Carl Weathers, the renowned action star who always made his audience laugh or grin, died on Thursday at the age of 76.

Weathers, best remembered for his appearances as Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” films and Chubbs Peterson in “Happy Gilmore,” was an NFL linebacker with the Oakland Raiders for two seasons before an ankle injury forced him to play in the Canadian Football League for two years before turning his attention to Hollywood.

“The Raiders family is mourning the loss of Carl Weathers, who passed away on Thursday,” the Raiders announced in a statement. “Always a proud Raider, Weathers will be deeply mourned by his Raiders family and many fans across the world. Our heartfelt thoughts are with the Weathers family at this time.

Weathers lit up the screen when he first debuted in “Rocky” in 1976 as Creed, the heavyweight champion looking for a challenger who might captivate the public’s attention. He found one in Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky character, and their connection lasted through three sequels. Weathers gave Creed an imposing physical presence with speed and elegance, but his charisma and swagger surpassed even that.

Weathers told the Daily Beast in 2016 that the character of Creed “puts you on the map and makes your career, so to speak.” However, since that is a one-time event, you must follow it up with something else. Fortunately, those films continued to emerge, and Apollo Creed grew increasingly visible and accepted in people’s lives, and it was simply the right guy at the right moment.”

Weathers played Chubbs Peterson, a former professional golfer who lost his hand in an alligator attack and later became the coach for Adam Sandler’s main character, in the 1996 film “Happy Gilmore.” Weathers has also had significant roles in the films “Predator” and “Action Jackson,” as well as the television shows “Arrested Development” (as himself) and “The Mandalorian.”