Burt Young dead: Rocky star who earned Oscar nomination for playing tough guy Paulie Pennino passes away at 83 in Los Angeles
- Burt, who played Paulie in Rocky franchise, passed away on October 8 in L.A.
- His death was confirmed by daughter, Anne, but cause has not been revealed
- Former co-star, Sylvester Stallone, paid tribute to the late actor on Instagram
Burt Young – known for his role as Paulie Pennino in the Rocky franchise – has passed away at the age of 83 earlier this month on October 8 in Los Angeles.
The Oscar-nominated star’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, to the New York Times. However, the exact cause of his passing has yet to be revealed.
Young had a long and successful career in Hollywood, and starred in over 160 film and television projects. Before jumping in front of the camera, Burt notably served with the United States Marine Corps from 1957 to 1959.
One of his first roles was in 1969 when he starred in the television series called The Doctors where he played an uncredited role of a bartender, per Burt’s official IMDB page.
He is also known for working on films such as Chinatown (1974) – starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway – as well as Once Upon A Time In America (1984).
Sad loss: Burt Young – known for his role as Paulie Pennino in the Rocky franchise – has passed away at the age of 83 earlier this month on October 8 in Los Angeles; seen in 2019 in L.A.
Confirmation: The Oscar-nominated star’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, to the New York Times; seen on set of Rocky V with Sylvester Stallone
Long-lasting career: Young had a long and successful career in Hollywood, and starred in over 160 film and television projects
Young’s Rocky co-star, Sylvester Stallone, jumped to his main Instagram page to share a heartfelt tribute upon hearing the news of his death.
Along with uploading a throwback images of both himself and Burt on set of the classic film, the Rambo star penned, ‘To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man’s and artist, I and the World will miss you very much…RIP.’
Other social media expressed their condolensces in the comment section of the post, with one fan typing, ‘Rest in peace, Burt Young… He was a great man, this is so sad…,’ while another wrote, ‘RIP Paulie ❤️.’
Burt – whose real name is Gerald Tommaso DeLouise – was born on April 30, 1940 and raised in Queens, New York.
During his time in the Marine Corps, he notably took up boxing and later had the chance to train under manager and boxing coach, Cus D’Amato, per Deadline.
His first credited role was in the 1970 film titled, Carnival Of Blood, where he tackled the character of Gimpy.
Burt went on to later star in various projects, but jumped to fame when he played the character of Paulie, the brother of Adrian (played by Talia Shire), in six of the Rocky movies.
For his performance in Rocky (1976), Young received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The award ended up going to Jason Robards for his role in All The President’s Men.
Tribute: Young’s Rocky co-star, Sylvester Stallone, jumped to his main Instagram page to share a heartfelt tribute upon hearing the news of his death
Condolensces: Other social media expressed their condolensces in the comment section of the post, with one fan typing, ‘Rest in peace, Burt Young… He was a great man, this is so sad…’
While talking to Theater Mania to promote his role in the stage production of The Last Vig in 2017, Burt opened up about getting his iconic role in the Rocky franchise.
‘Sylvester comes to me. He introduces himself. “You gotta do this part.” I said, “I’m gonna do it,” and he lit up like a pumpkin,’ he recalled.
The actor continued, ‘We’ve been very close ever since. He’s a friendly guy, Sylvester. Very intelligent, very quick.’
In regards to still working after decades in the industry, he commented on his age, humorously stating, ‘All I have to do is look in the mirror. My name is Young, Burt Young. I’m eternally young.’
He further recalled taking on the role of Paulie during a 2009 interview with The Sweet Science, per The Hollywood Reporter.
‘I was on the MGM lot when Sly Stallone came over and introduced himself to me, told me he wrote Rocky and said, “You gotta do it.”‘
Burt admitted, ‘I wanted to do it right away, but I wanted to twist their arms a little bit, not look too eager.’
‘I thought the script had the cleanest street prose I’d ever read. Stallone is not only a workaholic, he’s a genius who is always looking three years ahead. He has a real eyeball for what’s going on in the world,’ he explained.
Big role: While talking to Theater Mania to promote his role in the stage production of The Last Vig in 2017, Burt opened up about getting his iconic role in the Rocky franchise
Many passions: Burt was also a painter, and some of his own work was briefly shown in the 2006 film, Rocky Balboa; seen in 2021
While he took on a variety of roles when it came to films, Burt also appeared in numerous TV shows as well, such as M*A*S*H, Law & Order and Miami Vice.
During his career, Young had the chance to step away from the camera and enjoyed time with stage productions.
He notably wrote two stage plays, such as SOS, as well as a historical novel that is titled, Endings.
Burt was also a painter, and some of his own work was briefly shown in the 2006 film, Rocky Balboa.
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