Actor. Best known for his franchise spanning portrayal of the character Paulie Pennino in the Rocky series, he was born in New York City. Raised in the Queens Borough, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 17. During his service in the Armed Forces, he became a successful boxer, winning 94% of his matches. Following his discharge, Young began studying at the Hell's Kitchen based Actors Studio under the legendary instructor, Lee Strasberg. Borrowing from his own personal life and experiences in the working class neighborhoods of New York, he became known for his depiction of blue collar Italian-Americans. His earliest films focused on American criminal thrillers, but his first major role came as "Curly" in the 1974 Roman Polanski helmed film, "Chinatown." His greatest success followed two years later when he co-starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in the first "Rocky" film. His performance as the struggling boxer's brother-in-law and confidant, Paulie garnered Young an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. Besides his work in the Stallone helmed series, he appeared in a number of other films such as "Amityville II: The Possession," 1984's "Once Upon a Time in America," the 1986 Rodney Dangerfield comedy "Back to School," and 1989's "Last Exit to Brooklyn." In addition to his big screen career, Young was also cast in a number of television programs ranging from "The Rockford Files," "Law & Order," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "M*A*S*H," and "Miami Vice." Outside of his primary profession as an actor, Young also worked as a painter and author with compositions displayed at galleries across the globe. In addition to his two published screenplays, his bibliography included a 400 page historical novel entitled, "Endings."
Actor. Best known for his franchise spanning portrayal of the character Paulie Pennino in the Rocky series, he was born in New York City. Raised in the Queens Borough, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 17. During his service in the Armed Forces, he became a successful boxer, winning 94% of his matches. Following his discharge, Young began studying at the Hell's Kitchen based Actors Studio under the legendary instructor, Lee Strasberg. Borrowing from his own personal life and experiences in the working class neighborhoods of New York, he became known for his depiction of blue collar Italian-Americans. His earliest films focused on American criminal thrillers, but his first major role came as "Curly" in the 1974 Roman Polanski helmed film, "Chinatown." His greatest success followed two years later when he co-starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in the first "Rocky" film. His performance as the struggling boxer's brother-in-law and confidant, Paulie garnered Young an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. Besides his work in the Stallone helmed series, he appeared in a number of other films such as "Amityville II: The Possession," 1984's "Once Upon a Time in America," the 1986 Rodney Dangerfield comedy "Back to School," and 1989's "Last Exit to Brooklyn." In addition to his big screen career, Young was also cast in a number of television programs ranging from "The Rockford Files," "Law & Order," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "M*A*S*H," and "Miami Vice." Outside of his primary profession as an actor, Young also worked as a painter and author with compositions displayed at galleries across the globe. In addition to his two published screenplays, his bibliography included a 400 page historical novel entitled, "Endings."
Bio by: The Kentucky Hill Hunter
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Young memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
