Carl Weathers was an American actor, director and American football linebacker. He was born on January 14, 1948 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Weathers appeared in more than 75 films and TV shows during his 50-year screen career. He was best known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in Predator (1987), and Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise. He also portrayed Det. Beaudreaux in the television series Street Justice (1991–1993) and a fictionalized version of himself in the comedy series Arrested Development (2004, 2013), and voiced Omnitraxus Prime in Star vs. the Forces of Evil (2017–2019). He also had a recurring role as Greef Karga in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian (2019–2023), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
Weathers played college football at San Diego State University. After going undrafted in the 1970 NFL Draft, he signed with the Oakland Raiders.In 1971, he signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Weathers played for the Lions until 1973, playing 18 games in total. During the off-seasons, he attended San Francisco State University and earned a bachelor's degree in drama in 1974. He retired from football in 1974 and began pursuing an acting career.
Weathers died at his home in Los Angeles, California on February 1, 2024, at the age of 76.
