Burt Young
{{Short description|American actor (1940–2023)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Burt Young
| image = Burt-Young.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Young in 2012
| birth_name = Gerald Tommaso DeLouise
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|4|30}}
| birth_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|10|8|1940|4|30}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| resting_place = Mount St. Mary Cemetery
New York City, U.S.
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1969–2023
| spouse = {{marriage|Gloria DeLouise|1961|1974|end=died}}
| children = 1
| module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance = United States
| branch = United States Marine Corps
| serviceyears = 1957–1959
}}}}
Gerald Tommaso DeLouise (April 30, 1940 – October 8, 2023), known professionally as Burt Young, was an American actor. He 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.
Young also appeared in such films as Chinatown (1974), The Gambler (1974), The Killer Elite (1975), Convoy (1978), Uncle Joe Shannon (1978), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), A Summer to Remember (1985), Back to School (1986), Last Exit to Brooklyn (1990), Mickey Blue Eyes (1999), Transamerica (2005), Win Win (2011), and Bottom of the 9th (2019).
Early life
Young was born on April 30, 1940, in Queens, New York City,{{Cite book |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-last=Martone |year=2016 |title=Italian Americans: The History and Culture of a People |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHJ1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA278 |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=278 |isbn=9781610699952 |oclc=969364579}} and raised in the Queens neighborhood of Corona,{{cite web|url=https://www.qgazette.com/articles/burt-young-award-nominated-actor-corona-native/ |title=Burt Young: Award Nominated Actor & Corona Native |work=Queens Gazette |date= December 7, 2016}} the son of Josephine and Michael DeLouise, a high school shop teacher.{{cite web |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800015680/bio |title=Burt Young Biography |work=Yahoo! Movies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107122722/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800015680/bio |archive-date=January 7, 2007}} He was of Italian descent.{{Cite magazine |first=Peter |last=Lester |date=July 17, 1978 |title=Actor-Writer Burt Young Has An Ex-Pug's Mug, but He Can Knock Out Scripts in Three Weeks |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20071292,00.html |magazine=People |volume=10 |issue=3 |access-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430175751/http://www.people.com:80/people/archive/article/0,,20071292,00.html |archive-date=April 30, 2010}}
Young was trained by Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.{{cite news |last=Gurley |first=George |date=July 1, 2002 |title=Is Burt Young Alive? |url=http://observer.com/2002/07/is-burt-young-alive/ |work=The New York Observer |access-date=September 23, 2016}}
Career
=Military service=
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.{{cite news |last=Gergen |first=Joe |date=February 17, 1985 |title=Rocky's Brother-in-Law Knows the Ropes: Burt Young Tries Boxing in Real Life as Co-Manager of a Challenger |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-17-sp-3745-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date= September 23, 2016}}
=Acting=
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 (and future brother-in-law) Paulie in Rocky (1976),{{cite news |last=Canby |first=Vincent |author-link= Vincent Canby |date=November 22, 1976 |title=Film: 'Rocky,' Pure 30's Make-Believe |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1976/11/22/archives/film-rocky-pure-30s-makebelieve.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 23, 2016}} for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He is one of four actors (the other three being Sylvester Stallone, Stu Nahan, and Tony Burton) who have appeared in all of the first six Rocky films (although Talia Shire, who appears in the first five films, makes a flashback appearance in the sixth). Young did not reprise his role in the 2015 film Creed; the character was described as having died in 2012.{{cite web |url= http://totalrocky.com/filming-location-guide/rocky-house-creed.html |title= Rocky's House in "Creed" |date= January 19, 2016 |website= Total Rocky |access-date= September 23, 2016 |archive-date= June 1, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160601035714/http://totalrocky.com/filming-location-guide/rocky-house-creed.html |url-status= dead}}
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.
Television appearances for Young included The Rockford Files, Baretta, Law & Order, Walker, Texas Ranger, All in the Family, M*A*S*H, and Miami Vice. He made an appearance on The Sopranos ("Another Toothpick") 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 a nod to his having served in the U.S. Marine Corps, he played a retired drill instructor in the short-lived 1987 ABC series Roomies, in which his character decides to go to college after his retirement.
In 2017, Burt Young returned to the stage as an aged mob boss in The Last Vig, a play written by Dave Varriale. The show ran from January 14 to February 19, 2017, at The Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles.{{cite news | first=Deborah | last=Klugman | date=January 20, 2017 | title=Rocky Star Burt Young Takes the Stage as an Aging Mobster With a Problem | url= http://www.laweekly.com/arts/rocky-star-burt-young-takes-the-stage-as-an-aging-mobster-with-a-problem-7823610 | newspaper=LA Weekly | publisher=Voice Media Group | access-date=April 26, 2017}}
=Painting and writing=
Young was also a painter; his art has been displayed in galleries throughout the world. As an artist, he collaborated with the writer Gabriele Tinti, for whom he designed the cover for the poetry collection All Over, as well as contributing the illustrations for the art book A Man.{{cite news |last=Gasparri |first=Elena |date=November 13, 2013 |title=Gabriele Tinti and Burt Young :: All Over |work=Drome magazine |url=http://www.dromemagazine.com/gabriele-tinti-and-burt-young-all-over/ |url-status=dead |access-date=September 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112170136/http://www.dromemagazine.com/gabriele-tinti-and-burt-young-all-over/ |archive-date=November 12, 2018}} Some of Young's actual paintings were shown in a scene in Rocky Balboa when Paulie gets fired from the meatpacking plant.{{Cite web |title=Burt Young the Painter! Plus Exclusive Photos of the Rocky Balboa Paintings! {{!}} Burt Young |url=https://burtyoungofficial.com/2016/08/burt-young-the-painter-plus-exclusive-photos-of-the-rocky-balboa-paintings/8/ |access-date=2023-10-20 |language=en-US}}
Young was also a published author whose works included two filmed screenplays and a 400-page historical novel called Endings.{{cite news |last=Jacques |first=Rich |date=January 4, 2014 |title=Reminder: Library to Present Burt Young One Man Show Sunday |url=https://patch.com/new-york/portwashington/reminder-library-to-present-burt-young-one-man-show-sunday |work=Patch Media |access-date=September 23, 2016}} He 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.{{cite web |url=https://better-lemons.com/theater/burt-young-lightly-spars-life-rocky-last-vig/ |title=Burt Young Lightly Spars on His Life From Rocky to The Last Vig |last=Kaan |first=Gil |date=January 9, 2017 |website=Better Lemons |access-date=January 9, 2017}}
Personal life
Young's wife, Gloria, died in 1974. He had a daughter and a grandson. He resided in Port Washington, New York.{{cite news |last=Genn |first=Adina |date=February 13, 2015 |title=On Display: Artwork of Actor Burt Young |url=https://patch.com/new-york/portwashington/display-artwork-actor-burt-young |work=Patch Media |access-date=September 23, 2016}}
Young owned a restaurant in the Bronx, New York. He participated in the 1984 New York City Marathon.{{cite news |first=Hal |last=Bock |date=October 26, 1984 |title=Marathon Week can be hazardous to health |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=O5IbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RU4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5808%2C8680238 |agency= Associated Press |newspaper=Times-News |location= Hendersonville, North Carolina |page=17 |access-date=January 11, 2011}}
Death
Young died at Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, on October 8, 2023, at the age of 83.{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Alex |title=Burt Young, Rocky Actor Who Played Complex Tough Guys, Dies at 83 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/18/movies/burt-young-dead.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=October 18, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2023/10/sylvester-stallone-burt-young-tribute-rocky-1235577730/|title=Sylvester Stallone Remembers His Late Friend, Burt Young: "I And The World Will Miss You Very Much"|date=19 October 2023 |work=Deadline}} The immediate cause of death was ruled as cardiac arrest with contributing factors listed as myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, and atherosclerosis. He was buried at Mount St. Mary Cemetery in Flushing, Queens.{{cite web|url=https://vt.co/entertainment/celebrity/rocky-burt-youngs-cause-of-death|title='Rocky' star Burt Young's cause of death revealed|first=James|last=Kay|website=VT.co|access-date=March 2, 2024|date=November 9, 2023}}
Filmography
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2023}}
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1970
| Gimpy | Credited as John Harris |
| rowspan="2" | 1971
| First Hood |
| The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
| Willie Quarequlo | |
| 1972
| Lapides | |
| 1973
| Master At Arms |
| rowspan="2" | 1974
| Curly |
| The Gambler
| Carmine |
| rowspan="2" | 1975
| Mac |
| Live A Little, Steal A Lot
| Sergeant Bernasconi |
| rowspan="2" | 1976
| Harry and Walter Go to New York | Warden Durgom |
| Rocky
| Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1977
| Scuzzi |
| 1977
| Augie Garvas |
| rowspan="2" | 1978
| Convoy | Bobby 'Love Machine' Pig Pen | |
| Uncle Joe Shannon
| Joe Shannon |
| 1979
| Rocky II | Paulie Pennino |
| rowspan="2" | 1981
| Sergeant Royko |
| ...All the Marbles
| Eddie Cisco |
| rowspan="3" | 1982
| Paulie Pennino |
| Amityville II: The Possession
| Anthony Montelli |
| Lookin' to Get Out
| Jerry Feldman |
| rowspan="3" | 1984
| Phil |
| Once Upon a Time in America
| Joe Minaldi | |
| The Pope of Greenwich Village
| Eddie 'Bed Bug Eddie' Grant | |
| rowspan="2" | 1985
| Rocky IV | Paulie Pennino |
| A Summer to Remember
| Fidel Fargo | |
| 1986
| Lou |
| rowspan="3" | 1989
| General Noriega | |
| Blood Red
| Andrews |
| Beverly Hills Brats
| Clive |
| rowspan="7" | 1990
| Joe 'Big Joe' |
| Betsy's Wedding
| Georgie |
| Wait Until Spring, Bandini
| Rocco Saccone |
| Club Fed
| Warden Boyle |
| Diving In
| Coach Mack |
| Backstreet Dreams
| Luca |
| Rocky V
| Paulie Pennino |
| rowspan="2" | 1991
| Art |
| Red American
| George Maniago |
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| Circle of Fear | Mancini | |
| Cattive ragazze
| Unknown | |
| 1993
| Sal DiMarco | |
| 1995
| Opposite Corners | Unknown | Direct-to-video |
| rowspan="2" | 1996
| The Mouse | Himself | |
| North Star
| Reno | Direct-to-video |
| rowspan="7" | 1997
| Lorenzo |
| Kicked in the Head
| Jack |
| The Deli
| J.C. |
| Heaven Before I Die
| Pollof | Direct-to-video |
| The Good Life
| Jimmy | Never released{{cite magazine|title=The wild, untold story of The Good Life|magazine=Little White Lies|date=February 11, 2017|url=http://lwlies.com/articles/the-good-life-sylvester-stallone-dennis-hopper/|access-date=February 24, 2017}} |
| Red-Blooded American Girl II
| Roy Falk | Direct-to-video |
| The Undertaker's Wedding
| Alberto | Direct-to-video |
| rowspan="2" | 1999
| Vito Graziosi |
| Loser Love
| Sydney Delacroix | |
| rowspan="4" | 2000
| Joe McCollough | |
| Very Mean Men
| Dominic Piazza |
| Blue Moon
| Bobby |
| Table One
| Frankie Chips | Direct-to-video |
| rowspan="4" | 2002
| The Adventures of Pluto Nash | Gino |
| Checkout
| Uncle Louie | |
| 2 Birds 1 Stallone
| Himself | |
| Kiss the Bride
| Santo Sposato | |
| 2003
| Crooked Line | Mike Ameche | |
| rowspan="2" | 2004
| The Wager | Jack Stockman | |
| Los Angeles Plays Itself
| Curly In Chinatown | Uncredited, archive footage |
| rowspan="5" | 2005
| Sherman |
| Carlito's Way: Rise to Power
| Artie Bottolota Sr. | Direct-to-video |
| Shut Up and Kiss Me
| Vincent Bublioni | |
| Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow
| Actor | Uncredited, archive footage |
| Transamerica
| Murray |
| rowspan="5" | 2006
| RevoLOUtion: The Transformation of Lou Benedetti | Himself |
| Nicky's Game
| Leo Singer | Short film |
| Rocky Balboa
| Paulie Pennino |
| In The Ring
| Himself | Video documentary |
| Tribute to Burgess Meredith
| Himself (voice) | Video documentary short |
| rowspan="8" | 2007
| Blue Lake Massacre | Pops | |
| Downtown: A Street Tale
| Gus |
| The 21st Annual Genesis Awards
| Himself | Video |
| Skill vs. Will: The Making of 'Rocky Balboa'
| Himself | Video documentary short |
| Go Go Tales
| Murray |
| Oliviero Rising
| Santino | |
| The Hideout
| Mueller | |
| Hack!
| J.T. Bates | Direct-to-video |
| rowspan="2" | 2008
| Carnera: The Walking Mountain | Lou Serosi | |
| Rocky Jumped a Park Bench
| Himself | Documentary short, archive footage |
| 2009
| Landlord | |
| 2010
| Kingshighway | Mario Capriolini | |
| 2011
| Win Win | Leo Poplar | |
| 2012
| Himself | Documentary |
| rowspan="2" | 2013
| Mario Palagonia | |
| All Over
| Himself - Host | Video short |
| rowspan="3" | 2014
| Michael | Short film |
| Zarra's Law
| Paul Canto | |
| Rob the Mob
| Joey D. | |
| rowspan="4" | 2015
| The Elevator: Three Minutes Can Change Your Life | George | |
| Lostland
| Actor | Short film |
| Irene & Marie
| John | Short film |
| Fall 4 You
| Dominick | Short film |
| 2016
| The Dicks | Ed | Short film |
| rowspan="3" | 2017
| 'Jingles' | |
| King Rat
| Art Stillman | |
| John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs
| Himself | Documentary |
| rowspan="5" | 2018
| The Selfish Ones | Father John (voice) | Short film |
| 6 Grandchildren And One Grandfather
| Grandfather |
| Sarah Q
| Grandpa | |
| The Amityville Murders
| Brigante | |
| Road to the Lemon Grove
| Zio Vincenzo | |
| rowspan="5" | 2019
| Salvatore | |
| Bottom of the 9th
| Scaleri | |
| Vault
| Don Ruggiero | |
| Tapestry
| Ian | |
| Smothered by Mothers
|Ivan | |
| rowspan="2" | 2020
| 40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic | Himself - Paulie Pennino | Documentary short, archive audio |
| Beckman
| Salvatore | |
| rowspan="3" | 2021
| Stallone: Frank, That Is | Himself | Documentary |
| Charlie Boy
| Luca | |
| The Final Code
| Detective | |
| rowspan="2" | TBA
| Way of the Warriors | George Stevens | In production |
| Asleep at the Wheel
| Judge | In production |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 1969
| Bartender | Episode #1785 10/10/1969 |
| 1973
| The Connection | Ernie | Television film |
| 1973
| M*A*S*H | Lieutenant Willis | Episode: "L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel)" |
| 1974
| The Great Niagara | Ace Tully | Television film |
| 1975
| Hustling | Gustavino | Television film |
| 1976
| Stuart Gaily | Episode: "The Family Hour" |
| 1975–1976
| Baretta | Willy | Episodes: "Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow" |
| 1976
| Serpico | Alec Rosen | Episode: "The Deadly Game" |
| 1976
| Woman of the Year | Ralph Rodino | Television film |
| 1977
| Himself – Guest | Episode: "17 March 1977" |
| 1977
| The 49th Annual Academy Awards | Himself – Nominee | Television special |
| 1978
| Daddy, I Don't Like It Like This | Rocco Agnelli | Television film, Also the writer of this film |
| 1979–1980
| Himself – Guest | 2 episodes |
| 1980
| The 6th People's Choice Awards | Himself – Accepting Favourite Motion Picture Award | Television special |
| 1980
| Lt. Palumbo | Television film |
| 1983
| Actor | Television series |
| 1984
| Lupo Ramirez | Episode: "Give a Little, Take a Little" |
| 1985
| Airwolf | | Episode: "Prisoner of Yesterday" |
| 1985
| Fidel Fargo | Television film |
| 1985
| Playboy Mid Summer Night's Dream Party 1985 | Himself | Television film |
| 1985
| Louie Ganucci | Episode: "The Confirmation Day" |
| 1986
| Ed Fratus | Episode 1x23, "Road Hog" |
| 1986
| Himself | 1 episode |
| 1987
| Roomies | Nick Chase | 8 episodes |
| 1990
| Vendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride | Vincent Dominici | Television miniseries |
| 1992
| The Final Contract | | Television film |
| 1992
| Gambler | Episode: "Split Personality" |
| 1993
| Double Deception | Zimmer | Television film |
| 1994
| Columbo | Mo Weinberg | Episode: "Undercover" |
| 1994
| Crocodile Shoes | Lou Benedetti | Television miniseries |
| 1995
| Mr. Riveto | Episode: "The Postman Always Moves Twice" |
| 1996–1997
| Jack "Soldier" Belmont | 2 episodes |
| 1997
| Virginio Ballazzo | Television miniseries |
| 1997
| Lewis Darnell | Episode: "Mad Dog" |
| 1997
| Louis Ippolito | Television film |
| 1997
| Captain Parker | Episode: "Tempests" |
| 1998
| Greener Fields | Gallagher | Television film |
| 1999
| The Making of a Mobster: 'Mickey Blue Eyes' | Himself | Television short documentary |
| 2000
| Himself – Guest | Episode: "6 May 2000" |
| 2001
| Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri Sr. | Episode: "Another Toothpick" |
| 2002
| Alternate Realities | Frank | Television series |
| 2003
| Dino Mantoni | Episode: "Bruno Comes Back" |
| 2004
| Himself | Episode: "Winners & Losers & Whiners & Boozers: Part 2" |
| 2005–2011
| Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2005
| Himself | 4 episodes |
| 2007
| La noche desesperada | Murray | Television film, archive footage |
| 2008
| Himself | Episode: "Rocky IV" |
| 2009
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Eddy Mack | Episode: "Snatched" |
| 2011
| The Rocky Saga: Going the Distance | Himself | Television film documentary |
| 2013
| Baciamo le mani – Palermo New York 1958 | Gillo Draghi | Television miniseries (Italian) |
| 2014
| Turning Point with Frank McKay | Himself | Episode: "Frank McKay with Burt Young" |
| 2015
| Himself | Episode: "Sorvino's Pants" |
| 2016
| Paulie Pennino | Episode: "Rocky and the Methods of Montage" |
| 2016
| Horace Sr. | Web miniseries, Episode #1.10 |
| 2018
| Marv | Season 2 |
| 2019
| Joe | Recurring role, 2 episodes |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Burt}}
Category:20th-century American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:American male television actors
Category:American writers of Italian descent
Category:Military personnel from New York City
Category:People from Port Washington, New York
Category:Male actors from Queens, New York