Burt Young, Oscar-nominated tough guy of the Rocky movies, dies aged 83

Queens-raised actor starred as Paulie, butcher friend to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky

Oscar-nominated actor Burt Young has died, aged 83.

Young was best known for his role in the Rocky movies, in which he starred as Paulie, the butcher friend of Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) and brother of Adrian (Talia Shire).

Although his death has been newly announced, the actor died on 8 October in Los Angeles, his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, told The New York Times, who first reported his death on Wednesday (18 October).

In a statement given to People magazine, Young’s manager, Lynda Bensky, said: “Burt was an actor of tremendous emotional range.

“He could make you cry and he could scare you to death. But the real pathos that I experienced was the poignancy of his soul. That’s where it came from.”

Raised in a working-class neighbourhood in Queens, the actor – who adopted the name Burt Young when he began acting – built a prolific career of more than 160 film and TV credits predicated mostly on tough guy roles.

In addition to the Rocky franchise, Young also starred in Roman Polanski’s neo-noir tour-de-force Chinatown (1974) and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America (1984), starring Robert DeNiro and Elizabeth McGovern.

His performance as Paulie in the first Rocky film (1976) earned him an Oscar nomination. He reprised the role in every Rocky movie up until Rocky Balboa in 2006.

Obit Burt Young (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Young’s background as a Marine and a professional boxer lent him a physicality to his work. As reported by The New York Times, the prestigious acting teacher Lee Strasberg, who once taught him, called Young a “library of emotions”.

Director Sam Peckinpah evidently saw something special in Young, casting him in The Killer Elite (1975), which also starred James Caan, and Convoy (1978), which starred Kris Kristofferson and Ali MacGraw.

Speaking about her father’s connection with the Oscar-nominated director Peckinpah (best known for 1976’s drama-western The Wild Bunch), Young’s daughter told The New York Times that “both were maverick and outlaws, with a deep respect for art”.

“They understood each other because of the intensity and honesty Peckinpah demanded,” said Steingieser. “He had no tolerance for lack of authenticity.”

On the small screen, Young had a number of roles throughout the early Seventies, including an appearance on M*A*S*H. He also had a career on stage, including a memorable role opposite Robert De Niro and Ralph Macchio in Cuba and His Teddy Bear, a 1986 play about a drug dealer and his son.

Obit Burt Young (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Other film credits include Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989) and Back to School (1986).

Although Rocky would go on to become his breakout role, in a 2017 interview with The Rumpus, Young recalled how Stallone had pleaded with him to take on the role of Paulie, which he did not audition for.

“I was the only actor that didn’t audition in the first ‘Rocky,’” he said. “And I got the most money for it.”

Young went on to recall how Stallone “kneels down next to me” and beseech him to accept the part. “He’s trying to twist my arm,” recalled the actor.

Saying yes turned out to be one of the best career decisions of his life, with the film going on to receive 10 Academy Award nominations, three of which it won – including for Best Picture.

Speaking of his performance as Paulie, Young said: “I made him a rough guy with a sensitivity. He’s really a marshmallow, even though he yells a lot.”

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