Burt Young, the actor best known for playing Paulie in Rocky, died October 8th in Los Angeles, his daughter confirmed to The New York Times. He was 83 years old.
From Roman Polanski’s Chinatown to The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, Young — born on April 30th, 1940 in Queens — was known for imbuing fierce characters with a sense of humanity and realism. He entered the Marines as a teenager, and started boxing while in the service. He went on to pursue the sport professionally before, by happenstance, meeting the celebrated acting teacher Lee Strasberg, who he later studied with.
Young broke out as an actor thanks to Rocky, where he played the best friend of Sylvester Stallone’s titular boxer. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including a nod to Young for Best Supporting Actor.
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Beyond the boxing film, Young made notable appearances in television shows like M*A*S*H and movies including Last Exit to Brooklyn, Back to School, and Uncle Joe Shannon. He also worked in theater, starring alongside Robert De Niro and Ralph Macchio in a production of Cuba and His Teddy Bear. He acted until his death, guesting in two episodes of Russian Doll in 2019 and appearing in the 2021 film Charlie Boy.
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