Oscar-nominated 'Rocky' actor Burt Young dies at 83

Veteran character actor Burt Young, best known and Oscar nominated for his role as the brother-in-law and meat-cutting friend to Sylvester Stallone's prize-fighting protagonist in the 'Rocky' films has died at age 83, his manager said on Wednesday.

Veteran character actor Burt Young, best known and Oscar nominated for his role as the brother-in-law and meat-cutting friend to Sylvester Stallone's prize-fighting protagonist in the 'Rocky' films has died at age 83, his manager said on Wednesday.

Young's death on Oct. 8 in Los Angeles, first reported by the New York Times on Wednesday citing the actor's daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, was confirmed to Reuters by his Los Angeles-based manager Lynda Bensky.

He was best remembered for his role in the original 1976 'Rocky' film, playing Paulie Pennino, the alcoholic butcher and pal to Stallone's lead character, Rocky Balboa, who made punching slaps of meat in the storage locker where Paulie worked part of his regular training routine as an aspiring boxer.