PIACERE! PLEASED TO MEET YOU, BURT
Burt Young Burt Young (born Gerald Tommaso DeLouise) is an actor, painter, and author, who is best known for his role as Paulie Pennino in the Rocky series. For his role as Rocky Balboa’s best friend and future brother-in-law, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor after the first film. He also played characters in such notable films as Chinatown, The Gambler, and Once Upon a Time in America, as well as in television programs such as M*A*S*H, Law & Order, and Miami Vice. In addition to acting, Burt is also a painter, having displayed his art in galleries throughout the world, and a published author. He was born in Queens, New York, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1957 to 1959. Tell us about your Italian background. My father, Michael, was born here and went back to Bari with his dad when he was very young to work. They needed money. He was an iceman. He delivered ice with a horse and wagon in Italy and in New York. We lived in Corona and Astoria, then Jackson Heights when Pop started doing better. My father was a dean and a shop class teacher. He was great. He could sing, play the harmonica and banjo, work wood and metals. He painted and played baseball and handball. He was an artist. He could do everything. My mother, Josephine, was a seamstress—she was a designer. She made beautiful clothes, beautiful dresses. The neighborhood was clean cut. Til I came along and sort of spoiled it. You put together an impressive boxing record as a U.S. Marine and then continued to box professionally under aliases. Why did you go by the aliases and what were they? I wasn’t that proud of being a boxer. I was very good though. I couldn’t tell my father. His brother, my uncle Lou, caught me coming out of the gym, and I begged him, ‘Don’t tell Papa.’ So, I boxed under aliases so family wouldn’t know. Dino was one. And Durango. I fought a lot of guys. Sunnyside Gardens. Gramercy Park. I trained with Charlie Goldman. He was a great trainer. He knew me from the gym. I was so good, they all wanted to manage me. And I was young. Cus D’Amato trained me, too. He was the greatest trainer in the world. Later, I did some exhibition fights with Mohammed Ali. I had a good time with that. It just came natural. They put me in the ring with him cause I was really pretty sharp. SUMMER 2021
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At what point did you realize that Rocky was going to experience such success and that Paulie would be a character you are forever remembered for portraying? Right away. Right away I recognized the youngster’s talent, you know. And I fit right in. The script was poetry. I always enjoyed writing and it came easy to express, and this body of work sent me to the moon. I knew what we had. So that was clear, right away. You’ve played hundreds of characters throughout your career. What is something poignant that you’ve learned from one of them? Caring for everybody. It’s easy to give back so the audience will care for you. Your recent movie, Road to the Lemon Grove, is a poignant look at the Italian immigrant experience. How timely do you feel this story is, and why might you feel this message is so important? Well, I guess the Italians are like any immigrant group— always had a bad time with those who were here already until they got a little more time. It was important to me to share with others. And important for others to see where we could go. I’m a lucky guy, what can I say. Leave us with some words to live by. Be as honest as you can be. And also as tough. And I don’t mean tough like a mean guy. I just mean someone who could not get shook up with everything, you know. ITALIAN AMERICA
