Yuliy Borisovich Briner (Russian:Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally asYul Brynner (Russian:Юл Бриннер), was a Russian and American actor. He was known for his portrayal of KingMongkut in theRodgers and Hammerstein stage musicalThe King and I (1951), for which he won twoTony Awards, and later anAcademy Award for Best Actor for the 1956film adaptation. He played the role 4,625 times on stage, and became known for his shaved head, which he maintained as a personal trademark long after adopting it forThe King and I.
The Briner family mansion inVladivostok,Russia, where Yul Brynner was born and lived from 1920 to 1927
Yul Brynner was born Yuliy Borisovich Briner on July 11, 1920,[4][5][6] in the city ofVladivostok.[7] He had Swiss-German, Russian, andBuryat (Mongol) ancestry. He also identified as havingRoma ancestry; however, recent findings do not support that claim.[8][9][10][11] He was born at his parents' home, a four-storey house on 15 Aleutskaya Street, Vladivostok, into a wealthy Swiss Russian family of landowners andsilver mining developers inSiberia and theFar East. He was named after his grandfather merchant Yuliy Ivanovich Brinner.
The Briner family enjoyed a good life at their four-storey mansion. At the time of his birth, Vladivostok was underJapanese occupation, while the territory was controlled by theFar Eastern Republic—acommunist Russianbuffer state. TheRed Army occupied Vladivostok in October 1922, and most of the Briner family's wealth was confiscated by the state at the end of theRussian Civil War. The Briner family, including Yul's elder sister Vera, continued living in their house under a temporary status, even though the house had been seized.[12][13][14][15]
Later in his life, Brynner humorously enjoyed telling tall tales and exaggerating his background and early life for the press, claiming that he was born Taidje Khan of aMongol father and Roma mother on the Russian island ofSakhalin.[16] He occasionally referred to himself as Julius Briner,[4] Jules Bryner,[note 1] or Youl Bryner.[5] The 1989 biography by his son, Rock Brynner, clarified some of these issues.[16]
Brynner's father, Boris Yuliyevich Briner, was amining engineer and inventor of Swiss-German and Russian descent. He had graduated fromMining University inSaint Petersburg in 1910. The actor's grandfather, Jules Briner (Бринер, Юлий Иванович), was a Swiss citizen who had moved to Vladivostok in the 1870s and established a successful import/export company.[17]Brynner's paternal grandmother, Natalya Yosifovna Kurkutova, was a native ofIrkutsk and a Eurasian of partialBuryat ancestry.
Brynner's mother, Maria (Marousia) Dimitrievna (née Blagovidova, Мария Дмитриевна Благовидова[18]), hailed from the Russianintelligentsia and had studied to be an actress and singer. According to her son, she was of Russian Roma ancestry,[8] but documents examined by modern historians of Vladivostok claimed the Briner family had no blood connections with Roma. Yul came into close contact with this culture in exile while working with his sister, singer Vera Brinner, and they were looking for a stage image. Vera later sharply objected to this appropriation.[10][11] Brynner felt a strong personal connection to the Roma. In 1977 he was named honorary president of theInternational Romani Union, a title that he kept until his death.[19][20]
In 1922, after the formation of theSoviet Union, Yul's father Boris Briner was required to relinquish his Swiss citizenship. All family members were made Soviet citizens. Brynner's father's work required extensive travel, and in 1923, in Moscow he fell in love with an actress, Katerina Ivanovna Kornakova. She was the ex-wife of actorAleksei Dikiy, and stage partner ofMichael Chekhov at theMoscow Art Theatre. Many years later, Katerina Kornakova would help Brynner with her letter of recommendation asking Michael Chekhov to employ him in his theatre company in the United States.
In 1924, Yul's father divorced his mother Marousia, but continued to support her and their children. His father also adopted a girl, because his new wife was childless. Many years later, after the death of his father, Brynner would take this adopted sister into his care. The father and son relationship remained complex and emotionally traumatic for Brynner.
After leaving his children and his former wife in Vladivostok, Boris Briner lived briefly in Moscow with Katerina Ivanovna Kornakova, but eventually they moved toHarbin,Manchuria. At that time it remained under Japanese control. Briner established a business in international trade.[12][15]
In 1927, Marousia Briner took her children, Yuliy and Vera (January 17, 1916 – December 13, 1967), and emigrated from Vladivostok to Harbin, China. There, young Yul and Vera attended a school run by theYMCA.[12][15]
In 1930, Boris gave Yuliy anacoustic guitar as a birthday present. That guitar and the followingmusic lessons made a lasting impression on Brynner's artistic development. His naturalcuriosity,creativity, andimagination became focused on mastering theguitar technique and studying classical and contemporary music. Brynner studied music under the guidance of his sister Vera, who was a classically trainedopera singer. After several years of arduous studies, Brynner became an accomplishedguitar player and singer.[12]
In 1933, fearing a war between China and Japan, Marousia Briner moved with her children toParis. Many Russians had moved there in exile after the Revolution.[17] There, on June 15, 1935, the fourteen-year-old Brynner made his debut at the "Hermitage" cabaret, where he played his guitar and sang in the Russian and Roma languages. After initial success, he continued performing at various Parisian nightclubs, sometimes accompanying his sister, and playing and singing Russian and Roma songs. At that time, Brynner was a student at a lyceum in Paris, where he studied French. His classmates and teachers were aware of his strong character, as he was often involved infist fighting.
In the summer of 1936, Brynner worked as a lifeguard at a resort beach inLe Havre. There he joined a French circus troupe, trained as atrapezeacrobat and worked with a circus troupe for several years.[21] After sustaining a back injury, he left the circus troupe. In nearly unbearablepain, Brynner tooknarcotics for relief. He soon developed adrug dependency.
One day, while buyingopium from a local dealer, Brynner metJean Cocteau (1889–1963) and the two became lifelong friends. Cocteau introduced Brynner toPablo Picasso,Salvador Dalí,Josephine Baker,Jean Marais, and the bohemian milieu of Paris. The experience and connections eventually helped him in his multifaceted career of acting, directing, and producing.[12]
Seventeen-year-old Brynner realized he had become addicted to opium and the family tried to help him treat the illness. He spent a year inLausanne,Switzerland treating his addiction at a Swiss clinic and atLausanne University Hospital with financial support from his aunt Vera Dmitrievna Blagovidova-Briner, his mother's sister. Blagovidova-Briner was a physician trained at medical school inSaint Petersburg, Russia, before the revolution. She later practiced in China and Switzerland. The year-long treatment in Switzerland, which includedhypnotherapy, had a lasting effect on Brynner's health. Yul never used illicit drugs again in his life. He later became addicted to cigarettes, which damaged his lungs and ruined his health as he aged.[17][22]
In Harbin, Brynner's father had a lucrative trade business and lived with his second wife, actress Katerina Ivanovna Kornakova. She gave Brynner his first professional acting lessons by showing him scenes from her repertoire at Moscow Art Theatre. She instructed him in how to respond to her lines using his voice tone and body language. During their first lessons, Katerina Kornakova demonstrated and explained to Brynner the principles ofKonstantin Stanislavsky's school of acting, and the innovative ideas ofMichael Chekhov. Brynner was excited and impressed with the new experience. His father initially tried to prepare his son for a management position at their family business, but changed his mind after watching several acting lessons and witnessing Brynner's happiness.
Katerina Kornakova was impressed with Brynner's intellectual and physical abilities and recommended him to study acting with her former partnerMichael Chekhov. Brynner took the letter of recommendation from his stepmother and also accepted money and blessings from his father. With the generous support from both his father and stepmother, Brynner became encouraged and confident in his future success as an actor.
At the same time, Brynner's mother's illness (she had been diagnosed withleukemia) progressed and required special medical treatment that was available only in the United States. Brynner traveled with his mother on a long trip across the world.[17][12]
Brynner's 1943 photo after immigrating to the United States
In 1940, speaking little English, Brynner and his mother emigrated to the United States aboard thePresident Cleveland, departing fromKobe, Japan. They arrived in San Francisco on October 25, 1940. His final destination was New York City, where his sister already lived.[23][5][17] Vera, a singer, starred inThe Consul on Broadway in 1950.[24] She also appeared on television in the title role of the operaCarmen. She later taught voice in New York.[25]
DuringWorld War II Brynner worked as a French-speaking radio announcer and commentator for the USOffice of War Information, broadcasting to occupied France. He also worked for theVoice of America, broadcasting in Russian to theSoviet Union.[26] At the same time, during the war years, he studied acting inConnecticut with the Russian actor Michael Chekhov. He worked as a truck driver and stage hand for Chekhov's theatre company.[27]
Brynner made hisBroadway stage debut in a production ofShakespeare'sTwelfth Night that premiered on December 2, 1941. He appeared as Fabian, a character with only a few lines, as his English was limited and he had a noticeable Russian accent. The job helped him to start adding English to the list of languages he spoke, which included Russian, French, Japanese, and Hungarian.[28] That show, along with many other Broadway productions, closed after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when America declared war onJapan andNazi Germany declared war on the United States of America.
Soon Brynner found a job as a radio commentator presenting war propaganda in French and Russian at theVoice of America radio station. He had little acting work during the next few years,[17] but did co-star in a 1946 production ofLute Song withMary Martin. He also did some modeling work and was photographed nude byGeorge Platt Lynes.[29][27]
In 1944, Brynner married actressVirginia Gilmore. Soon after, he began working as a director at the then-newCBS television studios. In 1948 and 1949, he directed and also appeared on television alongside his wife in the first two seasons ofStudio One. He also appeared in other shows.
The next year, at the urging of Martin, Brynner auditioned forRodgers and Hammerstein's new musical in New York. He recalled that, as he was finding success as a director on television, he was reluctant to go back on the stage. Once he read the script, however, he was fascinated by the character of the King and was eager to perform in the project.[31]
Brynner withGertrude Lawrence in the original production ofThe King and I (1951)
Brynner's role asKing Mongkut inThe King and I (4,625 times on stage) became his best known. He appeared in the original 1951 production oppositeGertrude Lawrence and later touring productions, as well as a 1977 Broadway revival, a London production in 1979, and another Broadway revival in 1985. He won theTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for the first of these Broadway productions and a special Tony for the last.[32]
In 1951, Brynner shaved his head for his role inThe King and I.[34][35] Following the huge success of the Broadway production and subsequent film, he continued to shave his head for the rest of his life, wearing a wig when it was necessary for a role. It was unusual for a man to have a shaven head at the time, and his striking appearance helped to give him an exotic appeal.[36] Some fans shaved off their hair to imitate him,[37] and a shaven head was often referred to as the "Yul Brynner look".[38][39][40]
Brynner's second motion picture was a film version ofThe King and I (1956) withDeborah Kerr, which was a huge success critically and commercially.[41]
Brynner then received an offer to replaceTyrone Power, who had died during the making ofSolomon and Sheba (1959) withGina Lollobrigida. The movie, a huge hit, caused the development of a planned Brynner film aboutSpartacus to be postponed. When theKirk Douglas filmSpartacus came out in 1960, Brynner elected not to make his own version.[43]
Although the public received him well inThe Magnificent Seven (1960), a Western adaptation ofSeven Samurai forThe Mirisch Company, the picture proved a disappointment on its initial release in the U.S. However, it was hugely popular in Europe and has had enduring popularity. Its ultimate success led to Brynner's signing a three-picture deal with the Mirisches.[45] The film was especially popular in theSoviet Union, where it sold 67million tickets.[46] He then made a cameo inGoodbye Again (1961).
Brynner became anaturalized U.S. citizen, aged 22, in 1943, while living in New York as an actor and radio announcer,[5] andrenounced his US citizenship at the U.S. Embassy inBern, Switzerland, in June 1965 to avoid being bankrupted by taxes and penalties from theInternal Revenue Service; he had stayed in the United States long enough to lose thetax exemption given to American residents working abroad.[49]
Yul Brynner was married four times and had five children. His first wife (1944–1960) was the American actress Virginia Gilmore (1919–1986), with whom he had a son, Yul (better known as Rock) Brynner Jr. (1946–2023), a historian, novelist, and lecturer. His second wife (1960–1967) was the Chilean model Doris Kleiner (1931–2025), with whom he had a daughter, Victoria Brynner (born 1962), a businesswoman and consultant in the fashion and luxury industry, the founder of Stardust Brands. His third wife (1971–1981) was the French noblewoman and socialite Jacqueline Thion de la Chaume (1932–2013), with whom he adopted two Vietnamese children, Mia and Melody Brynner, in 1974 and 1975. Yul also adopted another daughter, Lark Brynner (born 1958 or 1959), who was born to him out of wedlock by Frankie Tilden (born 1939). His fourth wife (1983–1985) was the much younger ballerina Kathy Lee (born 1957). They had no children together.
In 2006, Brynner's son Rock wrote a book about his father and his family history titledEmpire and Odyssey: The Brynners in Far East Russia and Beyond. He regularly returned to Vladivostok, the city of his father's birth, for the Pacific Meridian Film Festival.
In 1979, Brynner settled out of court after allegedly contractingtrichinosis atTrader Vic's in New York City.[50]
In September 1983, Brynner suffered a sore throat, his voice changed and doctors found a lump on his vocal cords. In Los Angeles, only hours before his 4,000th performance inThe King and I, he received the test results, which indicated that he had inoperablelung cancer, though his throat was not affected. Brynner had begunsmoking heavily at age 12. Although he had quit in 1971, his promotional photos often still showed him with acigarette in hand, or acigar in his mouth. He and the national tour of the musical were forced to take a few months off while he underwent radiation therapy, which damaged his throat and made singing and speaking difficult.[17] The tour then resumed.[51][52]
In January 1985, the tour reached New York for a farewell Broadway run. Aware he was dying, Brynner gave an interview onGood Morning America discussing thedangers of smoking and expressing his desire to make an anti-smoking commercial. The Broadway production ofThe King and I ran from January 7 to June 30 of that year. His last performance, a few months before his death, marked the 4,625th time he had played the role of the King.
In addition to his work as a director and performer, Brynner was an active photographer and wrote two books. His daughter Victoria put togetherYul Brynner: Photographer,[53] a collection of his photographs of family, friends, and fellow actors, as well as those he took while serving as a UN special consultant on refugees.[54][55][56]
Brynner wroteBring Forth the Children: A Journey to the Forgotten People of Europe and the Middle East (1960), with photographs by himself and Magnum photographerInge Morath, andThe Yul Brynner Cookbook: Food Fit for the King and You (1983).[57]
He enjoyed singing gypsy songs. In 1967, Dimitrievitch and he released a record albumThe Gypsy and I: Yul Brynner Sings Gypsy Songs (Vanguard VSD 79265).
Yul Brynner had a long affair withMarlene Dietrich, who was 19 years his senior, beginning during the first production ofThe King and I.[59]
Brynner in 1959
In 1959, Brynner fathered a daughter, Lark Brynner, with Frankie Tilden, who was 20 years old. Lark lived with her mother and Brynner supported her financially. His second wife, from 1960 to 1967, Doris Kleiner (1931–2025)[60] was a Chilean model whom he married on the set during shooting ofThe Magnificent Seven in 1960. They had one child,Victoria Brynner (born November 1962), whose godmother wasAudrey Hepburn.[61] Belgian novelist and artistMonique Watteau was also romantically linked with Brynner, from 1961 to 1967.[62]
His third wife (1971–1981), Jacqueline Simone Thion de la Chaume (1932–2013), a French socialite, was the widow of Philippe de Croisset (son of French playwrightFrancis de Croisset and a publishing executive). Brynner and Jacqueline adopted two Vietnamese children: Mia (1974) and Melody (1975). The first house Brynner owned was the Manoir de Criquebœuf, a 16th-century manor house in northwestern France that Jacqueline and he purchased.[49] His third marriage broke up, reportedly owing to his 1980 announcement that he would continue in the role of the King for another long tour and Broadway run, as well as his affairs with female fans and his neglect of his wife and children.[63]
On April 4, 1983, aged 62, Brynner married his fourth wife, Kathy Lee (born 1957), a 26-year-old ballerina fromIpoh, Malaysia, whom he had met in the London production ofThe King and I. They remained married for the last two years of his life. His longtime close friends Meredith A. Disney and her sons Charles Elias Disney and Daniel H. Disney attended Brynner and Lee's final performances ofThe King and I.[64]
Brynner died of lung cancer on October 10, 1985, atNew York Hospital at the age of 65.[65][66] His remains were cremated and the ashes were buried in the grounds of the Saint-Michel-de-Bois-Aubry Orthodox monastery, nearLuzé, betweenTours andPoitiers in France.[67]
Prior to his death, with the help of theAmerican Cancer Society, Brynner created apublic service announcement using a clip from theGood Morning America interview. A few days after his death, it premiered on all major US television networks and in other countries. Brynner used the announcement to express his desire to make an anti-smoking commercial after discovering he had cancer, and his death was imminent. He then looked directly into the camera for 30 seconds and said, "Now that I'm gone, I tell you: Don't smoke. Whatever you do, just don't smoke. If I could take back that smoking, we wouldn't be talking about any cancer. I'm convinced of that." His year of birth, in one version of the commercial, was incorrectly given as 1915.[68]
ComedianBill Hicks who was a proud smoker, poked fun at the commercial on his 1992 albumRelentless.[69]
On September 28, 2012, a 2.4-m-tall statue was inaugurated at Yul Brynner Park, in front of the home where Brynner was born at Aleutskaya St. No. 15 in Vladivostok, Russia. Created by local sculptor Alexei Bokiy, the monument was carved in granitemonolith that was acquired in China and delivered to Vladivostok, Russia. It depicts him in the role of King Mongkut of Siam fromThe King and I. The grounds for the park were donated by the city of Vladivostok, which also paid additional costs. Vladivostok Mayor Igor Pushkariov, US Consul General Sylvia Curran, and Brynner's son, Rock, participated in the ceremony, along with hundreds of local residents.
The Briner family cottage in suburban Vladivostok is now a Yul Brynner museum.[70]
In 1956, Brynner imprinted his hands and feet into the concrete pavement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. In 1960, Brynner was honored with a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6162Hollywood Boulevard.
In 2022, a podcast was launched celebrating his filmography, entitled "Here's Looking at Yul, Kid," and has included guests such asRon Howard.[71]
Brynner spent many years living, studying, and working in France, and his last will stated his wish to be buried there. His resting place atAbbaye royale Saint-Michel de Bois-Aubry has a memorial mention dedicated to him.
^abcdUnited States Declaration of Intent (Document No. 541593), Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685–2004, filed June 4, 1943
^Klímová-Alexander, Ilona (2007). "The Development and Institutionalization of Romani Representation and Administration. Part 3b: From National Organizations to International Umbrellas (1945–1970)—the International Level".Nationalities Papers.35 (4).Cambridge University Press:627–661.doi:10.1080/00905990701475079.S2CID154810008.Yul Brynner (the half-Romani Hollywood star)
^"Future Still in Doubt for Power's Last Film: One of 3 Coproducers Reportedly Engaged Yul Brynner Without Consulting Partners". Los Angeles Times. November 19, 1958. p. 28.
Harvey Fierstein / Marco Paguia, David Oquendo, Renesito Avich, Gustavo Schartz, Javier Días, Román Diaz, Mauricio Herrera, Jesus Ricardo, Eddie Venegas, Hery Paz, and Leonardo Reyna / Jamie Harrison, Chris Fisher, Gary Beestone, and Edward Pierce (2025)
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