Current:Home > StocksBurt Young, best known as Rocky's handler in the "Rocky" movies, dead at 83-LoTradeCoin
Burt Young, best known as Rocky's handler in the "Rocky" movies, dead at 83
View Date:2025-01-13 04:21:39
Burt Young, the Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie, the rough-hewn, mumbling-and-grumbling best friend, corner-man and brother-in-law of Sylvester Stallone in the "Rocky" franchise, has died.
Young died Oct. 8 in Los Angeles, his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, told The New York Times on Wednesday. No cause of death was given. He was 83.
Young had roles in acclaimed films and television shows including "Chinatown," "Once Upon a Time in America" and "The Sopranos."
But he was always best known for playing Paulie Pennino in six "Rocky" movies. The short, paunchy, balding Young was the sort of actor who always seemed to play middle-aged no matter his age.
Evolution of "Paulie"
When Paulie first appears in 1976's "Rocky," he's 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 Instagram on Wednesday night.
Along with a photo of the two of them on the set of the first film, Stallone wrote "you were an incredible man and artist, I and the World will miss you very much."
"Rocky" 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 "All the President's Men."
As the movies went on, Young's Paulie softened, as the sequels themselves did, and he became their comic relief. In 1985's "Rocky IV," 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 Rocky's resilience brought big laughs.
"It was a great ride, and it brought me to the audience in a great way," Young said in a 2020 interview with Celebrity Parents magazine. "I made him a rough guy with a sensitivity. He's really a marshmallow even though he yells a lot."
Diverse career
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 1974's "Chinatown," he plays a fisherman who throws a fit when Jack Nicholson's private detective Jake Gittes shows him pictures proving his wife is cheating on him.
Young also appeared in director Sergio Leone's 1984 gangster epic "Once Upon a Time in America" with Robert De Niro, the 1986 comedy "Back to School" with Rodney Dangerfield, and the 1989 gritty drama "Last Exit to Brooklyn" with Jennifer Jason Leigh.
In a striking appearance in season three of "The Sopranos" 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 in many other TV series including "M*A*S*H," "Miami Vice" and "The Equalizer."
Later in life he focused on roles in 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.
- In:
- Sylvester Stallone
veryGood! (32)
Related
- Trump ally Steve Bannon blasts ‘lawfare’ as he faces New York trial after federal prison stint
- Climate Change Is Threatening The U.S. West's Water Supply
- About 100 people killed after boat returning from wedding capsizes in Nigeria
- Jungle commandos helped rescue children lost in Amazon for 40 days after plane crash
- Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day
- Former Louisiana police officer accused of shooting unarmed Black man faces second criminal charge
- DWTS Pro Gleb Savchenko's Thoughts on Julianne Hough Returning as Co-Host Deserve a 10
- Philippines' Mayon Volcano spews lava as locals prepare to evacuate in case of explosion
- Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
- Rebel Wilson Shares First Glimpse of 5-Month-Old Daughter Royce's Face
Ranking
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
- New York City hits moderate air quality for first time in days – but the situation could be a long-duration event
- The Drought In The Western U.S. Is Getting Bad. Climate Change Is Making It Worse
- 26 Ludicrously Capacious Bags to Carry Your Ego and Everything Else You Need
- Father sought in Amber Alert killed by officer, daughter unharmed after police chase in Ohio
- Ecuadoran woman who knocked on coffin during her own wake has died
- Ashley Graham Recalls Overcoming Fashion Industry Stereotype in Empowering Speech
- Katy Perry Encourages Mom She Shamed on American Idol Not to Quit
Recommendation
-
Sister Wives’ Madison Brush Details Why She Went “No Contact” With Dad Kody Brown
-
Celebrity Chef Nick DiGiovanni's Kitchen Essentials Make Cooking Fun & Easy
-
Why Wildfire Is Not Just A Western Problem
-
Every Time Anya Taylor-Joy Was a Princess on the Red Carpet
-
Armie Hammer Says His Mom Gifted Him a Vasectomy for His 38th Birthday
-
A Nigerian chef cooked for more than 93 hours – breaking a Guinness World Record
-
Mother of 4 children lost in Amazon for 40 days initially survived plane crash, oldest sibling says
-
Zendaya Sparkles on Night Out With Tom Holland at Star-Studded Cultural Center Opening in India