Burt Young

The Boxer Who Never Needed Auditions

Burt Young didn't have leading-man looks. His face looked like a map of backstreets in Queens where it's always about to rain. Born Gerald Tommaso DeLouise in 1940, he made a living throwing punches before ever setting foot on a film set.

He served in the United States Marine Corps between 1957 and 1959. It was there that he began boxing professionally. He won 32 of his 34 fights under the guidance of Cus D'Amato. That controlled aggression would become his best tool years later in front of the camera.

Cus D'Amato was his first real mentor.

He landed in acting purely by chance. He followed a waitress he had a crush on to a Lee Strasberg class. The legendary Actors Studio teacher saw something in that tough guy and told him he was a library of emotions. So Young traded his boxing gloves for scripts.

In 1970, he made his debut in The Carnival of Blood. He was a method actor who didn't need to fake fatigue or disillusionment, because he brought them from home.

The Weight of Being Paulie Pennino

In 1976, Sylvester Stallone found him in the cafeteria of a studio. Stallone was still polishing the script for Rocky, and he knew right away that Young had to be Paulie. He was the only member of the original cast who didn't have to audition for the role.

That character earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. But Young never let the glitter of the galas seduce him. He preferred roles as broken or dangerous men who live on the margins of society.

He reprised his role as Balboa's brother-in-law across six installments of the franchise.

His salary for the first movie was a few thousand dollars. By the time he shot the sequels, his fee had multiplied. But his physical presence still looked like that of a worker who had just finished the night shift at a slaughterhouse in Philadelphia.

Film Noir and Brushes in the Shadows

He worked with the best directors of his time without making a fuss. In 1974, he played Curly in Chinatown under the direction of Roman Polanski. Ten years later, Sergio Leone cast him in Once Upon a Time in America.

In 2001, he appeared on the series The Sopranos playing Bobby Baccalieri Sr. It was one of his most memorable television appearances, thanks to the brutality of his character. Young knew how to be frightening with just a movement of his eyes.

Outside the spotlight, he devoted himself to painting.

His paintings were exhibited in galleries around the world, and he also illustrated book covers. In 2021, he worked on The Final Code under the direction of Carlo Fenizi. It was one of his last projects before his health began to decline for good.

Burt Young died in Los Angeles on October 8, 2023, at the age of 83 years old.