Birth name Yuliy Borisovich Briner NationalitySuisse Birth 11 july 1920 at Vladivostok (Russie) Death 10 october 1985 (at 65 years) at New York City (USA) Awards Academy Award for Best Actor
Yul Brynner (born Yuly Borisovich Briner, Russian: Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985) was a Russian-born United States-based film and stage actor.
Brynner was best known for his portrayals of Rameses II in the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille blockbuster The Ten Commandments, and of King Mongkut of Siam in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won two Tony Awards and an Academy Award for the film version. He played the role 4625 times on stage. He portrayed General Bounine in the 1956 film Anastasia and Chris Adams in The Magnificent Seven.
Brynner was noted for his distinctive voice and for his shaved head, which he maintained as a personal trademark long after adopting it in 1951 for his role in The King and I. Earlier, he was a model and television director, and later a photographer and the author of two books.
Biography
Brynner married four times. The first three marriages ended in divorce. He fathered three children and adopted two. He and his first wife, actress Virginia Gilmore (1944–1960), had one child, Rock Yul Brynner (born December 23, 1946). His father nicknamed him "Rock" when he was six years old in honor of boxer Rocky Graziano. Rock is a historian, novelist, and university history lecturer at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York and Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut.
In 2006, Rock wrote a book about his father and his family history titled Empire and Odyssey: The Brynners in Far East Russia and Beyond. He regularly returns to Vladivostok, the city of his father's birth, for the "Pacific Meridian" Film Festival. Yul Brynner had a long affair with Marlene Dietrich, who was 19 years his senior, beginning during the first production of The King and I.
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, was a Chilean model whom he married on the set during shooting of The Magnificent Seven in 1960. They had one child, Victoria Brynner (born November 1962), whose godmother was Audrey Hepburn. Belgian novelist and artist Monique Watteau was also romantically linked with Brynner, from 1961–67.
His third wife, Jacqueline Thion de la Chaume (1971–1981), a French socialite, was the widow of Philippe de Croisset (son of French playwright Francis 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 Criqueboeuf, a sixteenth-century manor house that he and Jacqueline purchased. His 1980 announcement that he would continue in the role of the King for another long tour and Broadway run, together with his affairs with female fans and his neglect of his wife and children, purportedly broke up this marriage.
On April 4, 1983, aged 62, Brynner married his fourth and last wife, Kathyyam Lee (born 1957/1958), a 24-year-old ballerina from Malaysia, whom he had met in a production of The King and I in which she had a small dancing role. They remained married for the last two years (1983–85) of his life.
, 1h54 Directed byStig Björkman GenresDocumentary, Historical ThemesDocumentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry ActorsAlicia Vikander, Isabella Rossellini, Roberto Rossellini, Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann, Sigourney Weaver Roles Self (archive footage) Rating73% Nommée sept fois aux Oscars, Ingrid Bergman y fut récompensée trois fois. Elle fut une des actrices les plus talentueuses de l’âge d’or du cinéma hollywoodien et ses rôles dans des films comme CASABLANCA (1942), HANTISE (1944) et SONATE D’AUTOMNE (1978) sont inoubliables. En partant d’archives privées et d’interviews de ses enfants, ce film dresse un portrait personnel et offre aux spectateurs un aperçu de la vie exceptionnelle d’une jeune Suédoise qui devint l’une des plus célèbres actrices des États-Unis et du monde.
, 1h32 Directed byAntonio Margheriti OriginItalie GenresThriller, Action, Crime ActorsYul Brynner, Barbara Bouchet, Martin Balsam, Massimo Ranieri, Giacomo Furia, Giancarlo Sbragia Roles Peter Marciani Rating52% A chance for revenge brings a hit man out of retirement in this crime drama directed by genre specialist Antonio Margheriti (aka Anthony M. Dawson). Sal Leonardi is a well-connected American Mafioso who, while vacationing in Naples, visits a racetrack and is persuaded by good natured tout Angelo (Massimo Raniei) to put his money on a long shot. While Angelo sometimes works around the odds at the track by putting front-running horses off their stride with a pellet gun, in this case Angelo's horse wins without outside interference and pays off big. But after Sal collects his winnings, he's spotted by Gennare Gallo (Giancarlo Sbragia), a local mob boss who holds a grudge against Sal's partners; guns are drawn, Sal and his bodyguards are killed, while Angelo, who is also a police informant, is stripped of his winnings. Back in New York, Leonardi's partners are eager to even the score against Gallo, and they approach Peter Marciani (Yul Brynner), a former hired killer who retired after the traumatic murder of his brother. Peter is persuaded to assassinate Gallo when he learns that the Italian mobster was behind the murder of his brother; Peter flies to Naples and finds an ally in Angelo, but he soon learns that there's more to this story than he's been led to believe.
, 1h44 Directed byRichard T. Heffron OriginUSA GenresScience fiction, Thriller, Action, Adventure ThemesFilms about writers, Films about journalists, Films set in the future, Dystopian films, Robot films ActorsPeter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner, John P. Ryan, John P. Ryan Roles The Gunslinger Rating57% Two years after the Westworld tragedy (the date June 20, 1985, is seen on the check presented to the game show winner in the opening scene), the Delos corporation owners have reopened the park following $1.5 billion in safety improvements. For publicity purposes, newspaper reporter Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda) and TV reporter Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner) are invited to review the park. Just before the junket is announced, Browning arranges to meet with a Delos employee who promises he has dirt on the corporation. During the meeting, the tipster is shot in the back and dies after giving Browning an envelope.
, 1h28 Directed byMichael Crichton OriginUSA GenresDrama, Science fiction, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Horror, Western ThemesFilms set in the future, Dystopian films, Robot films ActorsYul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Alan Oppenheimer, Victoria Shaw, Dick Van Patten Roles The Gunslinger Rating68% Sometime in the near future a high-tech, highly-realistic adult amusement park called Delos features three themed "worlds" — West World (the American Old West), Medieval World (medieval Europe), and Roman World (the pre-Christian city of Pompeii). The resort's three "worlds" are populated with lifelike androids that are practically indistinguishable from human beings, each programmed in character for their assigned historical environment. For $1,000 per day, guests may indulge in any adventure with the android population of the park, including sexual encounters and even a fight to the death, depending on the android model. Delos' tagline in its advertising promises "Have we got a vacation for you!"
, 2h4 Directed byHenri Verneuil OriginFrance GenresDrama, Thriller, Action, Spy ThemesSpy films, Radio, Political films ActorsYul Brynner, Henry Fonda, Jean Desailly, Dirk Bogarde, Philippe Noiret, Michel Bouquet Roles Col. Alexi Vlassov Rating61% Aleksey Teodorovic Vlassov (Yul Brynner) is a high ranking KGB official who defects while in France. He has with him highly-classified information as part of a deal with Western intelligence for his arrival in the United States. The debriefing is held at Langley by DCI Allan Davies (Henry Fonda) and MI6 representative Philip Boyle (Dirk Bogarde). Vlassov hands off a list of enemy agents in Western Europe including a deep penetration into NATO. Davies wants to begin operations to arrest the agents; however, those on the list suddenly begin to die off. The CIA also has suspicions over the authenticity of Vlassov's claims. The CIA discovers that a defection photo of Vlassov was taken in the Soviet Union, not in Turkey, judging from the contours of Mt. Ararat in the background. Vlassov also fails a lie detector test after he angrily protests about sexual related questions asked by the CIA during the test.
, 1h32 Directed byRichard Colla OriginUSA GenresDrama, Comedy, Action, Crime ThemesBuddy films ActorsBurt Reynolds, Jack Weston, Tom Skerritt, Yul Brynner, Raquel Welch, Dominic Chianese Roles The Deaf Man Rating54% Detectives Steve Carella (Reynolds), Meyer Meyer (Weston), Eileen McHenry (Welch) and Bert Kling (Skeritt) are part of the 87th Precinct's team, investigating a murder-extortion racket run by a mysterious deaf man (Brynner). While attempting to investigate and prevent the murders of several high-ranking city officials, they also must keep track of the perpetrators of a string of robberies. Further complicating matters is a rash of arson attacks on homeless men.
, 1h41 Directed byAbraham Polonsky OriginUSA GenresDrama, Adventure, Historical ActorsYul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Jane Birkin, Serge Gainsbourg, David Opatoshu, Henri Serre Roles Captain Stoloff Rating51% In Polish Russia, Stoloff, a Cossack in exile has gained control over a Jewish village. The villagers live by horse-thievery and under the leadership of Kifke. Stoloff's regime is tolerated until he commandeers the village's horses for the Russian army. Naomi has been away in France and gotten ideas of a revolution and inspires the town to resist. This gets Naomi into deep trouble, from which only Kifke and his compatriot Zanvil can rescue her. Zanvil is highly motivated since he is in love with Naomi.
, 2h OriginUSA GenresDrama, Fantasy, Action, Adventure ThemesSeafaring films, Transport films, Pirate films ActorsYul Brynner, Kirk Douglas, Samantha Eggar, Fernando Rey, Massimo Ranieri, Renato Salvatori Roles Jonathan Kongre Rating59% The year is 1865. Will Denton (Kirk Douglas) is a jaded American miner escaping a troubled past. Seeking isolation for two reasons - to mend his broken heart after a failed romance during the California Gold Rush, and also to escape punishment after he murdered a man in a gunfight - Denton tends a lonely and isolated lighthouse with a minimal crew of three men, himself included.
, 1h44 Directed byGianfranco Parolini OriginItalie GenresWar, Action, Western, Spaghetti Western ThemesPolitical films ActorsYul Brynner, Dean Reed, Ignazio Spalla, Salvatore Borgese, Gérard Herter, Franco Fantasia Roles Sabata / Indio Black Rating59% Set in Mexico under the rule of Emperor Maximilian I, Sabata is hired by the guerrilla leader Señor Ocaño to steal a wagonload of gold from the Austrian army. However, when Sabata and his partners Escudo and Ballantine obtain the wagon, they find it is not full of gold but of sand, and that the gold was taken by Austrian Colonel Skimmel. So Sabata plans to steal back the gold.
, 1h32 Directed byJoseph McGrath OriginUnited-kingdom GenresComedy ActorsPeter Sellers, Ringo Starr, John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Caroline Blakiston Roles Transvestite Cabaret Singer Rating58% Sir Guy Grand (Peter Sellers), an eccentric billionaire, together with his newly adopted heir (formerly a homeless derelict), Youngman Grand (Ringo Starr), start playing elaborate practical jokes on people. A big spender, Grand does not mind handing out large sums of money to various people, bribing them to fulfill his whims, or shocking them by bringing down what they hold dear. Their misadventures are designed as a display of father Grand to his adoptive charge that "everyone has their price"—it just depends on the amount one is prepared to pay. They start from rather minor spoofs, like bribing a Shakespearean actor (Laurence Harvey) to strip during a stage performance of Hamlet, and convincing a traffic warden (Spike Milligan) to take back a parking ticket and eat it (delighted by the size of the bribe, he eats its plastic cover too) and proceed with increasingly elaborate stunts involving higher social strata and wider audiences. As their conversation reveals, Grand sees his plots as 'educational' ("Well, you know, Youngman, sometimes it's not enough merely to teach. One has to punish as well").
, 2h55 Directed byVeljko Bulajić OriginUSA GenresDrama, War ThemesPolitique, Political films ActorsSerge Bondartchouk, Yul Brynner, Curd Jürgens, Anthony Dawson, Hardy Krüger, Milena Dravić Roles Vlado Rating69% Début 1943, pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, en Yougoslavie occupée, les Partisans sont confrontés à l'offensive Weiss menée par les Allemands et les Italiens. Afin de leur échapper, les résistants communistes doivent traverser la rivière Neretva, mais les Tchetniks, en cheville avec les occupants, leur barrent la route...