page_title: List of Rocky characters
section_title: Paulie Pennino
hierarchical_section_title: List of Rocky characters / Main characters / Paulie Pennino
caption_attribution_description: English: Paulie Pennino headstone in Laurel Hill Cemetery. Photo taken July 2020.
context_page_description: This is a list of characters from the Rocky film series, consisting of Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Rocky Balboa, Creed and Creed II.
context_section_description: Paulie Pennino (played by Burt Young) is Adrian's older brother and Rocky Balboa's best friend, later his brother-in-law when Rocky marries Adrian. He appears in the original five movies and the sixth installment Rocky Balboa.
  is a fictional character in the Rocky film series, played by Burt Young, who, along with co-star Burgess Meredith, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the first film.
  He works at a meat-rendering facility and is portrayed as having a drinking problem and tending towards self-pity, immaturity and emotional outbursts. In Rocky, when Rocky Balboa quits his "collection" job with a local loan shark, Paulie takes his place; this mafioso angle was dropped after the second film. Though he cares for his friends and family, he is often jealous of their happiness and success and feels they owe him. If someone insults Rocky in his presence, Paulie usually reacts with anger and withering insults. Paulie seems to be a casual bigot, as seen in Rocky III when he openly stated that he did not like any of the black boxers in the gym where Apollo Creed once trained. He also says in Rocky Balboa that "Italian food cooked up by a bunch of Mexicans ain't so special". In response to challenges to fight, his catchphrase is "I don't sweat you", after which he is usually quickly defeated (by Thunderlips in Rocky III, by Rocky himself also in Rocky III, and by Tommy Gunn in Rocky V). Rocky describes Paulie in Rocky III as "like a crazy brother".
  Paulie introduced his sister, Adrian, to Rocky and generally encouraged their relationship. Paulie also invited Rocky to begin his unique training method of punching sides of beef at the rendering facility.
  Paulie visits Rocky in the hospital after his title match with Apollo Creed. After Rocky marries Adrian, he congratulates them. Later, he recommends Rocky for his former meat-packing job; he also buy's Rocky's car from him after the latter is laid off. He is disappointed later when he sees Rocky training amateurs in Mighty Mick's Gym; Paulie visits the pet shop where Adrian works and yells at her for refusing to let Rocky continue his boxing career; the stress of the argument causes her to go into premature labor. He later helps care for the baby on the night of Rocky's rematch with Creed. Though he is disappointed at the beginning of Rocky's match, he eventually jumps in joy and hugs Adrian when Rocky is victorious.
  When Rocky, now heavyweight champion, wins a number of succeeding matches and becomes increasingly wealthy and famous, Paulie becomes jealous. Wandering around drunk, he walks into an arcade hall, and, after seeing a pinball machine with a Rocky theme, he hurls his liquor bottle at it, destroying the machine. He is arrested and jailed. Rocky bails him out, but Paulie is still angry, claiming Rocky holds him down and owes him. Paulie briefly attempts to fight Rocky, who easily evades him, and the exhausted Paulie finally asks him for a job. Rocky agrees and hires him as a cornerman. Later, Paulie tries to fight the wrestler Thunderlips, who is strangling Rocky during an exhibition match. Paulie accompanies Rocky and Adrian to Los Angeles, but complains about the flophouse they are staying in, which annoys Apollo. At the end of the film, Paulie once again is happy about Rocky's victory.
  Rocky gives Paulie a birthday present: a robot servant called Sico (an actual robot invented by International Robotics founder Robert Doornick) that fetches him drinks and snacks. Paulie's gruff, unsentimental demeanor is highlighted by the brusque disdain with which he initially treats his mechanical helpmeet - dismissing the robot as "a walking trashcan." Later, Paulie introduces the robot, now reprogrammed with a female voice, as "my girl" to Apollo Creed and claims that she loves him. Paulie accompanies Rocky and Tony Duke to Siberia to help Rocky train for his match against Ivan Drago. As before in Los Angeles, Paulie gripes about the weather and the austere conditions of the cabin in which they will be staying. Prior to Rocky's match
caption: A headstone for Paulie Pennino was built for the filming of Creed in Laurel Hill Cemetery
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