Rocky: Who Played Apollo Creed & Where Is He Now?

Few cinematic sagas have had the lasting appeal of the "Rocky" franchise. Though the first film had very humble beginnings in the imagination of Sylvester Stallone, it would go on to inspire not only five sequels but also three spinoffs in the form of the "Creed" movies. 

On top of the Italian Stallion himself, one of the most memorable characters in the "Rocky" series is the man who connects the two branches of the franchise. Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) serves as the antagonist of the first two "Rocky" movies before befriending the titular boxer in "Rocky 3" and "Rocky 4." Though the character was killed in a match with Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), his legacy lives on in the series through his son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan). 

As for Weathers himself, he has had plenty to keep himself busy with over the decades that have passed since the fourth "Rocky" film. Arguably, his highest-profile role in his post-Apollo Creed career is that of High Magistrate Greef Karga on the Disney+ "Star Wars" series, "The Mandalorian." In addition to playing the role in all three seasons of the show, Weathers has directed two episodes.

Carl Weathers has appeared as Greef Karga on nine episodes of "The Mandalorian," including both the series premiere in Season 1 and the Season 3 finale. Being that the character remains alive, it's possible that Weathers will reprise his role in Season 4 of the hit series as well.

Viewers may have also heard the performer in his role as Combat Carl in "Toy Story 4" or his stint as Omintraxus in the animated series "Star vs. the Forces of Evil." The actor also appeared as Mark Jefferies in all 13 episodes of the legal drama "Chicago Justice," which was canceled during its first season. He portrays the role on two other installments of the "One Chicago" franchise.

Outside of these examples, Weathers appears in a lot of other places on the small screen. The performer has shown up on episodes of "E.R.," "Psych," "Magnum P.I.," and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," just to name a few. As for Apollo Creed, even though he's officially dead in the boxing franchise, Weathers could still reprise the role in a dream sequence or flashback in the planned fourth installment. After all, if Sylvester Stallone himself might reappear in "Creed 4," what's to stop Weathers?