Carl Weathers Dies at 76
Carl Weathers, who starred as Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies and lent his voice to Combat Carl in Disney’s Toy Story series, died in his sleep Thursday, according to his family. He was 76.
Carl Weathers started out as a gridiron star, playing collegiately and professionally for the San Diego State Aztecs and the Oakland Raiders. He landed the role in 1976’s Rocky, a boxing drama that would inspire a generation.
Actor
Carl Weathers was a fixture on the big and small screen for decades, often playing gruff action heroes. His most famous role was Apollo Creed in Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky series, but he also flexed his acting muscles in countless other movies and TV shows. He also served as a voice for Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise.
The actor was born in New Orleans on January 14, 1948. He grew up with sports as a lifelong passion, playing football and participating in a number of other activities, including boxing, soccer, and judo.
Carl Weathers began his professional career on the gridiron, a linebacker who played seven games with the Oakland Raiders in 1970 and 1971. After his NFL days were done, Weathers started acting full time. He honed his craft in a variety of low-budget blaxploitation films and television dramas before catching on as the ruthless manager to star boxer Apollo Creed in 1976’s Oscar-winning Rocky. The film was a huge hit, and the swaggering performance of Weathers’ character sealed his fate in Hollywood.
A few years later, he would appear in three more Rocky films, with the last one, Rocky IV, featuring a climactic fight between Creed and the driven Soviet behemoth Ivan Drago. The movie set a new standard for cinematic boxing, and Bill Conti’s rousing theme song would top the charts.
In the Nineties, Carl Weathers appeared in several TV dramas and made his comedic debut as the one-handed golf pro Chubbs Peterson in 1996’s Adam Sandler comedy Happy Gilmore. He also flexed his muscles in 1987’s sci-fi classic Predator and 1988’s nouveau blaxploitation flick Action Jackson.
After his stint on ER ended in 2008, Weathers continued to land roles on other shows. He starred in the short-lived spinoff series Chicago Justice and portrayed Police Chief Hampton Forbes in more than two dozen episodes of In the Heat of the Night starring Carroll O’Connor and Howard Rollins. He earned an Emmy nomination in 2021 for his work on the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, where he voiced Greef Karga, a Bounty Hunters’ Guild Master.
Director
Aside from his iconic portrayal of Apollo Creed in four Rocky films, Carl Weathers also proved himself as a talented director. His big-screen resume includes Force 10 From Navarone, Predator and Action Jackson. He also appeared on a variety of television shows, including as a regular on Fortune Dane and ER, as well as recurring roles in Chicago P.D. and In the Heat of the Night, and as himself on Arrested Development.
While his role as a stoic, hard-edged cop in the first film of the Rocky franchise is memorable, Weathers made his name on screen with his goofball performances in the follow-ups. In 1996’s Happy Gilmore, he played Derick “Chubbs” Peterson, a retired golf pro who uses a wooden hand after getting his real one bit off by an alligator. He reprised the character in recent commercials for a golf retailer and FanDuel’s Super Bowl campaign.
In the same year, Weathers gave audiences a taste of his comic chops in an episode of Arrested Development. As a version of himself hired by Tobias Funke as an acting coach, Weathers was an absolute cheapskate who proudly extolled his ability to score free refills on Burger King’s fries and to get free food at airports. He returned to the series for a couple more episodes in 2021.
Throughout the rest of his career, Weathers continued to make a name for himself behind the camera. He directed several episodes of TV shows, including Hawaii Five-O and Law & Order, and he also helmed the miniseries The Defiant Ones. In his last years, he starred as Greef Karga on Disney+’s The Mandalorian, where he was a key part of the story’s second season.
Despite his busy acting schedule, he always found time to give back to the community. A former member of the Directors Guild of America, he was an alternate board member from 2003 to 2017. Weathers was also on multiple negotiation committees and served as a trustee of The DGA Foundation. He was a longtime supporter of the arts and education and was a patron of the Los Angeles Opera.
Sportsman
Before he donned Apollo Creed’s red, white and blue boxing trunks in the Rocky series of movies, actor Carl Weathers took to the gridiron. The New Orleans native starred collegiately at San Diego State University and played professionally in the NFL for one season, with the Oakland Raiders in 1970. Afterward, he went on to play two seasons in the Canadian Football League before retiring from the sport in 1974 to pursue his acting career more seriously.
While his acting career was on the rise, Weathers also found success in a number of action and sports films in the late ’70s and early ’80s. He flexed his muscles in 1987’s Predator, and also showed off his comedic side as golf coach Derick “Chubbs” Peterson in the 1996 hit Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler. After that, he continued to find work on both sides of the camera, appearing as Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux in Dick Wolf’s short-lived spinoff series Chicago Justice and most recently as Greef Karga on the Star Wars series The Mandalorian.
Throughout his decades-long career, Weathers earned a reputation as one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. His diverse filmography spanned everything from action and drama to comedy and swashbucklers, and he even lent his voice to the character Combat Carl in Toy Story 4 and other Disney shorts.
In addition to his starring roles in the Rocky and Predator series of films, Carl Weathers racked up an impressive list of TV credits as well. Carl Weathers guest starred on numerous shows, including In the Heat of the Night and the final seasons of Arrested Development, where Carl Weathers portrayed Hampton Forbes, as well as a recurring role as the father of ER’s Dr. Mark Sloan.
Outside of acting, Weathers had an interest in a number of other sporting activities. Carl Weathers was a member of the Big Brothers Association and also worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee, handling the careers of athletes in various sports such as gymnastics, swimming and judo. He also founded his own production company, which makes tactical training films for the United States armed forces.
Humanitarian
Whether Carl Weathers was flexing his muscles as Apollo Creed in the Rocky films or joking around on Arrested Development, Carl Weathers had an engaging and entertaining personality. He will be missed.
The actor, who was born in New Orleans and grew up in Long Beach, Calif., graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1966 and went on to play college football at Long Beach City College and San Diego State University. After two seasons with the Oakland Raiders and three years in the Canadian Football League, he switched his focus from playing football to acting.
Carl Weathers started with small parts on television and moved up to movies. His biggest hit was the 1976 blockbuster Rocky, where he portrayed boxer Apollo Creed. He would go on to star in three more Rocky films.
Weathers also starred in other action flicks, including 1987’s Predator, where he fought alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura. He also starred as police chief Hampton Forbes in several episodes of the TV series In the Heat of the Night. He appeared in more than 20 films and television shows before his death in 2020.
In addition to his acting career, Weathers was an active humanitarian. He founded the Carl Weathers Foundation, which supports and empowers young people to be leaders in their communities. The foundation has raised over $15 million in its history. He also helped found the Armenian Relief Fund, which provides emergency aid to refugees in Syria and Gaza.
His voice was heard in many animated films, as well as the character Combat Carl in Toy Story and the 2021 Disney+ series The Mandalorian, where he played Greef Karga. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2021 for his work on the show.
In addition to his film and television work, Weathers also hosted events in support of the Armenian community. He was a member of the Board of Directors for the National Council of the American-Armenian Federation, and also served on the board of directors of the California State University, Northridge. In recognition of his efforts, he received the Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award. The honor is named after the German soldier/medic who documented atrocities in the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
Carl Weathers Wife
Mary Ann Castle
Carl Weathers was born on January 14, 1948. He was a talented athlete, participating in a number of sports before settling on football and acting as his primary career choices. He was a linebacker in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders and a Canadian football league player for the BC Lion before he retired from his first love to concentrate on his acting career.
He married his first wife, Mary Ann Castle, in 1973. The two stayed together for ten years before they divorced. Weathers moved on to Rhona Unsell, his second wife, in 1984. Their marriage lasted 22 years before they called it quits in 2006.
He married his third and final wife, Jennifer Peterson, in March of 2007. The pair stayed together for just two years before divorcing. Peterson is an award-winning creative content producer with movies like Pumpkin Hill and the Hallmark series American Rescue Dog Show under her belt. She is also an active charity worker who works to help homeless pets.
Rhona Unsell
Rhona Unsell came to limelight as the celebrity ex-wife of Carl Weathers. She was his second wife and the union lasted for some time. She was born in the United States and belongs to the White ethnicity. She hasn’t revealed much about her personal life and she is a mystery. She doesn’t attend events and shows which makes it difficult to know about her age, height, body measurements, and other details.
She remained married to Carl for about ten years and they had two sons together. However, they got divorced on July 22, 1983. Carl Weathers was a former professional American football player and later took up acting. He is famous for his roles in Rocky movies and has also starred in movies like Predator.
He is currently dating Jennifer Peterson and has a long-term relationship with her. He is a good father to his children and always puts them first. He has also done a lot of charitable work and he is a good person.
Jennifer Peterson
Carl Weathers has been married three times in his life, but each of his unions ended in divorce. He first married Mary Ann Castle in 1973 and the couple had two sons together before divorcing in 1983. He then married Rhona Unsell in 1984, but they also divorced in 2006. The actor then married Jennifer Peterson in 2007, but the marriage only lasted two years before the couple separated in 2009.
While Weathers has been acting since high school, it wasn’t his first career choice. He had planned to play football, but he changed his mind when he saw the film The Defiant Ones, which featured acting hero Sidney Poitier. Weathers decided to study theater at San Diego State University.
He has appeared on a number of shows and movies, but his most famous role is as Apollo Creed in Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky films. He has also starred in a number of action movies and costarred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987’s Predator. In more recent years, Weathers has starred in several TV procedurals and even directed episodes of Chicago Med and Law & Order: SVU. He currently stars as Greef Karga in the Star Wars spinoff series The Mandalorian.
Christine Kludjian
Carl Weathers was a talented actor and former professional football player. His work in popular films and tv shows like Rocky and Happy Gilmore brought him fame. However, his personal life was less stable. He was married thrice and each marriage ended in divorce.
The first time he tied the knot was to Mary Ann Castle in 1973. They were together for more than ten years before their divorce was finalized on July 22, 1983. They had two sons together, Mathew and Jason.
His second marriage was to Rhona Unsell in February of 1984. There is very little known about this wife, but she was in the news during their marriage. The union lasted 22 years before they decided to get a divorce in 2006. It was his longest marriage. He would later find love again and married Jennifer Peterson on March 24, 2007. Their marriage was short-lived and they separated after only two years.