Oscar-nominated ‘Rocky’ actor was 83 years old – The Hollywood Reporter

Burt Young, former boxer, was in Sylvester Stallone’s corner as his six stepbrother Paulie rocky He starred in the film and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the original version, but passed away. He was 83 years old.

He died on October 8 in Los Angeles, his daughter Anne Morea Steingieser said. new york times Wednesday.

Young, who was a tough guy in real life and usually played tough guys on screen, played Gumshoe Jack Nicholson’s rotten customer in the movie. chinatown (1974), was the gangster “Bedbug” Eddie Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), where she played Lou, Rodney Dangerfield’s guardian and chauffeur. back to school (1986).

Young also appeared in four films in four consecutive years with Queens native James Caan. cinderella liberty (1973), gambler (1974), killer elite (1975) and Harry and Walter go to New York (1976) — before they worked together again. mickey blue eyes (1999).

He played the getaway driver in a Sam Peckinpah movie. killer eliteand then got back behind the wheel as a rebel truck driver for the director. convoy (1978).

Young, who played Paulie Pennino, a brooding ex-Marine and the older brother of his best friend Rocky’s wife Adrian (Talia Shire), has been a stalwart of the MGM series since the first film in 1976. He gave boxers the idea of ​​training in cold meat lockers, and after working as his cornerman, Paulie became the main character in the entire film. rocky balboa (2006).

“I was on the MGM lot when Sly Stallone came up and introduced himself and I said I was writing this. rocky And I said, ‘I have to do it,”’ he recalled in a 2009 interview with the website The Sweet Science. “I wanted to do it right away, but I wanted to twist my arm around a little bit so I didn’t look too eager.

“I thought this script had some of the cleanest street prose I’ve ever read. Not only is Stallone a workaholic, he’s also a genius who is always looking three years ahead. He’s a real observer of what’s going on in the world.”

In 1978, Young wrote and starred as a trumpet player in this heartbreaking film. uncle joe shannonproduced by rocky Oscar winners Robert Chertoff and Irwin Winkler.

He was born Gerald Tommaso DeLuise on April 30, 1940 in Queens. His father was a sheet metal mechanic who became a shop teacher in high school, and his mother was a dressmaker.

Young got into pranks in high school and, with the help of his father, lied about his age and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps before he turned 16. He boxed during his active career and reportedly won 32 of 34 fights during his two-year stint in Okinawa.

After leaving prison, he trained with Cus D’Amato (later Mike Tyson’s trainer) and claimed to have gone undefeated in several professional bouts. He said the highest paycheck he got for his matches was $400. (He later “battles” Muhammad Ali at a charity exhibition and they become friends.)

He began studying at the Actors Studio with his future mentor Lee Strasberg while working as a carpet cleaner, salesman, and installer.

“What happened was I was chasing a girl and she [said she] I wanted to study with Lee Strasberg.he thought it was him [Strasberg] It was a girl,” he said in an interview in New York. news day “Anyway, I met him and he said to me, ‘You’re so nervous.’ You have a lot of nervousness about yourself. You feel like a library of emotions. ” “

His first acting job was in a play at the age of 28, and his first two films were stories centered around crime in New York City. The gangster who couldn’t shoot straight (1971), from the novel by Jimmy Breslin. Across from 110th Street (1972).

Young went on to appear on the big screen. Amityville II: The Possession (1982), Looking to Get Out (1982), Once upon a time in America (1984), over the brooklyn bridge (1984), Last exit to Brooklyn (1989), betsey’s wedding (1990), excessive force (1993), she is so adorable (1997), The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), transamerica (2005) and Win-win (2011).

On television, Young was dormmate with Corey Haim on the short-lived NBC sitcom roomiesplayed the retired gangster father of Steve Schirripa’s character. the sopranos He made a guest appearance as Lieutenant Palumbo in Murder can hurt you! ABC parody colombo– Something like a detective show.

He made his Broadway debut in 1986 opposite Robert De Niro. cuba and his teddy bear.

Young returned to his ringside roots in the 1980s when he managed boxer David Sears. Light heavyweight Sears fought for the title, but was defeated in three rounds by Michael Spinks in February 1985 in Atlantic City.

In addition to her daughter, survivors include her brother, Robert, and a grandson. His wife Gloria died in 1974.

At the age of 11, Young won an easel and paints in a New York City Parks Department contest, which ignited her passion for painting. His work exhibition in 2006, new york post He once received $66,000 for a painting for his “unusual touch and talent for color,” he wrote.

“I thought, ‘Is there a better way to support myself without a director, without an actor, without a script?'” “There’s no censorship,” he said in 2012. “There are so many movies that my work ends up on the editing room floor. Every actor has that. What are they going to do with my picture? ”