Carl Weathers

Weathers played professional football briefly, including a stint in the NFL, before a knee injury ended his athletic career and redirected him toward acting, where his physical presence made him a natural fit for imposing supporting roles.

Apollo Creed traded the ring for the jungle as CIA man Dillon — and shared with Schwarzenegger the most parodied handshake in film history. A former professional football player before turning to acting, he was already famous for the Rocky franchise when he took on the role, and insisted on doing much of his own physically demanding stunt work in the jungle heat.

The Predator handshake scene has since become one of the most referenced images in action-movie history, and Weathers continued a long career in film and television, including later comedic self-parody roles that showed a lighter side than his tough-guy image suggested.