Burt Young, Paulie in the 'Rocky' Movies, Dies at 83 — Stallone's Tribute

Burt Young, the Lee Strasberg-trained actor remembered as Paulie in the "Rocky" movies, died October 8 in L.A.

His death was confirmed by his daughter to The New York Times.

Frequent co-star Sylvester Stallone took to Instagram to mourn his old friend, writing, "To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG, you were an incredible man’s and artist, I and the World will miss you very much...RIP."

The burly character actor, born April 30, 1940, in Queens, New York, was a boxer while serving in the Marines in the '50s. He made his TV debut on an episode of "The Doctors" (1969) and his film debut in the 1970 slasher "Carnival of Blood."

An early success was a meaty role in Roman Polanski's "Chinatown" (1974), but it was his performance as Rocky Balboa's best friend and brother-in-law in "Rocky" (1976) that became his most famous role, garnering him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar Nomination.

It was Paulie, a butcher, whose slabs of meat Rocky practiced punching.

He recreated the role over and over alongside his co-star Sylvester Stallone, appearing in "Rocky II" (1979), "Rocky III" (1982), "Rocky IV" (1985), "Rocky V" (1990), and "Rocky Balboa" (2006).

Among his more than 160 credits, he also appeared in such diverse fare as "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" (1971), "Cinderella Liberty" (1973), "The Gambler" (1974), "Convoy" (1978), "Amityville II: The Possession" (1982), "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984), "The Pope of Greenwich Village" (1984), "Back to School" (1986), "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (1989), "Betsy's Wedding" (1990), "She's So Lovely" (1997), "Mickey Blue Eyes" (1999), "Transamerica" (2005), and "Bottom of the 9th" (2019), with several more in pre-production at the time of his passing.

He wrote and starred in "Uncle Joe Shannon" (1978), about a jazz trumpeter enduring a life crisis.

Young also had innumerable TV credits, including "The Sopranos" (2001).

In 1986, he acted in the short-lived Broadway show "Cuba & His Teddy Bear" opposite Robert De Niro and Ralph Macchio. His final stage work was in "The Last Vig" in L.A. in 2017.

In addition to his acting career, Young was a serious painter, a playwright, a novelist, and owned a Bronx eatery.

Young was preceded in death by his wife in 1974. He is survived by their daughter and a grandson.