American actor Carl Weathers, known for playing boxer Apollo Creed in the Rocky saga, has died at the age of 76. The actor passed away on Thursday February 1 “peacefully in his sleep”, his family said in a press release sent to the Deadline site.
Carl Weathers has appeared in more than seventy-five American films and television series during his career. His most famous role remains that of Apollo Creed, a tireless African-American puncher who is challenged in the ring by Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky saga. Initially an enemy of Rocky Balboa, his character transforms during the different opuses into a traveling companion of the boxer.
The actor was also opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film Predator in 1987. More recently, he appeared in several episodes of the series The Mandalorian, inspired by the universe of Star Wars films.
Born in 1948 in New Orleans, Carl Weathers initially had a brief career as an athlete, notably on the American football team at San Diego State University. He played a few games in the NFL, the American professional league, before turning to cinema, where he started with television series.