American actor and boxer Burt Young died this Wednesday October 18, 2023 at the age of 83. He will remain the unforgettable Paulie Pennino from the Rocky saga.
He was the faithful sidekick, brother-in-law and trainer of Rocky Balboa: American actor and boxer Burt Young died this Wednesday, October 18, 2023 in Los Angeles. He was 83 years old.
In the minds of generations of spectators, Burt Young will remain Paulie Pennino, the brother-in-law of the boxer played by Sylvester Stallone in the Rocky film saga. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the first film in the franchise.
On his Instagram account, Sylvester Stallone paid a sober but moving tribute to his “dear friend”: “You were an incredible man and artist. We will miss you very much, myself and the whole world.”
Born April 30, 1940 in New York, Burt Young began his career in boxing, more specifically while serving in the Marine Corps, from 1957 to 1959. Subsequently, he took classes at the drama school at the Actors Studio, before appearing in his first films: you could see him in Chinatown or even Le Flambeur in 1974.
Burt Young will then be revealed by director Sam Peckinpah, in the role of the assassin in the film Elite Killer, released in 1975. Thanks to his presence and his acting, he catches the eye of filmmaker John G .Avildsen who offered him the role of Paulie, Rocky’s brother-in-law in the franchise of the same name. He will then appear in all parts of the saga up to Rocky Balboa. In Creed, a sequel to the franchise, his character died.
Apart from Rocky, Burt Young made an appearance in The Convoy by Sam Peckinpah in 1978, but also in Once Upon a Time in America by Sergio Leone, in the role of Joe, the associate of the godfather Frankie Minolti. He also had roles in television series, such as New York Police Department or Walker, Texas Ranger, but especially very briefly in The Sopranos, in the role of Bobby Baccalieri’s father.
