Burt Young, best known for his role as Paulie in the franchise Rockydied at the age of 83.
Young died on October 8 in Los Angeles; It was his daughter Anne Morea Steingieser who told the New York Times on Wednesday. The causes of death were not disclosed.
Queens, New York native Burt Young, born Gerald Tommaso De Louise, had a natural talent for portraying Italian-American characters on screen. Aside from his famous character Paulie Pennino, brother-in-law and loyal friend of Rocky Balboa, which earned him an Oscar nomination in 1977, Young appeared in more than a hundred films and television shows from 1970 to 2019.
Sylvester Stallone is in mourning
Rocky and Paulie’s friendship has moved away from the big screen over the years and Sylvester Stallone wanted to pay tribute to his colleague via his Instagram account on Wednesday.
Sylvester Stallone and Burt Young on the set of “Rocky.” Instagram Sylvester Stallone
“To my dear friend BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man and artist, we will miss you dearly…RIP,” the 77-year-old actor shared, along with a photo of the two while filming a Rocking series.
Boxer before becoming an actor
In his younger years, Burt Young might have given Rocky Balboa a run for his money. After winning his 14 professional fights, Young moved into films, where he met Lee Strasberg, a renowned teacher in the field of film acting.
His boxing career never completely stopped; In fact, a few years after the release of the first chapter of Rocky, Young even crossed swords with the legendary Muhammad Ali in a charity match.