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Burt Young, Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie in BԪַRockyBԪַ films, dies at 83

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 BԪַRockyBԪַ 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 BԪַChinatown,BԪַ BԪַOnce Upon a Time in AmericaBԪַ and BԪַThe Sopranos.BԪַ

But he was always best known for playing Paulie Pennino in six BԪַRockyBԪַ 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 1976BԪַs BԪַRocky,BԪַ heBԪַs 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 BԪַyou were an incredible man and artist, I and the World will miss you very much.BԪַ

BԪַRockyBԪַ 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 BԪַAll the PresidentBԪַs Men.BԪַ

As the movies went on, YoungBԪַs Paulie softened, as the sequels themselves did, and he became their comic relief. In 1985BԪַs BԪַRocky IVBԪַ 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 RockyBԪַs resilience brought big laughs.

BԪַIt was a great ride, and it brought me to the audience in a great way,BԪַ Young said in a 2020 interview with Celebrity Parents magazine. BԪַI made him a rough guy with a sensitivity. HeBԪַs really a marshmallow even though he yells a lot.BԪַ

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 1974BԪַs BԪַChinatown,BԪַ he plays a fisherman who throws a fit when Jack NicholsonBԪַs private detective Jake Gittes shows him pictures proving his wife is cheating on him.

Young also appeared in director Sergio LeoneBԪַs 1984 gangster epic BԪַOnce Upon a Time in AmericaBԪַ with Robert De Niro, the 1986 comedy BԪַBack to SchoolBԪַ with Rodney Dangerfield, and the 1989 gritty drama BԪַLast Exit to BrooklynBԪַ with Jennifer Jason Leigh.

In a striking appearance in season three of BԪַThe SopranosBԪַ 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 BԪַM(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H,BԪַ BԪַMiami ViceBԪַ and BԪַThe Equalizer.BԪַ

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





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