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Carl Weathers became famous in the role of boxer Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” films. In the first part from 1976, the amateur boxer Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, surprisingly takes on the reigning heavyweight boxing world champion Apollo Creed. The film became a box office hit and also made the then unsuccessful Sylvester Stallone a star. “Rocky” won three Oscars.
Photo: EntertainmentPictures / IMAGO
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Carl Weathers stayed true to the action genre. In 1978, he starred alongside Harrison Ford in "The Wild Bunch of Navarone." The British war film shows a special unit in World War II that sets out to find a German spy.
Photo: ©American International Pictures / ddp images
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Back in the ring: In "Rocky II" 1979, Apollo Creed takes on Rocky Balboa again to save his honor. The amateur almost defeated him in the first part. But in the end the new boxing world champion is called Rocky Balboa.
Photo: EntertainmentPictures / IMAGO
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In "Rocky III - The Eye of the Tiger" from 1981, the former rivals became friends: Apollo Creed trains Rocky Balboa to help him get back on his feet after a defeat against a newcomer, played by Mr. T.
Photo: United Archives / IMAGO
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On the hunt: Carl Weathers is on the hunt as Sundog Brown in “A Man Becomes a Beast.” The 1981 film is set in Canada's Yukon Territory and is inspired by a true story.
Photo: United Archives / IMAGO
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The final round: In "Rocky IV" from 1985, Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed in the USA outfit competes against the doped Soviet boxer Ivan Drago. At the end of the fight he succumbs and dies in Rocky Balboa's arms.
It was the two's last film appearance together. Sylvester Stallone reacted to the death of his long-time colleague on Instagram: "We lost a legend yesterday," he said in the video; behind him you can see a painting of the two men boxing. Without Weathers, “Rocky” would never have been as successful, Stallone continued. He ended the video with the words: “Apollo, keep punching.”
Photo: United Artists / Picturelux / IMAGO
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Cop in short: Carl Weathers took on the role of a police officer investigating the porn industry in “A Case for Brakers” in 1985. The television film was actually planned as a pilot episode for a series, but it was never produced.
Photo: United Archives / IMAGO
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Another legend: Alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers played CIA agent Major George Dillon in 1987. In the end, the eponymous “Predator” becomes his undoing.
Schwarzenegger also praised Weathers as a “legend.” He wrote on Instagram: »An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor and a great person. We couldn’t have made Predator without him.”
Photo: Rights Managed / Mary Evans / IMAGO
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Law enforcement again, action again: Carl Weathers once again played a police officer in 1988 as the eponymous “Action Jackson”. It was his first leading role, but the film was poorly received by critics.
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection / ddp images
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In the 2005 television film "Alien Siege - Death from Space" Weathers fights against aliens in a supporting role as General Skylers. They need human blood to cure a viral disease that has afflicted them. The film only made it to Germany in 2013.
Photo: ddp images
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He can laugh at himself: Carl Weathers played a fictionalized version of himself in four episodes of the comedy series “Arrested Development,” most recently in 2013. In doing so, he proved that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Despite his fame, his series role is very stingy, for example deliberately skipping full flights in order to collect bonus vouchers.
Photo: Capital Pict. / ddp images
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Weathers had already made forays into humor before. In 1996 he starred alongside Adam Sandler in the golf comedy “Happy Gilmore”. As Chubbs Peterson, Weathers taught bully Gilmore how to behave and concentrate on the golf course. Sandler praised Weathers in a social media statement as a "really great man, great father, great actor, great athlete" with whom he always had "so much fun."
Photo: American Pictorial / Picturelux / IMAGO
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Always on the side of the law: In the series “Chicago Justice,” Weathers took on one of the main roles, prosecutor Mark Jefferies. The series was a spin-off of the “Chicago” franchise and was canceled after one season in 2017.
Photo: NBC / ddp images
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Since 2019, Weathers has played in all three seasons of the Star Wars series “The Mandalorian.” He was nominated for an Emmy in 2021 for his role as Greef Karga.
Photo: Lucasfilm / Cinema Publishers Collection / IMAGO
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"The Mandalorian" follows the bounty hunter Din Djarin, played by Pedro Pascal, and introduced, among other things, the fan favorite Grogu ("Baby Yoda"), here on Weathers' arm. Pascal also remembered his colleague on Instagram: "The words are missing," he wrote next to a photo of the young Weathers.
Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd. / Picturelux / IMAGO