Burt Young, the Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie, the rough-hewn, mumbling-and-grumbling best friend, corner-man and brother-in-law to in the B次元官网网址淩ockyB次元官网网址� franchise, has died.
Young died Oct. 8 in Los Angeles, his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, told the on Wednesday. No cause was given. He was 83.
Young had roles in acclaimed films and television shows including B次元官网网址淐hinatown,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淥nce Upon a Time in AmericaB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Sopranos.B次元官网网址�
But he was always best known for playing Paulie Pennino in six B次元官网网址淩ockyB次元官网网址� movies. The short, paunchy, balding Young was the sort of actor who always seemed to play middle-aged no matter his age.
When Paulie first appears in 1976B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淩ocky,B次元官网网址� heB次元官网网址檚 an angry, foul-mouthed meat packer who is abusive to his sister Adrian (Talia Shire), with whom he shares a small apartment in Philadelphia. He berates the shy, meek Adrian for refusing at first to go on a Thanksgiving-night date with his buddy and co-worker Rocky Balboa, and destroys a turkey she has in the oven.
The film became a phenomenon, topping the box office for the year and making a star of lead actor and writer Stallone, who paid tribute to Young on on Wednesday night.
Along with a photo of the two of them on the set of the first film, Stallone wrote B次元官网网址測ou were an incredible man and artist, I and the World will miss you very much.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淩ockyB次元官网网址� was nominated for 10 Oscars, including best supporting actor for Young. It won three, including best picture. Young and co-star Burgess Meredith, who was also nominated, lost to Jason Robards in B次元官网网址淎ll the PresidentB次元官网网址檚 Men.B次元官网网址�
As the movies went on, YoungB次元官网网址檚 Paulie softened, as the sequels themselves did, and he became their comic relief. In 1985B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淩ocky IVB次元官网网址� he reprograms a robot Rocky gives him into a sexy-voiced servant who dotes on him.
Paulie was also an eternal pessimist who was constantly convinced that Rocky was going to get clobbered by his increasingly daunting opponents. His surprise at RockyB次元官网网址檚 resilience brought big laughs.
B次元官网网址淚t was a great ride, and it brought me to the audience in a great way,B次元官网网址� Young said in a 2020 interview with Celebrity Parents magazine. B次元官网网址淚 made him a rough guy with a sensitivity. HeB次元官网网址檚 really a marshmallow even though he yells a lot.B次元官网网址�
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Young served in the Marine Corps, fought as a professional boxer and worked as a carpet layer before taking up acting, studying with legendary teacher Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.
On stage, in films and on television, he typically played small-time tough guys or down-on-their luck working class men.
In a short-but-memorable scene in 1974B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淐hinatown,B次元官网网址� he plays a fisherman who throws a fit when Jack NicholsonB次元官网网址檚 private detective Jake Gittes shows him pictures proving his wife is cheating on him.
Young also appeared in director Sergio LeoneB次元官网网址檚 1984 gangster epic B次元官网网址淥nce Upon a Time in AmericaB次元官网网址� with Robert De Niro, the 1986 comedy B次元官网网址淏ack to SchoolB次元官网网址� with Rodney Dangerfield, and the 1989 gritty drama B次元官网网址淟ast Exit to BrooklynB次元官网网址� with Jennifer Jason Leigh.
In a striking appearance in season three of B次元官网网址淭he SopranosB次元官网网址� in 2001, he plays Bobby Baccalieri, Sr., an elderly mafioso with lung cancer who pulls off one last hit before a coughing fit leads to him dying in a car accident.
He guest-starred on many other TV series including B次元官网网址淢(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淢iami ViceB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Equalizer.B次元官网网址�
Later in life he focused on roles in the theater and on painting, a lifelong pursuit that led to gallery shows and sales.
His wife of 13 years, Gloria, died in 1974.
Along with his daughter, Young is survived by one grandchild and a brother, Robert.
Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
