Carl Weathers: 5 Great Roles (Outside of Rocky)

Last Updated on March 5, 2024

Many of us were dismayed to learn that the great Carl Weathers had passed away, especially with him being amid a terrific career resurgence thanks to his ongoing role on The Mandalorian. Of course, he’ll always be best known as Apollo Creed, with Sylvester Stallone (noticeably emotional) saying in his tribute that he could “have never accomplished what we did with Rocky without him.” Indeed, Apollo was integral to the films, with him being the sympathetic, honourable antagonist in the first two films and then a stalwart best friend and mentor in the third film before dying in the fourth. His legacy helped spawn a whole other franchise, the Creed films, which are still going strong to this day.

Nevertheless, there was more to Carl Weathers beyond the Rocky films, so we thought it might be appropriate to look at some of his other iconic parts on JoBlo, which deserve a lot of praise. So, here are our favorite Carl Weathers roles outside of the Rocky series!

Predator: Dillon

Outside of the Rocky franchise, action fans probably know Weathers the best from his role as Dillon in the first Predator movie. A CIA company man sent along to watch over Schwarzenegger’s (as Dutch) bad-ass crew of operatives, Dillon is initially a bit of an antagonist, using Dutch’s crew to put down a rebel movement in Guatemala, but he redeems himself in the end. Predator arguably had Weathers’ most viral scene ever, when him and Schwarzenegger go bicep-to-bicep in the iconic opening sequence.

Action Jackson: Jericho Jackson

Action Jackson should have been the movie that launched Carl Weathers as a solo action star. It did relatively well at the box office, but the company behind it, Lorimar, went bankrupt, prematurely ending what should have been a great franchise for the actor. Nonetheless, the film is a blast, with Weathers an iconic, Henley-wearing cop going after Craig T. Nelson’s sadistic auto-magnate. This movie has it all – kick-ass action, two super hot love interests (Vanity and Sharon Stone), and a buttload of fantastic one-liners (“How do you like your ribs?”). If you have yet to catch this one, it’s a gem waiting to be discovered.

Happy Gilmore: Chubbs

“Just tap it in”. Adam Sandler cast Carl Weathers to brilliant effect in his raunchy golf classic, Happy Gilmore. No doubt, Weathers was chosen due to being in the Rocky movies, but he displayed an unexpected flair for comedy in the role which would serve him well in the years to come.

Arrested Development: “Carl Weathers”

Carl Weathers has arguably never been better than when he played “himself” on Arrested Development as David Cross’s Tobias M. Funke’s life coach/ acting mentor. In it, the actor satirized the idea of being a “has been” brilliantly, with the fictional Weathers infamously cheap (“Whoa, whoa, whoa. There’s still plenty of meat on that bone. Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you’ve got a stew going”) and happy to exploit anyone he needs to for money or a job.

The Mandalorian: Greef Karga

It was pretty thrilling to see Carl Weathers pop up in the first episode of The Mandalorian as the country hunter who gave the titular character his first assignment – which would lead him directly to his beloved Grogu. Weathers was so likable in the series that he returned in seasons two and three as a good guy and even directed some episodes. In her own tribute to Weathers, former co-star Gina Carano said he was a mentor to her and was one of the few people who didn’t totally cut ties with her after her unceremonious firing from the show.

What are your favourite Carl Weathers roles? Let us know in the comments!