Remembering Carl Weathers: His Career In Photos From ‘Rocky’ To ‘Happy Gilmore’ To ‘The Mandalorian’

Carl Weathers, who turned charisma, talent, hard work and athleticism into a 50-year acting career, died Tuesday at 76.

Weathers studied theater in college, where he also played football. He parlayed the latter into a brief NFL career with the (then) Oakland Raiders in 1970. He began working as an extra in blaxploitation films at the time. That led to roles on TV and eventually film, where he had his breakthrough as Apollo Creed in the Rocky films.

Weathers worked steadily in film and on TV throughout the next four-plus decades, and hit another career high point with his work on The Mandalorian, for which he earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in 2021.

Scroll through the photos below for a sense of Weathers’ long and varied career.

BUCKTOWN, 1975 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Thalmus Rasulala (2nd from right), Carl Weathers (right)

FRIDAY FOSTER, 1975 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Pam Grier & Carl Weathers

ROCKY, 1976 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers & Sylvester Stallone

FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE, 1978 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Franco Nero, Harrison Ford, Robert Shaw, Edward Fox & Carl Weathers

DEATH HUNT, 1981 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Andrew Stevens, Lee Marvin & Carl Weathers

ROCKY III, 1982 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers & Sylvester Stallone

ROCKY III, 1982 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Mr. T, Carl Weathers & Sylvester Stallone

ROCKY IV, 1985 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers

FORTUNE DANE, 1986 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers

THE DEFIANT ONES, 1986 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Robert Urich & Carl Weathers

PREDATOR, 1987 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers & Arnold Schwarzenegger

TOUR OF DUTY, 1987-90 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Stan Foster, Carl Weathers & Miguel Nunez Jr.

ACTION JACKSON, 1988 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Vanity & Carl Weathers

HURRICANE SMITH, 1992 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers

OP CENTER, (aka TOM CLANCY’S OP CENTER), 1995 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers

HAPPY GILMORE, 1996 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers & Adam Sandler

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, 2003 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Tony Hale & Carl Weathers

THE COMEBACKS, 2007 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers & David Koechner

COLONY, 2016 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers & Josh Holloway

THE MANDALORIAN, 2019 Image Credit: Everett Collection

Carl Weathers