- Served in U.S. Marines from 1957 to 1959.
- Along with Sylvester Stallone and Tony Burton, he is the only other actor to have appeared in all six 'Rocky' movies.
- Used to be a boxer.
- Sylvester Stallone gave Young an inscribed gold Cartier watch in the 1990s, which he still wears.
- Did 4 movies in 4 consecutive years with James Caan. Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Gambler (1974), The Killer Elite (1975) and Harry and Walter Go To New York (1976). These were some of Burt Young's first roles, before famously playing Pauly in Rocky (1976). They would eventually work together again 20 years later in The North Star (1996).
- One episode of 'Baretta' earned him an Emmy nomination while another episode was from his original script.
- Young claims he boxed in the US Marines and posted a record of 32-2-0, 26 Knockouts.
- In 2017 he will return to the stage as an aging mob boss in "The Last Vig," a new play that is scheduled to run from January 14 - February 19, 2017, at The Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles.
- Jobs worked during his salad days were as a carpet cleaner, salesman and installer.
- In 1978 he starred in two productions which he wrote, 'Uncle Shannon' and the television film 'I Don't Like This'.
- Young claims he was a professional boxer with a 17-0 record, but fought under aliases. He also claims that Cus D'Amato who trained/managed Floyd Patterson and later Mike Tyson was also his manager.
- The film Tom in America (2014) marks the first time Young has played a gay man in his career.
- In 1980 he guest-starred in a TV movie called Murder Can Hurt You! (1980), a spoof on popular detective shows, in which he played "Lt. Palumbo"; ironically, 14 years later he appeared in a serious role in Columbo: Undercover (1994).
- Young claims he sparred with 3rd rated world heavyweight boxing contender George Chuvallo in the 1960s in Toronto, Canada.
- Young was also a painter; his art has been displayed in galleries throughout the world. As an artist, he collaborated with the writer Gabriele Tinti, for whom he designed the cover for the poetry collection All Over, as well as contributing the illustrations for the art book A Man. Some of Young's actual paintings were shown in a scene in Rocky Balboa when Paulie gets fired from the meatpacking plant.
- Is the only actor to have been recognized by the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards in both their first year (1978) and last year (2006).
- As of 2023, he has appeared in two films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Chinatown (1974) and Rocky (1976), with the latter being a winner in the category.
- He agreed to help a friend by auditioning with her for famed acting teacher Lee Strasberg. Young was accepted; his friend wasn't.
- Young owned a restaurant in the Bronx, New York.
- Young was also a published author whose works included two filmed screenplays and a 400-page historical novel called Endings.
- In a nod to his having served in the U.S. Marine Corps, he played a retired drill instructor in the short-lived 1987 ABC series, Roomies, where his character decides to go to college after his retirement.
- Son Richard Jr. and daughter Anne.
- He participated in the 1984 New York City Marathon.
- Father Michael Morea (b. 15 April 1906) married mother Josephine Tarulli in May 1934.
- He has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Chinatown (1974) and Rocky (1976).
- He was of Italian descent.
- In 2017, Burt Young returned to the stage as an aged mob boss in The Last Vig, a play written by Dave Varriale. The show ran from January 14 to February 19, 2017, at The Zephyr Theatre in Los Angeles.
- Older brother Robert (b. 6 January 1938).
- Grew up on 102nd Street in Corona, Queens, New York followed by 38th Street in Sunnyside, Queens, New York before his parents bought a house at 25-35 89th Street in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York.
- He wrote two stage plays: SOS and A Letter to Alicia and the New York City Government from a Man With a Bullet in His Head.
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