Rocky (1976)
John Avildsen's 1976 boxing underdog launcher. Began the franchise that defined boxing cinema.
Actor: Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers played professional football for the Oakland Raiders before acting, and Apollo Creed across four Rocky films is the role that defined him.
The character is written as a showman and Weathers plays the underlying seriousness, which is what makes the friendship with Rocky work by the third film.
Predator gave him another, and Arrested Development gave him a very funny version of himself. He directed episodes of The Mandalorian, in which he also acted, and died in 2024.
