17 Facts About Burt Young

Gerald Tommaso DeLouise, known professionally as Burt Young, was an American actor.

Burt Young played Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the Rocky film series, his performance in the first installment of which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Burt Young was born on April 30,1940, in Queens, New York City, and raised in the Queens neighborhood of Corona, the son of Josephine and Michael DeLouise, a high school shop teacher.

Burt Young was trained by Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.

Burt Young served a tour of duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1957 to 1959; while in the Marine Corps, he boxed regularly, winning 32 of 34 boxing bouts.

Burt Young made his name playing rough-edged working class Italian-American characters, the best-known example being his signature role as Rocky Balboa's friend Paulie in Rocky, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Burt Young is one of four actors who have appeared in all of the first six Rocky films.

Burt Young did not reprise his role in the 2015 film Creed; the character was described as having died in 2012.

Burt Young appeared in such films as Chinatown, Convoy, Back to School, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Once Upon a Time in America, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Downtown: A Street Tale, and Amityville II: The Possession.

Burt Young made an appearance on The Sopranos as Bobby Baccalieri's father, who is dying of cancer and comes out of retirement to execute a hit on his godson, "Mustang Sally" Intile, as punishment for Intile having brutally beaten a family friend simply for chatting with Intile's girlfriend.

In 2017, Burt Young returned to the stage as an aged mob boss in The Last Vig, a play written by Dave Varriale.

Burt Young was a painter; his art has been displayed in galleries throughout the world.

Burt Young was a published author whose works included two filmed screenplays and a 400-page historical novel called Endings.

Burt Young wrote two stage plays: SOS and A Letter to Alicia and the New York City Government from a Man With a Bullet in His Head.

Burt Young participated in the 1984 New York City Marathon.

Burt Young died at Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, on October 8,2023, at the age of 83.

Burt Young was buried at Mount St Mary Cemetery in Flushing, Queens.