Los Angeles: The Oscar-nominated actor Burt Young, who portrayed Paulie, Sylvester Stallone’s rough-hewn, mumbling-and-groaning closest friend, cornerman, and brother-in-law in the “Rocky” franchise, has passed away.
Wednesday, Young’s daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, confirmed to the New York Times that he passed away in Los Angeles on October 8. There was no given cause. At the time, he was 83.
Young portrayed characters in “The Sopranos,” “Chinatown,” and “Once Upon a Time in America,” among other critically acclaimed films and television programs.
Although that was his claim to fame, it was his portrayal of Paulie Pennino in six “Rocky” films. Young, who was diminutive, frail, and bald, was the type of performer who, despite his age, always appeared to be in the middle years of age.
In the 1976 film ‘Rocky’, Paulie is initially portrayed as a vengeful and profane meat packer who abuses his sister Adrian (played by Talia Shire), with whom he shares a modest Philadelphia flat. After initially declining his friend and coworker Rocky Balboa’s invitation to a Thanksgiving night date, he harshly criticizes the timid and submissive Adrian and sabotages the turkey she has prepared in the oven.
The movie exploded at the box office, propelling lead actor and writer Stallone to stardom. On Wednesday evening, Stallone paid tribute to Young via Instagram.
Burt Young, Oscar-Nominated Actor Who Played Paulie In ‘Rocky’ Films, Dies At 83.
Stallone wrote alongside a photograph of the two of them on the original film’s set, “You were an extraordinary man and artist; the world and I will miss you dearly.”
Oscar nominations for “Rocky” included Young for best supporting actor. It received three awards, one of which was Best Picture. Young and her fellow nominee, co-star Burgess Meredith, were unsuccessful in their respective roles with Jason Robards in “All the President’s Men.”
Like the sequels, Young’s portrayal of Paulie became less dramatic as the films progressed, and he eventually served as comedic relief. He modifies the automaton Rocky hands him over in “Rocky IV” (1985) into a submissive servant with a seductive voice.
Paulie, a perpetual pessimist, maintained a steadfast conviction that Rocky would succumb to his progressively formidable adversaries. Rocky’s tenacity elicited hearty laughter from him.
“It was a fantastic journey that effectively connected me with the audience,” Young said in an interview with Celebrity Parents magazine in 2020. “I imbued him with a rough edge and a sensibility.” “He is a marshmallow despite the fact that he frequently yells.”
Burt Young, Oscar-Nominated Actor Who Played Paulie In ‘Rocky’ Films, Dies At 83.
Young, born and reared in Queens, New York, completed his military service, professional boxing, and carpet layering before pursuing an acting career under the tutelage of the legendary Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.
Across stages, in films, and on television, he frequently portrayed working-class men in dire straits or small-time tough people.
In a memorable but brief sequence from the 1974 film “Chinatown,” he portrays a fisherman who erupts in a tantrum when photographs proving his wife’s infidelity are presented to him by private investigator Jake Gittes, employed by Jack Nicholson.
Young additionally shared screen time with Robert De Niro in Sergio Leone’s 1984 mafia epic “Once Upon a Time in America,” Rodney Dangerfield in the 1986 comedy “Back to School,” and Jennifer Jason Leigh in the 1989 gritty drama “Last Exit to Brooklyn.”
Burt Young, Oscar-Nominated Actor Who Played Paulie In ‘Rocky’ Films, Dies At 83.
In a memorable episode of “The Sopranos” from season three in 2001, he portrays Bobby Baccalieri, Sr., an elderly mafioso afflicted with lung cancer who manages to execute one final hit before his demise in a car accident caused by a wheezing fit.
Numerous other television series featured him as a guest performer, such as “M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H,” “Miami Vice,” and “The Equaliser.”
His lifelong pursuits of acting in the theatre and painting, culminating in galleries and sales exhibitions, occupied his later years.
Gloria, his wife of thirteen years, passed away in 1974.
Young is survived by one grandchild and one sibling, Robert, and his daughter.
SOURCE – (AP)
