Lark brynner biography definition

Yul Brynner was an actor most famous for his portrayal of King Mongkut in Rodger and Hammerstein’s musical, ‘The King and I’. Writing this article brought back many fond memories of my childhood. When I was a child, my parents let me watch the old 1956 version of ‘The King And I’ and I was held spellbound by Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr’s performance, especially when they sang ‘Shall We Dance’.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/ShallWeDance1.mp4

After researching Yul Brynner’s life, I had mixed feelings about him. I knew he was talented and successful but I also discovered that he had a hidden past which he kept secret for quite a while. However in spite of all that, he was passionate in helping others. He used his fame to champion the plight of refugees and took up the position as Special Consultant for Refugees with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Even when he was dying of lung cancer, he made it a point to bring awareness to the very cause of his cancer – smoking.

I deeply rejoice that he used his fame to lessen other people’s suffering. At the end of the day, no matter how successful we are, nobody can escape death. Therefore, we should use our time wisely.

I hope you enjoy reading this short article about this multi-talented actor, author, singer, activist and photographer who played the role of King Mongkut an incredible 4,625 times!

Valentina

Born on 11 July 1920 in Vladivostok, Russia, Yul Brynner was given the name Yuli Borisovich Briner. His father was a mining engineer named Boris Yuliyevich Briner of mixed Swiss-German and Russian descent. His mother was Marousia Dimitrievna of Russian descent. Yul Brynner was named after his paternal grandfather, Jules Briner. He also inherited the Buryat-Mongolian ancestry through hi

Table of contents :
A note on Yul Brynner's name. --
Introduction. --
1. Past imperfect. --
2. Gypsy king. --
3. Television debut. --
4. I'm the king! etc., etc., etc. --
5. Dietrich and Crawford. --
6. Cecil B. DeMille. --
7. Once upon a time in Hollywood. --
8. A bastard with a heart of gold. --
9. The Magnificent Seven. --
10. Surprise flops. --
11. Terrible choices. --
12. Westworld. --
13. Long live the king! --
Filmography. --
Stage appearances. --
Documentaries, music and soundtracks, radio programs and television appearances. --
Brynner as director. --
Notes.

Citation preview

Yul Brynner

ALSO BY MICHELANGELO CAPUA Vivien Leigh: A Biography (McFarland, 2003) Montgomery Clift: A Biography (McFarland, 2003)

Yul Brynner A Biography MICHELANGELO CAPUA

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Capua, Michelangelo, ¡966– Yul Brynner : a biography / Michelangelo Capua. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-¡3: 978-0-7864-2461-0 (softcover : 50# alkaline paper) ¡. Brynner, Yul. 2. Actors— United States— Biography. I. Title. PN2287.B74C37 2006 792.02'8092 — dc22 20060¡3607 British Library cataloguing data are available ©2006 Michelangelo Capua. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. On the cover: Yul Brynner in an undated publicity shot Manufactured in the United States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com

To Yaakov

Acknowledgments For their assistance and support, I am indebted to many friends, without whom the completion of this project would have been impossible. I would lik

(1920-1985)

Who Was Yul Brynner?

Actor Yul Brynner began playing his most famous role, King Mongkut of Siam in The King and I, on Broadway in 1951. After more than three years and 1,246 performances, he starred in the film version in 1956, winning an Academy Award for best actor. Brynner then returned to the stage for 3,379 more theatrical performances. He also starred in such classic films as The Ten Commandments and The Magnificent Seven.

Early Life and Career

Yul Brynner was born Yuliy Borisovich Bryner on July 11, 1920, in Vladivostok, Russia, to father Boris Bryner, a Swiss-Mongolian engineer, and mother Marousia Blagavidova. While Brynner is best known for his acting career, and, more specifically, for his baldpate, rich voice and compelling screen presence, he was also a musician in his early years. After his father abandoned the family, Brynner's mother took him and his sister to China, then to Paris, where he played guitar and sang gypsy songs in Parisian nightclubs.

After a brief career as a trapeze artist in France, Brynner moved to the United States in 1941 and began acting with a touring company. He made his Broadway debut in Lute Sang in 1946.

'The King and I'

In 1949, Brynner made his film debut in Port of New York, co-starring with Scott Brady and Richard Rober. Not long after, he landed his most famous role, playing King Mongkut of Siam in Oscar and Hammerstein's production of The King and I in 1951. Actress Mary Martin had recommended Brynner for the role in the Broadway musical, and the actor garnered wide critical and commercial acclaim for his performance.

Movies: 'The Ten Commandments' and 'The Magnificent Seven.'

After more than three years and 1,246 performances, Brynner reprised the role of King Mongkut for the screen version of The King and I in 1956, winning an Academy Award for best actor for his performance in the film. The dazzling, Academy Award-winning success that might have become a trap

1963 British film by J. Lee Thompson

This article is about the film. For the band, see Kings of the Sun (band).

Kings of the Sun is a 1963 DeLuxe Color film directed by J. Lee Thompson for Mirisch Productions set in Mesoamerica at the time of the conquest of Chichen Itza by Hunac Ceel. Location scenes were filmed in Mazatlán and Chichen Itza. The film marks the second project Thompson completed with Yul Brynner within a year — the other being Taras Bulba.

Plot

Balam is the son of the ruler of a Mayan city-state whose people use wooden swords (with obsidian edges). His father is killed in battle against metal-blade armed rivals led by Hunac Ceel. Balam succeeds to the throne, but is convinced by his advisers, including the head priest, to lead his followers away from the Yucatán, sail to the American Gulf Coast region, so they might regain their strength and fight again another day.

Balam's party comes to a coastal settlement with many boats. Balam wants the population of the settlement to join him with their boats. The settlement's chief agrees if Balam agrees to marry his daughter, Ixchel, and make her Queen. Balam agrees.

The new land they arrive in across the Gulf is a province occupied by a Native American tribe led by Black Eagle. They are none too pleased about these strange, uninvited immigrants. In a small raid to capture one of the Mayans, Black Eagle is wounded and taken captive to the Mayans' fortified settlement. Balam's love interest Ixchel tends to the Indian's wounds and gains an interested suitor, one who is more forthcoming with his love for her.

Balam is under pressure to resume their custom of human sacrifice by sacrificing Black Eagle. Balam has always been against the policy of human sacrifice and sets Black Eagle free.

Eventually, the two leaders agree to coexist in peace. However, due to jealousy, they quarrel over Ixchel and the Native Americans depart, just as Hunac Ceel finds Balam an