CINEMA
‘Rocky’ actor Carl Weathers to get his own star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
The late actor gave life to Apollo Creed in the legendary saga starring Sylvester Stallone as well as appearing in numerous other box office hits.
Actor Carl Weathers is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. According to Variety, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will posthumously honor him with the award on 29 August, nearly seven months after his death from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at the age of 76.
Carl Weathers started out as an American football player and played several NFL games with the Oakland Raiders in the early 1970s, but quit the sport to pursue his true passion: acting. From then on, the New Orleans native became known for his role as Apollo Creed alongside Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky saga and won the hearts of viewers.
Carl Weathers' career
After quitting football, Weathers didn’t have to wait long to get into acting, landing a role in the Kung Fu series, starring David Carradine (Bill in Kill Bill). Just a year later, Weathers first played the character that would catapult him to stardom: Apollo Creed. He first appeared in Rocky (1976) as Rocky Balboa’s (Sylvester Stallone) opponent, but in subsequent films in the saga they formed a friendship that would last forever.
Weathers also made an appearance in one of Steven Spielberg’s best science fiction films, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), in which he played a military policeman. In other leading roles, he was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s battle buddy in ‘Predator’ (1987), by John McTiernan (‘Die Hard’).
He also had roles in a number of action films and box office hits such as Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Predator (1987), Action Jackson (1988), and Hurricane Smith (1992).
His last performance was in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. An immense career that will finally be recognized, with the 2,787th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.