Actor and boxer Burt Young, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the original Rocky film, has passed away.
Per The New York Times, Young died on Oct. 8 in Los Angeles with his death confirmed by his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser. No other details, such as a cause, have been divulged. Young was 83 years old.
Young is perhaps best known for his popular role in the Rocky franchise as Paulie Pennino, the brother to Adrian (Talia Shire) and brother-in-law to Rocky (Sylvester Stallone). For his performance in the original Rocky film released in 1976, Young was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He would reprise his role as Paulie in five sequels, culminating with 2006’s Rocky Balboa.
“To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man’s and artist, I and the World will miss you very much…RIP,” Stallone wrote in a tribute post on Instagram after hearing about the sad news.
Beyond Rocky, Young had memorable appearances in a variety of feature films. This includes roles in Chinatown, The Gambler, Once Upon a Time in America, The Pope of Greenwich Village, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, and The Amityville Murders. He was also featured in several well-known TV shows like The Doctors, M*A*S*H, Baretta, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, The Outer Limits, and The Sopranos. More recently, Young appeared in Natasha Lyonne’s Netflix series Russian Doll, and was featured in the 2021 documentary Stallone: Frank, That Is.
Read Related Also: Judge agrees to temporarily lift gag order in Trump’s 2020 election interference case
The actor had also been a military veteran, as he served with the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1950s. During that time, he had been a dangerous boxer as well, winning nearly all of his 34 recorded bouts. Young was also a painter with a passion for art and writing, and at one point, he owned a restaurant in the Bronx.
“I was in every business in the world, that didn’t have an inventory. Anything that required sweat and a lot of bravado. I didn’t start acting until I was 28,” Young said in a 1985 interview with the L.A. Times, revealing how he got into acting. “What happened is that I was chasing a girl and she wanted to study with Lee Strasberg. I thought he [Strasberg] was a girl. Anyway, I met him and he told me, ‘You’re very tense. You have huge tension about you. I feel you’re an emotional library.’ ”
Young’s survivors include his daughter, Anne, along with his brother, Robert, and a grandson. He was married once, and his wife, Gloria, passed away in 1974.
Rest in peace, Burt Young.
