Most actors can only dream of a career this diverse, but Carl Weathers made it look easy. He will be missed. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re honoring the late Carl Weathers by looking at his ten best performances.
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00:00 "Oh my God, you are Carl Weathers, the actor."
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're honoring the late Carl Weathers by looking at his 10 best performances.
00:10 "Apollo Creed meets the Italian Stallion."
00:15 Number 10. Jericho Jackson - Action Jackson
00:20 "How do you like your ribs?"
00:21 While it was trashed by critics, Action Jackson proved quite popular with the general public,
00:27 and allowed Weathers to continue his '80s dominance. Produced by Joel Silver,
00:32 Action Jackson was influenced by the blaxploitation films of the '70s,
00:36 and follows a Detroit police detective who hunts a powerful auto magnate.
00:40 "What you're saying to me is, 'Delaplane's killing off unfriendly AWA leaders,
00:43 and you don't know why he's doing it? You don't have any evidence that he's doing it? Come on!"
00:46 The movie opened at number three, and went on to grow $65 million against a $7 million budget,
00:53 making it one of Weathers' most successful movies. He's a commanding presence,
00:57 and while he was often relegated to supporting roles,
01:00 Action Jackson proves that he was more than capable as a leading man.
01:03 "You ain't till that boy's arm off!"
01:05 "So, he had a spare."
01:08 Number 9. Combat Carl - Toy Story of Terror
01:11 "What do you want?"
01:12 "Quiet, soldier. You'll meet them right to us."
01:17 Carl Weathers joined the Toy Story universe in 2013,
01:20 playing Combat Carl in the TV movie Toy Story of Terror.
01:24 A Halloween special, it follows the toys as they search for a missing Mr. Potato Head.
01:28 Combat Carl plays a major role in the special,
01:31 and it's incredible how much character work is packed into such a short time frame.
01:35 "The only thing that's kept Combat Carl going is the thought he might see his owner, Billy, just...
01:40 one more time."
01:41 In just 20 minutes, we get a rich backstory, a close emotional bond with Jesse,
01:46 a possible reference to Happy Gilmore, and moments where Combat Carl plays the hero.
01:51 The character allows Weathers to show his range,
01:54 not to mention his fantastic talents as a voice actor.
01:57 "When Combat Carl gets stuck in a jam, he says to himself,
01:59 'Combat Carl never gives up. Combat Carl finds a way.' Now say it!"
02:04 "Combat Carl never gives up."
02:05 "You're not Combat Carl!"
02:07 Number 8. Yarbro - Friday Foster
02:09 "Hey, kid. I'm looking for Miss, uh, Friday Foster."
02:13 After retiring from professional football in 1974,
02:17 Weathers tried his hand at acting, and immediately found work thanks to his friend Arthur Marks.
02:22 Marks was writing and directing a blaxploitation movie called Friday Foster,
02:26 which was based on the then-popular comic strip.
02:29 The film stars Pam Greer as the titular Friday,
02:32 a magazine photographer who becomes embroiled in a racial conspiracy.
02:35 "Don't wonder, Friday. Just take your cute little behind out there
02:40 and get those pictures, and goddammit, don't get involved!"
02:44 Weathers plays a henchman named Yarbro, and while it isn't a huge role,
02:49 it's still memorable thanks to his obvious star power.
02:52 Weathers is stylish, creepy, imposing, and he even gets to fight Yafet Kodo.
02:57 Not bad for his first major role.
02:59 "God have mercy! You entertain in the middle of the daytime, too? Y'all is too much!"
03:07 Number 7. Omnitraxus Prime - Star vs. The Forces of Evil
03:11 "Who are you?"
03:12 "I'm Omnitraxus Prime. I'm the space-time guy. The time loop. That's my territory.
03:19 It's a space-time problem."
03:21 Weathers continued his voice acting talents with Star vs. The Forces of Evil,
03:25 an animated Disney series following the magical princess Star Butterfly.
03:29 Weathers joined the show in the second season,
03:32 playing an enormous deity named Omnitraxus Prime.
03:35 Omnitraxus is the master of space-time,
03:37 and at one point, helps Star when she becomes trapped in a time loop.
03:41 "What do you need?"
03:42 "I need father time. I'm stuck in a time loop."
03:44 But despite his incredible power and fearful appearance,
03:48 Omnitraxus is quite a friendly fellow,
03:50 and the character allows Weathers to have some fun in the recording booth.
03:54 He's affable and warm, like a comforting grandfather,
03:57 and we could listen to him speak all day.
03:59 "And the bi-monthly meeting to discuss the productivity of our meetings,
04:03 as well as checking the notes to accurately record the minutes of...
04:07 What are you doing to that pizza?"
04:08 "I'm eating it."
04:10 Number 6. Adam Boudreaux - Street Justice
04:13 "Come on, we just busted the number one hitman in the country."
04:15 "There'll be new rankings out tomorrow."
04:18 We would be remiss not to mention Street Justice,
04:21 a crime drama that aired in syndication in the early 90s.
04:24 This was Weathers' first starring role on television,
04:27 playing soldier-turned-detective Adam Boudreaux.
04:30 Adam is severely wounded while serving in Vietnam,
04:32 but is ultimately saved by Grady Jameson,
04:35 the young son of some local missionaries.
04:37 Adam then reunites with an adult Grady,
04:40 and the two enact some sweet Street Justice.
04:42 "I've been looking for you for 20 years.
04:44 I've been here in the same place for nearly that long.
04:47 How come you couldn't find me?"
04:48 Weathers is endlessly enjoyable,
04:50 and the series won an award for its direction at the Chicago International Film Festival.
04:54 While it has since fallen out of popularity,
04:57 Street Justice is a great bit of early 90s TV,
05:00 and we encourage all Weathers fans to check it out.
05:02 "I just helped you cops nail a major criminal, right?
05:05 I took a bullet in the shoulder.
05:06 I got shot.
05:08 Listen, thanks again, huh?"
05:10 Number 5.
05:11 Grief Karga - The Mandalorian
05:13 "Oh, that was fast.
05:14 Did you catch them all?"
05:16 One of Weathers' final roles was also one of his most iconic.
05:20 What a great way to finish an unbelievable career.
05:23 He appears in The Mandalorian as Grief Karga,
05:26 the bounty hunter who kicks the entire storyline into motion.
05:29 The role was incredibly successful for Weathers,
05:32 and it gave him a new legion of fans.
05:34 Grief was only supposed to be in a couple of episodes,
05:37 but Weathers impressed Jon Favreau so much that he had the role expanded.
05:41 "Magistrate Karga."
05:43 "That's High Magistrate Karga to you."
05:46 Weathers also directed several episodes,
05:48 and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
05:52 Funnily enough, he directed himself to the nomination,
05:55 having personally helmed Chapter 12 - The Siege.
05:59 "Has Mando been taking good care of you, huh?
06:01 Have you been taking good care of him?
06:03 Yeah, yeah, he said yeah."
06:05 Number 4.
06:07 Chubbs Peterson - Happy Gilmore
06:09 "Who the hell are you?
06:10 I'm the club pro here, Chubbs Peterson.
06:12 I'm offering to teach you how to play golf personally, for free."
06:18 Weathers is an icon of the action genre,
06:20 but one of his most popular characters comes in the form of a goofy Adam Sandler comedy.
06:25 Happy Gilmore is one of those movies that defines the 90s,
06:28 following a violent hockey player who turns to golf and causes problems on the green.
06:32 "The board is taking the following action.
06:34 You'll be fined $25,000 and suspended for one month."
06:38 "Suspended? I gotta play!"
06:39 "Doug, kick him off the tour!"
06:41 Happy is mentored by Chubbs Peterson,
06:43 a former golfer who was forced to retire after an unfortunate accident.
06:47 Weathers plays the straight man against Sandler, but is still hilarious,
06:51 often doing everything he can to conceal his rising frustration.
06:55 He's also warm and jovial, proving a genuine friend to Happy,
06:58 and helping him appear more professional.
07:00 "Got something really special for you."
07:02 "Oh, thanks, Dad."
07:04 "See that? That is the same putter I used when I played. Slightly modified, of course."
07:09 Number 3. Carl Weathers - Arrested Development
07:13 "Give me a bourbon."
07:13 "Any room on that tab for me to jump on?"
07:18 It takes guts to poke fun at yourself.
07:20 Luckily, Carl Weathers had those guts,
07:22 and it resulted in what is, no exaggeration,
07:25 one of the funniest characters in TV history.
07:28 Weathers plays himself, having been hired by Tobias to serve as his acting coach.
07:32 However, he doesn't do much coaching,
07:35 and instead gives Tobias unwanted tips for saving money.
07:38 "We've got a new soda. And you know that you can get a refill on any drink you want here,
07:43 and it's free."
07:44 Much of the humor comes from Carl's extreme frugality,
07:47 and he proves such a cheapskate that he makes Tobias look normal.
07:51 Weathers pulls it off with unbelievable skill,
07:53 delivering gut-busting lines with a deadpan expression and serious face.
07:57 We will never make a stew again without thinking of Carl Weathers.
08:01 "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. There's still plenty of meat on that bone.
08:04 Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato.
08:07 Baby, you got a stew going."
08:08 Number 2. Al Dillon - Predator
08:11 It is an image that is burned into our collective minds.
08:14 Two hands grasping in brotherly unity,
08:17 their biceps bulging like mountaintops.
08:19 "What's the matter? The CIA got you pushing too many pencils?"
08:28 This beautiful, unforgettable image comes from Predator,
08:31 which stars Carl Weathers at peak physical form.
08:34 He plays CIA op Al Dillon,
08:36 who accompanies Dutch Schaefer on a dangerous rescue mission in the South American jungle.
08:40 While there, the team is hunted by the titular predator,
08:44 and pure '80s escapism ensues.
08:46 "The wounds all fused, cauterized.
08:48 Who the hell could have done this to a man?"
08:52 Weathers holds his own against other screen icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger,
08:56 Jesse Ventura, and Bill Duke, and he perfectly embodies the machismo action figure of the 1980s.
09:02 "Hold it Dutch, I'm going after Greg.
09:03 He's not your style, Dylan.
09:05 Guess I picked up some bad habits from you. Now get your people the hell out of here."
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09:24 Number 1 - Apollo Creed - The Rocky Franchise
09:27 "You gotta get that look back, Rock.
09:28 Eye of the tiger, man.
09:31 Eye of the tiger, come on."
09:33 Apollo Creed was Carl Weathers' most challenging acting job,
09:36 but he pulled it off with effortless aplomb.
09:38 Apollo is a very complex character, beautifully written and with many different layers.
09:43 He's arrogant and disgustingly pompous, but fun to watch.
09:47 He's sympathetic as his envy grows and his spotlight fades.
09:50 "How much did you get to carry that bum for 15 rounds?
09:53 You're a disgrace to your people."
09:54 "Why can't you ignore it?"
09:56 "Are you serious?"
09:57 He's fun and playful as he takes Rock under his wing.
10:00 Whatever he is, Carl Weathers is portraying it perfectly.
10:04 He also has the talent to convey deep emotions without saying a single word.
10:08 In the first film, you can pinpoint the exact moment that Apollo stops having fun
10:12 and starts taking the fight seriously.
10:14 It's a brilliant performance from a brilliant actor, and we'll miss him dearly.
10:19 "I guess what matters is what he stood for, what he lived for, and what he died for."
10:30 Are we missing anything? Let us know in the comments below.
10:33 "Chin up, happy. Don't feel bad about me."
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