On July 11th 1920, a charismatic male child was born to Boris Brynner and Marousia Blagavidova in USSR, Russia. The boy’s future like that of all monarchs and emperors, was mapped out by the hand of destiny: he would be heir to the throne of Hollywood. King and legend of film, the title would remain synonymous with his name permanently.
There is much controversy surrounding Yul’s true identity. Reports claim he purposely misled media and public alike regarding his background. Allegations insist he often gave different accounts of his biographical details in order to create an atmosphere of suspense and mystery. This in turns suggests the sex symbol enjoyed toying with his already dangerously alluring magnetism. Some sources say Yul was born on Sakhalin Island, Russia and that he was half Japanese with his real name being Taidje Khan while alternative references indicate otherwise. His date of birth also varies between archives. Some records indicate he was born in 1915 while others claim 1920 as a birth date. We can state the following with confidence: his grandfather was a doctor and his father an engineer/inventor of Swiss-Mongolian background.
Irrespective of specific details related to the actor's childhood years, one fact is without ambiguity: he was the magnificent Yul Brynner, the man who was born to be king of screen and stage. Millions of women were to desire him not only at the time when he made his first appearance in movies, but until this very day. Millions of men were to idolize him and wish they had only a fraction of his sex appeal and charm. Actors were to continue looking up to him for his immaculate role portrayal, his powerful voice, clarity of speech and exotic accent.
After the break-up of his parents’ marriage, Yul was taken by his mother to China where he attended school. Mother and son later moved to Paris. There the young Russian appeared in clubs, singing and playing guitar. He also made appearances as a trapeze artist with Cirque d' Hiver.
Yul spoke both the French and Russian languages fluently. His talents drew an impressive following amongst Czarist ex-patriats of Paris. Proceeding with the course of his career, Brynner joined Theatre des Mathurins. In 1941 he travelled to the U.S. and dedicated himself to acting. He studied under Michael Checkov who hired Yul for his theatre company. The young artist made his U.S. debut by playing the role of Fabian in ‘Twelfth Night’.
After a few years of acting, Yul was invited to work for the Office of War Information and the French radio service, as an announcer. In 1946 he portrayed Tsai-Yong in the Broadway stage production ‘Lute Song’. His skill in interpreting this role saw him receive a Donaldson Award for "Most Promising Actor". Yul continued on to do theatre in London and to direct live television programmes in the United States, such as ‘Life with Snarky Parker’, a children’s puppet show. In 1949 he made his first movie appearance in the film ‘Port of New York’. Two years later, due to his impressive work in ‘Lute Song’, Yul Brynner was chosen to play the king of Siam in a musical, ‘The King And I’.
Originally Gertrude Lawrence was supposed to be the focus of this stage production, giving lesser importance to the role of the king. Because of Yul Brynner's remarkable work, alterations were called for. This meant cutting back supporting actors’ roles. Omission of scenes allowed extra time for the breathtaking Russian. King And I was a huge success. Yul Brynner was elected to play the role of Thai monarch for a screen project. Meanwhile public demand ensured the new megastar was to continue portraying the ruler of Siam on stage, indefinitely. Brynner’s work in a 1955 film counterpart of the theatrical masterpiece earned him an Oscar for "Best Actor".
Right up to a couple of months before his death, Yul made hit appearances in theatre productions of ‘The King And I’. Brynner never failed to draw huge audiences. Until 1985, crowds overwhelmed all venues honoured with his presence. Public demand meant every performance was to a full house. By this stage the actor who notoriously smoked Camel cigarettes, became ill with lung cancer. Despite the fact he was no longer able to demonstrate his awe-inspiring waltz scenes nor to sing, he refused to let his public witness his condition. Two months before the sad ending to Yul's battle with cancer ‘The King And I’ closed. Before passing away, Yul participated in a public announcement urging people not to smoke. |
