and include over 75 appearances in movies and TV, beginning with the Blaxploitation films of the mid-1970s.
Younger audiences are thrilled with his role in the Disney+ hit "The Mandalorian" in which he played Greef Karga, the head of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, who grows close to lead Pedro Pascal throughout 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 plaudits for his turn as a golf coach in "Happy Gilmore," where his character took to tutoring Adam Sandler after leaving the pro tour when he lost his hand to an alligator. - 'Legend' - But it was as the jingoistic heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who stood in the way of Stallone's rough-and-ready Rocky Balboa, that he will be best remembered. The 1976 film "Rocky," which spawned several sequels (and which has been rebooted through its "Creed" spin-off franchise), gave the world a brutally choreographed close-up look at championship boxing. The film's underdog-against-the-odds archetype combined formidably with cinematic violence to create an instant classic that still resonates almost half a century later.
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