Burt Young, Oscar-nominated ‘Rocky’ actor, dead at 83

Burt Young, a former boxer who played Hollywood tough guys, including Paulie alongside Sylvester Stallone in the six “Rocky” films, died Oct. 8. He was 83.

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Young, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the original 1976 “Rocky” film, died in Los Angeles, his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, told The New York Times.

“Burt was an actor of tremendous emotional range. He could make you cry and he could scare you to death,” his manager, Lynda Bensky, said in a statement to USA Today. “But the real pathos that I experienced was the poignancy of his soul. That’s where it came from.”

Young played Paulie Pennino, “a beer-guzzling mug” who was Rocky Balboa’s butcher friend and the brother of the boxer’s love interest, Adrian Pennino, played by Talia Shire.

According to the Times, Young had more than 160 film and television credits. He often played a mob boss, a street-smart detective or a doleful working man.

He reprised his role of Paulie throughout the series, ending with “Rocky Balboa” in 2006, according to Rolling Stone.

“I made him a rough guy with a sensitivity,” Young later said of the Paulie character. “He’s really a marshmallow, even though he yells a lot.”

Young did not appear in the 2015 film “Creed,” as Paulie was supposed to have died in 2012, the Times reported.

Stallone paid tribute to Young in an Instagram post.

“To my dear friend, Burt Young, you were an incredible man’s and artist,” Stallone wrote. “I and the World will miss you very much.”

Young’s other notable credits included roles in “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight” (1971), “Cinderella Liberty” (1973), Chinatown (1974), “The Killer Elite” (1975) and “Convoy” (1978).

Burt Young was born on April 30, 1940, in the New York City borough of Queens, the Times reported.

He boxed in the Marine Corps and went on to a successful career in the pros under the tutelage of Cus D’Amato, who trained Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson, according to the newspaper. His won-loss record was believed to be 17-1.

Young’s television credits included the 1987 comedy “Roomies,” Variety reported. He had guest spots on “Tales From the Crypt,” “Colombo,” “The Outer Limits,” “Russian Doll” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.”

Young also appeared in a 2001 episode of “The Sopranos” as the father of Bobby “Bacala” Baccalieri, Variety reported.

Young is survived by his daughter, his brother Robert, and a grandson, the Times reported. His wife, Gloria, died in 1974.

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Burt Young: Burt Young and Sylvester Stallone in the original "Rocky" film in 1976. (United Artists/Getty Images)

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