Carl Weathers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers at the New York Comic Con in 2017
Born	(1948-01-14)January 14, 1948 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	February 1, 2024(2024-02-01) (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	San Francisco State University San Diego State University
Occupation	Actor director football player
Years active	1973–2024 (actor) 1970–1974 (football player)
Spouse(s)	Mary Ann Castle (1973–1983) Rhona Unsell (1984–2006) Jennifer Peterson (2007–2009)
Children	2
Football career
No. 49, 55
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Height:	6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m)
Weight:	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College:	Long Beach City College (1966–1967) San Diego State (1968–1969)
Undrafted:	1970
Career history
Oakland Raiders (1970) BC Lions (1971–1973)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 8 Player stats at NFL.com
Career CFL statistics
Games played: 13 Fumble recoveries: 1

Carl Weathers (January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024) was an American actor and director. He was also a professional American football player. He became famous for playing the boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky movies from 1976 to 1985.

He also played Colonel Al Dillon in the movie Predator (1987). Kids might know his voice as Combat Carl in the Toy Story movies. On TV, he was Det. Beaudreaux in Street Justice (1991–1993). He also played a funny version of himself in the comedy show Arrested Development (2004, 2013). He voiced Omnitraxus Prime in Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2017–2019). Later, he had a big role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023). For this role, he was nominated for an Emmy Award.

Before acting, Weathers played college football at San Diego State University. He later played for the Oakland Raiders in the NFL. After that, he joined the B.C. Lions in the Canadian Football League.

Early Life and Sports

Carl Weathers was born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father worked as a day laborer. When he was in eighth grade, Carl received a sports scholarship. This allowed him to attend St. Augustine High School, a private school.

He was a very active athlete, playing many sports. These included boxing, football, gymnastics, judo, soccer, and wrestling. He played football and finished high school at Long Beach Poly High School in 1966.

College Football Career

Weathers played football as a defensive end in college. He started at Long Beach City College in 1966. He didn't play in 1966 because of an ankle injury. He then moved to San Diego State University. He played for the San Diego State Aztecs in 1968 and 1969.

He helped the Aztecs win the 1969 Pasadena Bowl. The team finished with a perfect 11–0 record. They were ranked No. 18 in the final UPI Poll. While at San Diego State, Weathers also earned a master's degree in theatre arts.

Professional Football Career

After college, Carl Weathers joined the Oakland Raiders in 1970. He played as a linebacker. He played in seven games for the Raiders in 1970. He helped them win the AFC West Division title. They made it to the first-ever AFC Championship Game.

In 1971, Weathers changed his position to strong safety. He played in only one game that year. The Raiders released him in September 1971. Later that month, Weathers signed with the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League. He played for the Lions until 1973, appearing in 18 games. During the football off-seasons, Weathers studied at San Francisco State University. He earned a bachelor's degree in drama in 1974.

Weathers stopped playing football in 1974. He then started his acting career. In his NFL career, he played in 8 games over two seasons. He didn't record any statistics. In his CFL career, he had one fumble recovery. Years later, Weathers narrated NFL Films' season summaries for the 1999, 2000, and 2001 Oakland Raiders seasons. He also appeared on NFL Network during the 2017 NFL Draft.

Acting Career Highlights

Carl Weathers started as an extra while still playing football. His first important roles were in two films in 1975: 'Bucktown (1975) and 'Friday Foster (1975). He also appeared in an episode of the TV show Good Times in 1975. He guest-starred in Kung Fu and Cannon that same year. In 1976, he was in Starsky & Hutch and Barnaby Jones.

Becoming Apollo Creed

When he auditioned for the role of Apollo Creed in Rocky, he read lines with Sylvester Stallone. Weathers' strong performance helped him get the part. He played Apollo Creed in the next three Rocky movies: Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), and Rocky IV (1985).

Other Famous Roles

In 1977, Weathers had a small part as an Army MP in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he starred in many action films. These included 'Force 10 from Navarone (1978), 'Predator (1987), 'Action Jackson (1988), and 'Hurricane Smith (1992). In Predator, he worked with future governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura.

He also appeared in Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl" music video. In 1996, he co-starred with Adam Sandler in the comedy Happy Gilmore. He played Chubbs, a golf legend who teaches Happy how to play golf. He played Chubbs again in the 2000 Sandler comedy Little Nicky. While filming a stunt for Happy Gilmore, Weathers injured his back. He said he was in pain for several years after that.

Another important TV role was Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux on the police show Street Justice. Later, he played Police Chief Hampton Forbes in In the Heat of the Night (1992–1994). He also played Colonel Brewster in the CBS series Tour of Duty.

Later Career and Directing

In 2004, Weathers started doing more comedy roles. He appeared in three episodes of the comedy series Arrested Development. He played a funny version of himself who was an acting coach. He then appeared in the comedies The Sasquatch Gang and The Comebacks. Weathers also had a guest role in two episodes of The Shield.

Weathers provided the voice for Colonel Samuel Garrett in the video game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. In 2005, he narrated a TV show about USC athletics. Weathers was also a leader at Red Tight Media, a company that makes films for the United States armed forces. He appeared in an episode of ER in 2008.

For the sixth Rocky film, Rocky Balboa (2006), Sylvester Stallone asked Weathers for permission to use old footage. Weathers wanted a new part in the movie, even though his character had died. Stallone said no, so Weathers didn't allow his image to be used. They used footage of a different fighter instead. Later, Weathers and Stallone became friends again. Weathers then allowed his old footage to be used in the movie Creed.

Weathers played the father of Michael Strahan's character in the 2009 sitcom Brothers. He also appeared in commercials for Old Spice and Bud Light.

In 2019, Weathers appeared as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. He was in several episodes of the first season. He came back for the second season and also directed an episode called "Chapter 12: The Siege". He returned for season 3 and directed another episode, "Chapter 20: The Foundling". His acting earned him an Emmy nomination.

Personal Life and Death

Carl Weathers had two sons with his ex-wife, Mary Ann.

Weathers passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles. He died on February 1, 2024, at the age of 76.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

See also

In Spanish: Carl Weathers para niños