R.I.P. Burt Young, Oscar-nominated Rocky and Chinatown actor
Burt Young also boxed in real life before signing on to play Rocky's brother-in-law Paulie
Burt Young—the Oscar-nominated actor known for playing tough guys in films like Chinatown, Once Upon A Time In America, and most notably, the Rocky franchise—has died. His actual date of death was October 8, but his daughter confirmed to The New York Times late last night. He was 83.
Born in Queens in 1940, Young’s early life wasn’t that dissimilar from many of the characters he ended up playing. With the help of his father, Young joined the Marines before he turned 16, where he began boxing. After leaving the service, Young enjoyed a brief professional boxing career—even going up against Muhammad Ali in a charity exhibition match—before breaking into acting under mentor Lee Strasberg, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Young made a small name for himself as an actor who often portrayed gangsters, mob-bosses, and hard-scrabble working men in films and television shows like Chinatown, The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, Cinderella Liberty, The Gambler, The Killer Elite, M*A*S*H, and more throughout the 1970s.
