Burt Young was a strong Queens native who made a name for himself as a tough Hollywood character in films like “Chinatown,” “Once Upon a Time in America,” and, most famously, “Rocky,” for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Burt Young passed away in Los Angeles on October 8. He was in his eighties.
Anne Morea Steingieser, his daughter, shared his death and stated that the cause of death was unknown at the time.
Thanks to his heavy build and dejected demeanor, Mr. Young amassed over 160 credits in his film and television career. His usual characters were streetwise investigators, mob bosses, or oppressed blue-collar workers.
Mr. Young’s great acting prowess
He wasn’t merely an obvious adversary in his role as antagonists. Despite his difficult upbringing as a professional boxer and Marine, Mr. Young gave his performances more nuance and complexity. Working with him, renowned acting coach Lee Strasberg characterized Mr. Young as a “library of emotions.”
His blunt approach helped him build a close relationship with fellow Hollywood tough-guy filmmaker Sam Peckinpah. In “The Killer Elite” (1975), starring James Caan, and “Convoy” (1978), starring Kris Kristofferson and Ali MacGraw, Peckinpah was the director.
His daughter said, ‘They were both outsiders and rebels with a strong appreciation for art,’ in a phone interview. The focus and sincerity Peckinpah demanded was what made them click. He did not tolerate dishonesty at all.’
Early in the 1970s, Mr. Young made memorable appearances in TV shows like “MAS*H” and motion pictures like “Cinderella Liberty” (1973), a drama about a sailor (James Caan) who falls in love with a prostitute (Marsha Mason), and the mob-themed comedy “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight” (1971).
He had a memorable but small part in Roman Polanski’s neo-noir masterpiece “Chinatown” (1974), which left a lasting impression. He played a deceived fisherman in Los Angeles who becomes entangled in a bizarre story involving murder and incest.
Mr. Young’s Hollywood breakthrough
It was in the movie “Rocky” two years later that he had his real breakthrough. The story follows Sylvester Stallone’s character, a club boxer and small-time criminal, as he sets up an unlikely fight with Carl Weathers’ character, Apollo Creed, the heavyweight champion.
Adrian, played by Talia Shire, is an introverted woman who gradually falls in love with Rocky. Adrian’s brother is Paulie, a butcher and friend of Rocky, played by Mr. Young in this movie.
While “Rocky” certainly catapulted Sylvester Stallone to fame, given that he also wrote the screenplay, Mr. Young frequently mentioned that he was the more established name in Hollywood before the project took off. He once commented in a 2017 interview with The Rumpus, a culture website, that he was the only actor who didn’t need to audition for the first ‘Rocky.’ And he received the highest compensation for his role.”
The film, which was helmed by John G. Avildsen and featured performances by Mr. Young, was a gritty and frequently very emotional human drama. It distinguished itself from its sporadically inflated successors, most of which were directed by Sylvester Stallone.
In a 2006 interview with Bright Lights Film Journal, he shared his thoughts on the first movie, saying that It was a love story about someone taking a stand; it wasn’t just about boxing. It was more important to stand up than it was to win.
After becoming a landmark movie of the 1970s, “Rocky” won three Oscars, including the prized Best Picture award, and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including one for Mr. Young in the Best Supporting Actor category. Mr. Young subsequently said of his portrayal of Paulie, “I made him a rough guy with a sensitivity.”
