Burt Young

Burt Young (born April 30, 1940) is an American Academy Award-nominated actor, painter, and author. He is best-known for his role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.

Personal life

Young was born Jerry De Louise^[1] in Queens, New York, the son of Josephine and Michael.^[2] He was trained by Lee Strasberg at the Actor's Studio. Young is widowed and has one daughter, Anne Morea. He currently owns a restaurant in The Bronx, New York.

Career

Young made his name playing rough-edged working class Italian-American characters, the best-known example being his signature role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law Paulie in Rocky (1976), for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He is one of three actors (Sylvester Stallone, and Tony Burton being the other two) who have appeared in every Rocky film.

He has played similar roles in 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. Young has also appeared in many television programs, including Baretta, Law & Order, Walker, Texas Ranger, M*A*S*H, guest-starred in a Miami Vice episode, and made an appearance on The Sopranos ("Another Toothpick") as an old mobster dying of cancer who comes out of retirement to execute a hit on a godson whom he hates.

Young is a painter whose art has been displayed in galleries throughout the world. He is also a published author whose works include two filmed screenplays and 400-page historically based novel called Endings.

He has also written two stage plays: SOS and A Letter to Alicia and the New York City Government From a Man With a Bullet in His Head.

References

External links

• Burt Young official website
• Burt Young official MySpace page
• Burt Young at the Internet Movie Database