Carl Weathers

Carl Weathers was born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father was a day labourer, and Carl was the eldest son. As an eighth-grade student he won an athletic scholarship to St. Augustine High School, a private school in New Orleans. He was an all-round athlete who took part in boxing, football, gymnastics, judo, soccer and wrestling. He later attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California and graduated in 1966. He had been performing in plays since grade school and considered acting his first love.

After high school Weathers enrolled at Long Beach City College in 1966, where an ankle injury kept him from playing that season. He transferred to San Diego State University, where he played football and studied theatre. During his Canadian football off-seasons he attended San Francisco State University and earned a bachelor's degree in drama in 1974. San Diego State remembered him after his death as an alumnus who stayed close to the university.

At San Diego State, Weathers lettered for the Aztecs in 1968 and 1969 under head coach Don Coryell, helping the team to an 11 and 0 record and a win in the 1969 Pasadena Bowl. He went undrafted in the 1970 NFL draft and signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent. Playing linebacker, he appeared in seven games in 1970 as the Raiders won the AFC West and reached the first AFC Championship Game. Converted to strong safety, he played one game in 1971 before the Raiders released him. He said John Madden told him, "You're just too sensitive." He then joined the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and played for them until 1973, retiring from football in 1974. Years later he narrated NFL Films season recaps for the Raiders for 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Weathers began as an extra while still playing football and had his first significant roles in Bucktown and Friday Foster (both 1975), directed by his longtime friend Arthur Marks. He guest-starred on Good Times, Kung Fu, Cannon, Starsky and Hutch and Barnaby Jones. His audition for Rocky became Hollywood legend: he criticised the acting of his reading partner, not realising it was Sylvester Stallone, the film's writer and star, and won the part of Apollo Creed. He played Apollo in Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982) and Rocky IV (1985).

He went on to Semi-Tough (1977), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Death Hunt (1981), Predator (1987) as Colonel Al Dillon, Action Jackson (1988) and Hurricane Smith (1992). On television he starred in Fortune Dane, Street Justice and In the Heat of the Night, and appeared in Tour of Duty. He played Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore (1996) and Little Nicky (2000), a version of himself in Arrested Development, and voiced Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise. In 2019 he began playing Greef Karga in The Mandalorian and directed two of its episodes. He also appeared in Michael Jackson's Liberian Girl music video and hosted Saturday Night Live in 1988.

Alongside acting, Weathers worked behind the camera. His best-known directing work came on The Mandalorian, where he directed "Chapter 12: The Siege" in season two and "Chapter 20: The Foundling" in season three. He was also a principal of Red Tight Media, a production company specialising in tactical training films for the United States armed forces.

Weathers was married three times. He married Mary Ann Castle in 1973 and they had two sons, Jason and Matthew, before divorcing in 1983. He married Rhona Unsell in 1984; they divorced in 2006. He was married to Jennifer Peterson from 2007 until 2009. From 2014 until his death in 2024 his partner was Christine Kludjian. His family described him as a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner and friend.

Weathers spoke openly about preferring the stage and screen to the football field. He told interviewers he was good enough to make it in professional football but was never dedicated enough and never in love with the game, adding that acting was a lot more fun and that he ached a lot less. He described the instant fame that followed Rocky as frightening, recalling street vendors in Manhattan shouting "Yo, Apollo" the day after the film opened. He also found many of the roles he was offered afterwards pointless, and chose to develop his own projects, including Action Jackson.

Apollo Creed remains one of the most celebrated characters in sports cinema, and his legacy drives the Creed films starring Michael B. Jordan as Apollo's son Adonis. Weathers allowed footage of his earlier performances to be used throughout Creed (2015). His Predator handshake with Arnold Schwarzenegger, his Chubbs Peterson in Happy Gilmore and his self-parody in Arrested Development each found new audiences, and his Greef Karga introduced him to a new generation of Star Wars fans. After his death Lucasfilm called him forever a member of its family, and the Raiders, the BC Lions, San Diego State and SAG-AFTRA all paid tribute.

Weathers was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian. He was a SAG-AFTRA member from 1973. On August 29, 2024, he was posthumously honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Weathers hosted Saturday Night Live in 1988 and appeared in a sketch in 2003. He wrote and performed the 1981 soul single You Ought to Be With Me. He starred in commercials for Bud Light, Old Spice and a credit union, and voiced characters in video games including Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction and The Artful Escape, while his Predator character appeared as a skin for Jax in Mortal Kombat X. He voiced Omnitraxus Prime in Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

For Rocky Balboa (2006), Stallone asked Weathers, Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren for permission to use footage from the earlier films. Weathers wanted an actual part in the film, even though Apollo had died in Rocky IV. When Stallone declined, Weathers refused permission to use his image, and the production used footage of a lookalike fighter instead. The two later patched up their differences, and Weathers allowed his earlier footage to be used throughout Creed (2015).

Carl Weathers died in his sleep at his home in the Venice area of Los Angeles, aged 76. His family announced that he died peacefully on Thursday, February 1, 2024. His death certificate, later reported by The Blast, records the time of death as 12:18 a.m. on February 2, 2024, lists the cause as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and the manner as natural, and names his son Matthew as the person who notified authorities. His body was cremated. On August 29, 2024, he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.