Burt Young, Oscar-nominated for his role as Paulie in the original “Rocky”, dies at 83

Burt Young, a Queen-born former boxer turned scene-stealing actor best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Paulie in the 1976 Best Picture winner Rocky, died on Oct. 8 in Los Angeles. He was 83.

His daughter confirmed his death to The New York Times. No cause of death was given.

Young appeared in small but memorable roles throughout his career including Chinatown, Once Upon a Time in America, and Last Exit to Brooklyn. Also an accomplished theater actor, Young had more than 160 film and television credits to his name.

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic Burt Young (left) and Sylvester Stallone

Burt Young (his stage name) was born on April 30, 1940 in Queens, New York. After getting kicked out of school, Young joined the Marines at age 16, where he started a fairly successful, if short, boxing career. He fell into acting by accident when a woman he had a crush on told him that she wanted to study with the famous acting coach Lee Strasberg.

Young had never heard of Strasberg but secured a meeting with the father of method acting, who saw something in the gruff young man. According to The Times, Strasberg called Young a "library of emotions." He ended up studying with the acting coach for two years.

Young made his on-camera debut in a 1969 episode of The Doctors and from there he continued acting on film and TV throughout the '70s. He got a sizable break with a small part in Roman Polanski's 1974 masterpiece Chinatown, but his big break, unbeknownst to him, would come two years later.

Rocky made Sylvester Stallone into a star, but Young said that he was the bigger name at the start of the production and that Stallone had practically begged him to be in it. Luckily, Young agreed and took on the role of Paulie Pennino, the protective brother of Rocky's perennial paramour Adrian, played by Talia Shire, and Rocky's eventual best friend.

Sylvester Stallone (left) and Burt Young on the set of 'Rocky V'

Young was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, one of Rocky's 10 nominations — it went on to win three, including Best Picture. Young reprised his role as Paulie in the Rocky sequels, only one of four actors to have appeared in the original six films.

Stallone posted a tribute to Young on Instagram, writing, "To my dear friend, Burt Young, you were an incredible man and artist. I and the World will miss you very much...RIP."

Burt Young's many acting credits include The Sopranos, Walker, Texas Ranger, Miami Vice, and the Rodney Dangerfield comedy Back to School. Young was also a painter and writer, most notably writing and starring in the 1978 drama Uncle Joe Shannon.

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