Burt Young and Sylvester Stallone attend the “Rocky” Broadway opening in 2014.Photo:Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Sylvester Stalloneis remembering his lateRockyco-star Burt Young.
Young, who playedRocky Balboa’s brother-in-law Paulie in theRockymovies,died on Oct.8at the age of 83.
“To my Dear Friend, BURT YOUNG,” Stallone, 77, wrote on his Instagram on Wednesday. “You were an incredible man’s and artist, I and the World will miss you very much…RIP.”
Stallone’s post also contained a black-and-white throwback picture of him as Rocky Balboa and Young as Paulie inRocky.
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Young’s manager Lynda Bensky confirmed the actor’s death to PEOPLE on Wednesday. “Burt was an actor of tremendous emotional range. He could make you cry and he could scare you to death,” the statement read. “But the real pathos that I experienced was the poignancy of his soul. That’s where it came from.”
Sylvester Stallone and Burt Young and on set of Rocky V.Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Born Gerald Tommaso DeLouise, Young played Paulie in all six of theRockymovies. Speaking about how he got his role, the Oscar-nominated actor toldThe Sweet Sciencein 2009 that he was the only actor who didn’t have to audition forRocky.
“I was on the MGM lot when Sly Stallone came over and introduced himself to me, told me he wrote ‘Rocky’ and said ‘you gotta do it,’” Young said. “I wanted to do it right away, but wanted to twist their arms a little bit, not look too eager.”
Young continued that the script “had the cleanest street prose I’d ever read.” He went on to say that Stallone was “a genius who is always looking three years ahead.”
“He has a real eyeball for what’s going on in the world,” Young added.
source: people.com
