Born in New York City, Young appeared on Broadway in The Front Page (1928) by Ben Hecht and The New Yorkers (1930) by Herbert Fields and Cole Porter.

[1] He was often cast in bit parts by the likes of The Shuberts, Jed Harris and David Belasco to bring luck to their productions.

[2] His reputation in the theater business was such that his likeness was drawn in caricature by Alex Gard for Sardi's restaurant.

He often played the stooge (straight man) to W.C. Fields, with whom he appeared in seven films: Sally of the Sawdust (1925), Six of a Kind (1934), You're Telling Me!

By claiming to be an ice man, he worked his way into the 1921 Dempsey–Carpentier prize fight in New Jersey,[2] and in 1932 found his way into the Los Angeles Olympics.