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Burt Young, Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie in 91ƵRocky91Ƶ 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 91ƵRocky91Ƶ 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 91ƵChinatown,91Ƶ 91ƵOnce Upon a Time in America91Ƶ and 91ƵThe Sopranos.91Ƶ

But he was always best known for playing Paulie Pennino in six 91ƵRocky91Ƶ 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 197691Ƶs 91ƵRocky,91Ƶ he91Ƶs 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 91Ƶyou were an incredible man and artist, I and the World will miss you very much.91Ƶ

91ƵRocky91Ƶ 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 91ƵAll the President91Ƶs Men.91Ƶ

As the movies went on, Young91Ƶs Paulie softened, as the sequels themselves did, and he became their comic relief. In 198591Ƶs 91ƵRocky IV91Ƶ 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 Rocky91Ƶs resilience brought big laughs.

91ƵIt was a great ride, and it brought me to the audience in a great way,91Ƶ Young said in a 2020 interview with Celebrity Parents magazine. 91ƵI made him a rough guy with a sensitivity. He91Ƶs really a marshmallow even though he yells a lot.91Ƶ

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 197491Ƶs 91ƵChinatown,91Ƶ he plays a fisherman who throws a fit when Jack Nicholson91Ƶs private detective Jake Gittes shows him pictures proving his wife is cheating on him.

Young also appeared in director Sergio Leone91Ƶs 1984 gangster epic 91ƵOnce Upon a Time in America91Ƶ with Robert De Niro, the 1986 comedy 91ƵBack to School91Ƶ with Rodney Dangerfield, and the 1989 gritty drama 91ƵLast Exit to Brooklyn91Ƶ with Jennifer Jason Leigh.

In a striking appearance in season three of 91ƵThe Sopranos91Ƶ 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 91ƵM(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H,91Ƶ 91ƵMiami Vice91Ƶ and 91ƵThe Equalizer.91Ƶ

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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