Carl Weathers

Early life, family and education

Weathers was born on January 14, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father was a day laborer. As an eighth-grade student, Carl earned an athletic scholarship to St. Augustine High School, a private school. He was an all-around athlete, involved in boxing, football, gymnastics, judo, soccer, and wrestling and he graduated from Long Beach Poly High School in 1966.

College football career

Weathers played football as a defensive end in college. He started his college career in 1966 at Long Beach City College, playing for head coach Don Coryell. At San Diego State, Weathers—who considered acting his first love and had been performing in plays even back in grade school—received a master in theatre arts.

Professional football career

Weathers signed with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1970. Now playing as a linebacker, Weathers played in seven games for the Raiders in 1970, helping them win the AFC West Division title, on their way to the first-ever AFC Championship Game. Before the 1971 season, Weathers converted to the position of strong safety. He played in one game of the 1971 NFL season before the Raiders released him in September 1971, after head coach John Madden told Weathers, "You're just too sensitive."

Later that month, Weathers signed with the BC Lions of the CFL. He played for the Lions until 1973, playing 13 games in total. During the off-seasons, Weathers attended San Francisco State University and earned a bachelor's degree in drama in 1974.

Weathers retired from football in 1974, and began pursuing an acting career. In his NFL career he appeared in 8 games in two seasons, but did not record any stats. The only stat he recorded in his CFL career was a single fumble recovery. In later years, Weathers narrated NFL Films' season recap of the 1999, 2000 and 2001 seasons. During the 2017 NFL draft, he appeared on NFL Network's pre-draft coverage.

Acting career

Weathers began working as an extra while still playing football. Weathers also appeared in "The Nude", an early 1975 episode of the sitcom Good Times, portraying an angry husband who suspects his wife of cheating on him with J.J. Weathers also guest-starred in "The Brothers Caine", a 1975 episode of the action TV series Kung Fu and in "The Hero", an episode of Cannon. In 1976, he appeared as a loan shark in an episode of the crime-drama Starsky & Hutch, and in the Barnaby Jones episode "The Bounty Hunter" as escaped convict Jack Hopper.

While auditioning for the role of Apollo Creed alongside Sylvester Stallone in Rocky, Weathers criticized Stallone's acting, which actually led to him getting the role. He reprised the role of Apollo Creed in the following three Rocky films: Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), and Rocky IV (1985).

Weathers briefly appears as an Army MP in one of the three released versions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (originally released in 1977). In 1978, Weathers portrayed Vince Sullivan in a TV movie, Not This Time. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Weathers starred in a number of action films for the small and big screen, including , , , and . He hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live in 1988 and appeared in a skit in a 2003 episode.

Weathers appeared in Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl" music video and co-starred in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore, as Chubbs, a golf legend teaching Happy how to play golf. He reprised the role nearly four years later in the Sandler comedy Little Nicky. Filming a fall stunt in Happy Gilmore, Weathers fractured two vertebrae and his osteophytes grew out and connected and self-fused badly. He said he was in excruciating pain for three to four years.

Another notable television role was Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux on the cop show Street Justice. Afterwards, during the final two seasons of In the Heat of the Night (1992–1994), his character, Hampton Forbes, replaced Bill Gillespie as the chief of police. He also played MACV-SOG Colonel Brewster in the CBS series Tour of Duty.

In 2004, Weathers received a career revival as a comedic actor beginning with appearances in three episodes of the comedy series Arrested Development as a cheapskate caricature of himself, who serves as Tobias Fünke's acting coach. He was then cast in the comedies The Sasquatch Gang and The Comebacks. Weathers had a guest role in two episodes of The Shield as the former training officer of main character Vic Mackey.

Weathers provided the voice for Colonel Samuel Garrett in the Pandemic Studios video game Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. In 2005, he was a narrator on Conquest! The Price of Victory — Witness the Journey of the Trojans!, an 18-part television show about USC athletics. Weathers was a principal of Red Tight Media, a film and video production company that specializes in tactical training films made for the United States armed forces. He also appeared in one episode of ER in 2008 during its finale season.

For the sixth film in the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa (2006), Stallone asked Weathers, Mr. T, and Dolph Lundgren for permission to use footage from their appearances in the earlier Rocky films. Mr. T and Lundgren agreed, but Weathers wanted an actual part in the movie, even though his character had died in Rocky IV. Stallone refused, and Weathers decided not to allow Stallone to use his image for flashbacks from the previous films. They instead used footage of a fighter who looks similar to Weathers. Weathers and Stallone patched up their differences and Weathers agreed to allow footage of him from previous films to be used throughout Creed (2015).

Weathers portrayed the father of Michael Strahan and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell's characters on the short-lived 2009 Fox sitcom Brothers. Weathers acted as Brian "Gebo" Fitzgerald in advertising for Old Spice's sponsorship of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. He also appeared in an ongoing series of web-only advertisements for Credit Union of Washington, dispensing flowers and the advice that "change is beautiful" to puzzled-looking bystanders. He also starred in a series of commercials for Bud Light, in which he introduced plays from the "Bud Light Playbook." At the conclusion of each commercial, Weathers could be seen bursting through the Bud Light Playbook and shouting "Here we go!"

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

Personal life

Weathers was married three times. He married Mary-Ann Castle in 1973; they had two sons and divorced in 1983. In 1984, Weathers married Rhona Unsell; they divorced in 2006. Weathers was married to Jennifer Peterson from 2007 until 2009.

Death

Weathers died at his home in Los Angeles on February 1, 2024, at age 76,{{cite web |last=Reilly |first=Patrick |date=2024-02-09 |title=Rocky star Carl Weathers' official cause of death revealed |url=https://nypost.com/2024/02/09/news/rocky-star-carl-weathers-official-cause-of-death-revealed/ |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=NY Post |language=en-US }}{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=February 9, 2024 |title=Carl Weathers Cause Of Death Still Unclear After Report |access-date=February 15, 2024 |website=Deadline |language=en-US }} from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a disputed death certificate. Weathers's body was cremated. On August 29, 2024, he was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

References

1. Rose, Mike. (January 14, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 14, 2023 includes celebrities Dave Grohl, Carl Weathers". [[The Plain Dealer]].
2. Kennedy, Mark. (February 2, 2024). "Rocky actor, New Orleans native Carl Weathers dies". [[WWL-TV]].
3. Arnold, Gary. (June 25, 1979). "Carl Weathers of 'Rocky II,' in Search of Something Cerebral". The Washington Post.
4. LaMarre, Tom. (October 29, 2022). "Carl Weathers Was a Raider Before Becoming Apollo Creed".
5. Service, City News. (2024-02-02). "Actor Carl Weathers, who attended Long Beach Poly and LBCC, Dies at 76".
6. Burgin, Aaron. (2024-02-05). "In Memoriam: Carl Weathers". [[San Diego State University]].
7. (December 28, 1986). "IT WAS 'BU WHO?' : Aztecs Saw Their Hopes of 'Big Time' Go Awry". Los Angeles Times.
8. (February 2, 2024). "Carl Weathers, Who Played Apollo Creed in 'Rocky' Movies, Dies at 76". The New York Times.
9. Kenney, Kirk. (February 3, 2023). "At San Diego State, Carl Weathers talks about his journey from Aztec to Hollywood star". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
10. "Oakland Tribune 09 May 1971, page 25".
11. "Daily Independent Journal 16 Sep 1971, page Page 26".
12. "Forever a Champ".
13. "Edmonton Journal 28 Sep 1971, page 54".
14. Hoglund, Andy. (June 5, 1968). "When to Turn Your Football Career Into an Acting Career". Newsweek.com.
15. (November 27, 2016). "Baby, Carl Weathers Has a Stew Going". The Daily Beast.
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18. (August 12, 2021). "Apollo Creed lives again: Carl Weathers joins NFL Draft coverage on 'Rocky' steps".
19. Kenney, Kirk. (February 4, 2023). "At San Diego State, Carl Weathers talks about his journey from Aztec to Hollywood star".
20. Parker, Ryan. (December 3, 2015). "Carl Weathers Looks Back on Creed: Sparring With Ali, Slighting Stallone and Passing the Torch". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
21. "Carl Weathers Debates Whether 'Rocky' is a Sports Movie or a Love Story".
22. (July 30, 2014). "Just Because: Carl Weathers, former Raiders LB, on SNL in 2003". CBS.
23. (November 24, 2020). "Carl Weathers: 'There were three or four years where I was just in excruciating pain'". GQ.
24. "Thanks for the Memories". Tour of Duty Info.
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28. Mitchell, Aric. (November 24, 2015). "Carl Weathers, Sylvester Stallone May Have Mended Their Differences Over 'Creed'". [[Inquisitr]].
29. stated by Stallone on ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live!]]'' (December 21, 2006).
30. (October 23, 2010). "Bud Light Airraid: Carl Weathers and Bud Light steal Norm Chow's (and Bruce Eien's) playbook".
31. Weathers, Carl. (November 20, 2020). "Din Djarin, Cara and Greef are back together on a brand new mission! Come along with us during "The Siege" episode of #TheMandalorian which was directed by yours truly. Let Disney+ and yours truly know what you think about what we bring to you. Enjoy!!! #BePeace".
32. Weathers, Carl. (March 18, 2023). "THE FOUNDLING is coming this week on Disney+ and is directed by Yours Truly. #TheMANDALORIAN #BePeace".
33. (September 17, 2021). "Actor Carl Weathers — Also an Alum of SDSU — Nominated for an Emmy Award for 'The Mandalorian'". NBC.
34. Pedersen, Erik. (February 2, 2024). "Carl Weathers Dies: 'Rocky' & 'Predator' Star Who Appeared In 'Happy Gilmore', 'The Mandalorian' & More Was 76".
35. (February 2, 2024). "Carl Weathers, Apollo Creed in the Rocky Films, Dies at 76". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
36. (February 10, 2024). "Carl Weathers' cause of death aged 76 revealed".
37. (August 29, 2024). "Late Actor Carl Weathers Remembered by Co-Stars From Stallone to Sandler Before His Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony". Variety.
38. "The Los Angeles Times 09 Feb 1986, page 344".
39. "Detroit Free Press 29 Jun 1979, page Page 21".
40. "The Sentinel 09 Jun 1978, page 10".
41. "Detroit Free Press 24 May 1981, page Page 61".
42. "Chicago Tribune 11 Feb 1988, page 88".
43. (November 11, 1988). "Nominees for 21st Image Awards Announced".
44. "The Atlanta Constitution 31 Jan 1992, page 39".
45. Gajewski, Ryan. (February 2, 2024). "'Happy Gilmore' Director Recalls Carl Weathers' Unlikely Path to the Film: "He Was So Chubbs"".
46. "The Berkshire Eagle 11 Nov 2000, page 9".
47. "The Marion Star 01 Dec 2002, page 13".
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49. "Great Falls Tribune 04 Apr 2008, page Page 43".
50. "Fort Worth Star-Telegram 19 Oct 2007, page 51".
51. (April 22, 2013). "Review: Sheriff Tom vs. The Zombies".
52. "Toy Story 4". [[British Film Institute]].
53. "The Philadelphia Inquirer 29 Aug 1980, page Page 61".
54. Goodman, Walter. (January 3, 1986). "TV WEEKEND; 'The Defiant Ones' in a TV Version". [[The New York Times]].
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56. "Florence Morning News 19 Aug 1993, page 2".
57. "The Apologizer".
58. "The Mandalorian".