Carl Weathers
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Carl Weathers | |
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Born | January 14, 1948 New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
Carl Weathers (born January 14, 1948) is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films, as well as his role in the first Predator movie.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Personal life
Weathers was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] He graduated from St. Augustine High School and then went to San Diego State University. Outside of acting, he is a member of both Big Brothers and the United States Olympic Committee. In April 2007, he married Jennifer Peterson, a documentary filmmaker.
[edit] Football career
At San Diego State University, Carl was a member of the football team. This led to a brief career as a linebacker with the Oakland Raiders, where he played 7 games in 1970 and one game in 1971. He joined the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1971 and played until 1973, 18 games in total. He retired in 1974 to become an actor.
[edit] Acting career
Weathers had his first parts in two Arthur Marks directed 1970s blaxploitation films: Bucktown and Friday Foster, both in 1975. Weathers also appeared in an episode on the 70's sitcom Good Times as an angry husband who suspected his wife of cheating on him with JJ. Ironically, though his character was presumably supposed to be older, Carl is actually one year younger than Jimmie Walker.
In 1976, he starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in Rocky as Apollo Creed, a role he would reprise in the next three Rocky films in 1979, 1982, and 1985. For the most recent film in the Rocky series, Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone asked Weathers, Mr. T, and Dolph Lundgren for permission to use footage from their appearances in the earlier Rocky movies. Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren gave him their graces, however Weathers wanted an actual part in the movie, even though his character died in Rocky IV. Stallone refused and Weathers decided not to allow Stallone to use his image for Rocky flashbacks from the previous movies. They instead decided to use new footage of a fighter who looks similar to Weathers.[2]
In 1978 Carl portrayed misogynist Vince Sullivan in the TV movie, Not This Time. Weathers also starred in a number of action films, both theatrically and on television, including: Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Predator (1987), Action Jackson (1988), and Hurricane Smith (1992), and is briefly seen as an Army MP in one of the three released versions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. As a member of the cast of Predator, Weathers worked with future California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and future Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. Many years later he appeared in a spoof segment on Saturday Night Live, announcing that he was running for political office and urging viewers to vote for him on the basis that "he was the other guy in Predator".
He also appeared in Michael Jackson's "Liberian Girl" music video. He also had the role of Chubbs in Happy Gilmore.
During the final season of In the Heat of the Night, his character of Hampton Forbes replaced Bill Gillespie at the chief of the Sparta, Mississippi police. He continued that role in the television movies based on the series. His noted other TV role was on the cop show Street Justice where he played Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux. He also played as MACV-SOG Colonel Brewster in the CBS series Tour of Duty.
In 2004, Weathers received a career revival as a comedic actor. Beginning with appearances in 3 episodes of the comedy series Arrested Development as a cheapskate caricature of himself. He was then cast in the comedies The Sasquatch Gang and The Comebacks, which was his first major role in a film since 1992's Hurricane Smith.
Weathers had a guest role in two episodes (to date) of The Shield as the former training officer of main character Vic Mackey.
Weathers provided the voice for Colonel Samuel Garret in the Pandemic Studios video game, Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.[3] In 2005, he was a narrator on Conquest! The Price Of Victory - Witness The Journey of the Trojans!, an 18-part television show about USC athletics.
Weathers is a principal of Red Tight Media, a film and video production company that specializes in tactical training films made for the United States armed forces.[citation needed]
He is currently acting as "Brian "Gebo" Fitzgerald" in advertising for Old Spice's sponsorship of NASCAR driver Tony Stewart.
He is also currently acting in viral videos as a reappearing conscientious man on a bicycle offering advice to unsuspecting people. See www.changeisbeautiful.net
[edit] Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2008 | Phoo Action | Police Chief Benjamin 'Ben' Benson | TV series |
2007 | The Comebacks | Freddie Wiseman/Narrator | |
2006 | The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang | Dr. Artimus Snodgrass | |
Spawn: The Animation | Captain Edwards | TV series, voice only | |
2005 | Alien Siege | General Skyler | |
2004 - 2005 | Arrested Development | Himself | TV series |
2002 | Eight Crazy Nights | GNC Guy | voice only |
2000 | Little Nicky | Chubbs Peterson | |
1999 | Shadow Warriors 2: Hunt for the Death Merchant | Roy Brown | |
1997 | Shadow Warriors: Assault on Devil's Island | Roy Brown | |
1996 | Happy Gilmore | Chubbs Peterson | |
1993-1994 | In the Heat of the Night | Chief Hampton Forbes | TV series |
1992 | Hurricane Smith | Billy 'Hurricane' Smith | |
1991-1993 | Street Justice | Sgt. Adam Beaudreaux | TV series |
1990 | Dangerous Passion | Kyle | |
1989-1990 | Tour Of Duty | Col. Brewster | TV series |
1988 | Action Jackson | Sgt./Lt. Jericho "Action" Jackson | |
1987 | Predator | Major George Dillon | |
1986 | Fortune Dane | Fortune Dane | TV series |
1985 | Rocky IV | Apollo Creed | |
1982 | Rocky III | Apollo Creed | |
1981 | Death Hunt | Sundog/George Washington Lincoln Brown | |
1979 | Rocky II | Apollo Creed | |
1978 | Force 10 from Navarone | Sgt. Weaver | |
1978 | The Bermuda Depths | Eric | |
1977 | Semi-Tough | Dreamer Tatum | |
Close Encounters of the Third Kind | MP | ||
1976 | Rocky | Apollo Creed | |
The Four Deuces | Taxi Cab Driver | ||
1975 | Bucktown | Hambone | |
See, Pop? | GlobaKett Industries employee #2 | Uncredited | |
Friday Foster | Yarbro |
[edit] References
- ^ Carl Weathers Biography (1948-)
- ^ stated by Stallone on Jimmy Kimmel Live Dec. 21, 2006
- ^ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0442688/ Internet Movie Database entry for Mercenaries (2005) video game
[edit] External links
- Carl Weathers at the Internet Movie Database
- (fr) Carl Weathers at Stallone.biz
Persondata | |
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NAME | Weathers, Carl |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor; Former American Football Player |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 14, 1948 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
DATE OF DEATH | |
PLACE OF DEATH |