Today began like any other day. It was Groundhog’s Day, and I was preparing to attend another convention this weekend. Then I heard the news that actor Carl Weathers had passed away peacefully in his his sleep last night at age 76, and I was stunned. As of this writing, his cause of death remains unknown.

Carl Weathers was an icon of my youth, and I was a genuine fan of his work. Two years ago, at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, I had the chance to meet him and tell him so, and it was a moment I’ll never forget.

“Rocky” Road to Stardom

Like many kids of my generation (Gen Xer) I grew up watching the “Rocky” movies.  The first one I saw theatrically was “Rocky III” (as a nerd, I was a bit late to the Rocky party), but I would  quickly catch up with the prior movies on video.  Actor Carl Weathers really stood out in the pivotal role of ‘Apollo Creed,’ the fictional heavyweight champion based loosely on Muhammed Ali, who cynically gives underdog ‘Rocky Balboa’ (Sylvester Stallone) his big break only because he liked his boxing moniker of “the Italian Stallion.” 

After giving mob leg-breaker Rocky his big break, Rocky takes it and runs with it, going the distance with the surprised (and enraged) heavyweight champion.  That first Rocky film was loosely based on the real-life 1975 match between Ali and unknown club fighter Chuck Wepner, who fell 15 seconds shy of going the distance with Ali back in 1975.  In the first sequel, “Rocky II” (1979), we see Rocky finally winning that heavyweight title from Creed, after Creed loses to Rocky by one second in the final round. “Rocky III” (1982) would see Creed becoming the new trainer and manager of his former adversary, after Rocky’s aged manager Mickey dies, leaving Rocky temporarily rudderless.

The final appearance of the character would come in “Rocky IV” (1985). Like Mickey before him, Creed would also die, but in a more impactful way, as he’s beaten to death in an exhibition bout with a monstrous Soviet boxer named ‘Ivan Drago’ (Dolph Lundgren). While “Rocky IV” wasn’t exactly my favorite of the series, there’s no question that Creed’s shocking death is the most dramatically powerful and meaningful moment of that otherwise formulaic (and jingoistic) sequel.  Even after Creed’s death in the ring, his legacy would live on through his unknown son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) in the recent “Creed” movie trilogy (2015-2023). Apollo Creed is the character who gives Rocky his shot and who unwittingly creates new stories within the movie’s universe through Adonis Creed.  To say the role of Apollo Creed is crucial to the Rocky franchise is an understatement. 

Carl Weathers was born in New Orleans in 1948. After finishing college in California on an athletic scholarship, Weathers would sign with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders before later playing in the Canadian football league with the BC Lions. His natural athleticism, good looks and charisma made his transition into acting quite natural.

Alien Encounters

In the mid-1970s, Weathers began his transition from football to acting with a slew of TV roles in shows such as “Good Times,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” and “In the Heat of the Night.”  While his big break came with the “Rocky” films, Weathers had a small role as a National Guardsman tasked with evacuating the area around Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, as part of a secret government mission to make way for alien contact in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977).  The role was edited out of subsequent versions of the movie (1980/2001), but you can still see it if you watch the 1977 original. 

The actor’s next involvement with extraterrestrials would be much more action-packed and dangerous, with the role of ‘Colonel Al Dillon’—an intelligence operative who recruits a team of mercenaries to get their hands dirty in a dangerous South American op that goes seriously wrong with the arrival of the “Predator” (1987).  While the character of Dillon was old friends with hero,  ‘Dutch’ (star Arnold Schwarzenegger), he’s also a bit morally ambiguous—keeping key details from his hired commandos that puts their lives in serious jeopardy.  After years of playing Apollo Creed, Dillon represented a chance for Weathers to show shades of gray, as we learn Colonel Al Dillon is a less-than-honorable character. Naturally, Dillon gets his comeuppance from the title monster, played by the late Kevin Peter Hall (1955-1991), who replaced Jean-Claude Van Damme sometime into shooting.

Piece of the Action

Weathers would parlay his success from the Rocky films and “Predator” into other action movie roles and even a few comedies, such as “Happy Gilmore” (1996).  I still remember renting “Action Jackson” (1988) on VHS waaay back in my bachelor days.  In the film, Weathers plays Lt. Jericho “Action” Jackson, a detective who is busted to sergeant after he beats the snot out of a sexual predator. 

The man that Jackson took to the toolshed was a powerful industrialist named Dellaplane (Craig T. Nelson), who seeks his own revenge on Jackson for being humiliated. The movie followed the heavily clichéd demoted-cop-seeks-redemption formula common to the million or so action films of that decade. To be honest, “Action Jackson” doesn’t stand out very much, save for a magnetic performance from Weathers (who classed up any joint).  The movie also costarred singer Vanity as a drug-addled ally of Jackson’s, and a young Sharon Stone (pre-“Total Recall”) playing Mrs. Dellaplane.

Star Warrior

Carl Weathers’ career would find a whole new and different fanbase when he took on the role of bounty operative Greef Karga in “The Mandalorian,” which was Disney+’s first attempt at a live-action Star Wars TV series.  Greef would start out as a hardhearted businessman who sees the bounties he issues as nothing more than business contracts to be filled.  It’s not until he meets the infant ‘Grogu’ (aka “Baby Yoda,” “The Child”) that his previously hardened heart begins to soften, and he becomes an ally of the toddler’s foster parent, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), the titular “Mandalorian.” Mandalorians are reputed to be the galaxy’s best bounty hunters.

Later in the series third season, Greef Karga would leave his old life behind and set up shop as the Magistrate of a community on his planet of Nevarro. Going from shady businessman to community-minded politician, Karga later offers his friend ‘Mando’ a job as the community’s law enforcement with a nice plot of land for he and his adopted child. It’s an offer that Mando foolishly refuses, at first.  After aiding his war-torn adopted home planet of Mandalore, Mando eventually accepts the offer, and by the end of season 3, he and Grogu settle down together on Nevarro.  Once again, Greef Karga plays a pivotal role in the titular character’s development throughout the series.

Actor Carl Weathers would also play a pivotal role behind the scenes as well, as he would direct two installments of the series; “Chapter 12: The Siege” (an action-packed raid on an Imperial base) and “Chapter 20: The Foundling.” Weathers’ directorial character began in the 1990s, with TV shows like “Renegade” and “Silk Stalkings.” The new millennium would see his directional career explode, with gigs on such shows as “Law & Order,” “Chicago Med” and the reboot of “Hawaii 5-0.”  “The Mandalorian” would see Weathers well-used in both capacities.  It would also endear the veteran actor/director to a whole new generation of fans too young to remember his earlier successes.

“Like a Fine Wine…”

The following is an excerpt from an earlier column I wrote on “Rocky III” back in December, 2022, this was written seven months after I’d met Carl Weathers at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, in May of 2022:

I was lucky to have met Carl Weathers in person, at the Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim this past May (2022). The man has aged, in his own words, “like a fine wine” (to which he chuckled afterward). The man has a powerful charisma that is almost tangible. Weathers was at the Star Wars event because of his recent work with Disney’s Star Wars series, “The Mandalorian” where he plays bounty contractor Greef Karga, and has directed some episodes as well. Of course, I had him sign a photo of Apollo Creed, because that’s my touchstone for him. Carl Weathers is a delightful, charming, and talented man.

I can still hear his strong voice and his own self-deprecating chuckle when he compared himself to a “fine wine,” and it’s hard to believe that incredibly classy and cool guy is no longer with us.  I’m grateful we have his tremendous body of work, and that I had the chance to tell him just how much he meant to me growing up.  While many fans at the Celebration wanted autographed photos of Weathers as Greef Karga, I just had get an autographed photo of him as Apollo Creed.  For me, Carl Weathers was truly the champ.

Rest in power, Carl Weathers (January 14th, 1948-February 1st, 2024)