Rocky star Burt Young died on Wednesday at 83 years old.
“Burt was an actor of tremendous emotional range,” wrote his manager Lynda Bensky in a statement following Young’s death. “He could make you cry and he could scare you to death. But the real pathos that I experienced was the poignancy of his soul. That’s where it came from.”
Young was born in Queens, New York, in 1940 and grew up in the tough Corona area before switching school districts.
He enlisted in the Marines at the age of 16 and has since admitted to his father “fibbing my age to get me in,” as he wrote in the foreword to Corona: The Early Years.
It was during his time in the Marines that he became interested in boxing, a sport that he pursued professionally for a brief time.
His breakout role as Paulie Pennino in Rocky earned him an Oscar nomination for supporting actor.
“Burt was an actor of tremendous emotional range,” wrote his manager Lynda Bensky in a statement following Young’s death. “He could make you cry and he could scare you to death. But the real pathos that I experienced was the poignancy of his soul. That’s where it came from.”
Young was born in Queens, New York, in 1940 and grew up in the tough Corona area before switching school districts.
He enlisted in the Marines at the age of 16 and has since admitted to his father “fibbing my age to get me in,” as he wrote in the foreword to Corona: The Early Years.
It was during his time in the Marines that he became interested in boxing, a sport that he pursued professionally for a brief time.
His breakout role as Paulie Pennino in Rocky earned him an Oscar nomination for supporting actor.
- 10/20/2023
- by Ava Lombardi
- Uinterview
Wilford Brimley, the unlikely character actor who brought both curmudgeonry and geniality to films like Cocoon, The China Syndrome, The Natural and Tender Mercies, has died at the age of 85.
Brimley’s agent Lynda Bensky confirmed to the New York Times that the actor had been sick for two months with kidney ailments; the actor — a longtime spokesperson for Liberty Medical — had been diabetic since the Seventies. Brimley died Saturday at a hospital near St. George, Utah, where the actor resided.
“Wilford Brimley was a man you could trust. He...
Brimley’s agent Lynda Bensky confirmed to the New York Times that the actor had been sick for two months with kidney ailments; the actor — a longtime spokesperson for Liberty Medical — had been diabetic since the Seventies. Brimley died Saturday at a hospital near St. George, Utah, where the actor resided.
“Wilford Brimley was a man you could trust. He...
- 8/2/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Wilford Brimley, best known for his roles in “The Natural,” the 1982 remake of “The Thing,” “The Firm” and “Cocoon,” died on Saturday. He was 85.
His agent, Lynda Bensky, told The New York Times that he had been sick with a kidney problem for two months.
Brimley was also famous for the series of commercials for Quaker Oats in which he appeared.
Pauline Kael ably summed up his appeal in a few words. Reviewing “Cocoon” for the New Yorker in 1985, she said, “Wilford Brimley, with his walrus mustache and friendly belly, brings an ornery impudence to his role.”
Brimley, who seemed to enter old age several decades ago, appeared perfectly at home in the Ron Howard-directed movie about senior citizens unintentionally rejuvenated by an alien life force in the pool where they do water aerobics even though he was only 51 at the time. Brimley’s Ben Luckett doing cannonballs in...
His agent, Lynda Bensky, told The New York Times that he had been sick with a kidney problem for two months.
Brimley was also famous for the series of commercials for Quaker Oats in which he appeared.
Pauline Kael ably summed up his appeal in a few words. Reviewing “Cocoon” for the New Yorker in 1985, she said, “Wilford Brimley, with his walrus mustache and friendly belly, brings an ornery impudence to his role.”
Brimley, who seemed to enter old age several decades ago, appeared perfectly at home in the Ron Howard-directed movie about senior citizens unintentionally rejuvenated by an alien life force in the pool where they do water aerobics even though he was only 51 at the time. Brimley’s Ben Luckett doing cannonballs in...
- 8/2/2020
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Wilford Brimley, the actor with the walrus mustache whose down-home geniality seen in such films as Cocoon, The Natural and Absence of Malice endeared him to moviegoers, has died. He was 85.
The Salt Lake City native, who also stood out as the plant foreman who becomes a confidant of Jack Lemmon's character in The China Syndrome (1979), died Saturday morning in a hospital in St. George, Utah, his manager, Lynda Bensky, told The Hollywood Reporter. She said Brimley had been on dialysis and had other medical issues.
He had lived since 2004 on a ranch in Greybull, Wyoming.
"Wilford Brimley was a ...
The Salt Lake City native, who also stood out as the plant foreman who becomes a confidant of Jack Lemmon's character in The China Syndrome (1979), died Saturday morning in a hospital in St. George, Utah, his manager, Lynda Bensky, told The Hollywood Reporter. She said Brimley had been on dialysis and had other medical issues.
He had lived since 2004 on a ranch in Greybull, Wyoming.
"Wilford Brimley was a ...
Wilford Brimley, the actor with the walrus mustache whose down-home geniality seen in such films as Cocoon, The Natural and Absence of Malice endeared him to moviegoers, has died. He was 85.
The Salt Lake City native, who also stood out as the plant foreman who becomes a confidant of Jack Lemmon's character in The China Syndrome (1979), died Saturday morning in a hospital in St. George, Utah, his manager, Lynda Bensky, told The Hollywood Reporter. She said Brimley had been on dialysis and had other medical issues.
He had lived since 2004 on a ranch in Greybull, Wyoming.
"Wilford Brimley was a ...
The Salt Lake City native, who also stood out as the plant foreman who becomes a confidant of Jack Lemmon's character in The China Syndrome (1979), died Saturday morning in a hospital in St. George, Utah, his manager, Lynda Bensky, told The Hollywood Reporter. She said Brimley had been on dialysis and had other medical issues.
He had lived since 2004 on a ranch in Greybull, Wyoming.
"Wilford Brimley was a ...
Here's a hypothetical situation. You've auditioned for a role, and it looks like you are going to get it. You now read the whole script and discover to your dismay that it requires nudity, which gives you the creeps. Or it's politically offensive—e.g., racist, anti-Semitic, or homophobic. Or it's just a lousy piece of work. The story and characters make no sense, and the writing is wretched. The bottom line is you don't want to appear in it. What do you do? According to the agents and managers we spoke with, turning down roles for most of these reasons is off-putting and can damage an actor's opportunities in the future. Nobody cares if an actor dislikes the writing, and the reps say it's no reason for a newbie or even a journeyman actor not to take a role. Neither is being called upon to act with a fellow...
- 8/25/2010
- backstage.com
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