Renowned American actor, director, Carl Weathers, who came to fame as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise, passed away at the age of 76. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter and a statement from his personal manager, Matt Luber, Weathers sadly passed away peacefully in his sleep at his house in Los Angeles.
The beloved actor was born in New Orleans on Jan. 14, 1948, and throughout his long and fruitful career in Tinseltown, he appeared in over 75 feature films and TV series. His most recent roles included Greef Karga in The Mandalorian, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
How Did The Mandalorian Star Carl Weathers Die?
Carl Weathers, who was known for playing Apollo Creed in four Rocky films and his recent role in The Mandalorian and acted in Happy Gilmore, Action Jackson, Arrested Development, and dozens of other films and TV shows, has died peacefully in his sleep.
His family said in a statement on Friday, according to Deadline:
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Carl Weathers,” said the family, adding, “Carl was an exceptional human being who lived an extraordinary life. Through his contributions to film, television, the arts, and sports, he has left an indelible mark and is recognized worldwide and across generations. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, partner, and friend.“
Weathers’ career spanned five decades and included over 75 appearances in movies and TV, starting with the Blaxploitation films of the mid-1970s. Weathers also was the voice for Combat Carl in Toy Story 4 and other shorts in the beloved Disney-Pixar franchise.
Weathers was married three times and is survived by two sons.
Carl Weathers Saw a Difference Between Being a “movie star” and An “actor“
In an interview with British GQ, Weathers spoke about the difference between a “movie star” and an “actor.”
“This label of movie star doesn’t really have anything to do with being a really fine actor or artist,” Weathers said.
“Enough promotion of any person, enough movies where that person gets to be shown in a particular light, can make them a movie star.”
He further added,
“As a movie star you don’t really have to have that. All you really need is to be photogenic, you need the right projects and you need a lot of promotion behind it. Movie stars can be made. Actors, that’s a whole other ball game,” he continued.
When asked to name some actors and a few movie stars, declining directly to mention them, Weathers simply said that there are many fine actors and few of them also happen to be movie stars. But, there are not any movie stars who happen to be actors.
