Former B.C. Lion, famed Hollywood actor Carl Weathers dead at 76

Photo courtesy: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Former B.C. Lions’ linebacker and iconic Hollywood actor Carl Weathers passed away on Thursday at the age of 76, according to a statement from his family.

A native of New Orleans, La., Weathers played college football at San Diego State under Hall of Fame head coach Don Coryell before spending parts of two seasons with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent. He arrived in Vancouver mid-way through the 1971 season and went on to play 18 games over three years in the CFL. The six-foot-one, 220-pound defender is credited with just one fumble recovery during his time with the Lions, as tackles did not become a recorded statistic until 1987.

It did not take long for Weathers to find success as an actor following his CFL career, as he landed his breakout role in the iconic 1976 sports film Rocky as rival boxer Apollo Creed. He went on to appear in the first four films of the iconic franchise, which has since spawned a spin-off Creed franchise focusing on the son of Weathers’ character.

In 1987, he would star alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the classic science-fiction film Predator, kickstarting another multi-billion dollar franchise. He also tested his comedic chops alongside Adam Sandler in the classic 1996 comedy Happy Gilmore as golf instructor Derick ‘Chubbs’ Peterson, as well as playing himself in the hit TV series Arrested Development.

Most recently, Weathers appeared in the uber-successful Star Wars spinoff series The Mandalorian as High Magistrate Greef Karga. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for that role.

Weathers’ total filmography features more than 60 credits spanning over 50 years.