Mary Anne Creed’s Comeback
Actress Phylicia Rashad, most famous for her role as Clair Huxtable on the 1980’s television classic “The Cosby Show”, has been cast as Apollo Creed’s widow Mary Anne Creed in the forthcoming “Creed” film.
So far, besides Sylvester Stallone, the Tony Award winning actress is the best-known name added to the movie’s cast.
Rashad will play mother to star Michael B. Jordan‘s character, Adonis Creed. The film is said to be focused on the super privileged Adonis Creed, wallowing in the wealth built on Apollo’s legendary career, as he decides to step into the ring and into his father’s shadow as he’s coached by a reluctant Rocky.
The Rocky History of Apollo’s Wife
Mary Anne Creed is one of the least featured characters in the “Rocky” series. The role was originally played by Lavelle Roby in “Rocky” (1976). The uncredited actress appears alongside Carl Weathers in only a single scene – when Rocky watches Apollo speaking (“Be a doctor, be a lawyer”) on television in the Lucky Seven bar. Mrs. Creed is not seen again in the film and does not even attend Apollo’s match against Rocky.
Mary Anne had a more noticeable appearance in “Rocky II” (1979) when she was at least given a few words to speak by actress Sylvia Meals in the only scene in which it is referenced that Apollo has children and we see his young son and daughter run past Mary Anne in their home.
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Meals reprised her character in “Rocky IV” (1985) and enjoyed a slightly beefier role, especially when facing the opposing wife, Ludmilla Drago ringside at Apollo’s fatal exposition bout with Ivan Drago.
Sylvia Meals’ film credits are very sparse, and according to our research, Ms. Meals may have passed away in 2011 which answers the question many fans have posed about why she was not considered for the “Creed” film.
Interestingly, one of Meals’ only other appearances on screen was her guest spot on “The Cosby Mysteries” (1995) television series alongside Bill Cosby. Ironic since Cosby’s on-screen wife Rashad will now be picking up the reigns of Meals’ character in Rocky!
