Photo: CBS Television / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Yul Brynner is one of those rare performers who could dominate both stage and screen without ever raising his voice. What strikes me most is the breadth behind the icon: born in Vladivostok, he was also a photographer, director, musician and author, not just the shaven-headed King of The King and I. Winning a Tony and then an Oscar for the same role is a feat almost no one matches. At only 173 cm he commanded a frame entirely through presence and that unmistakable voice. I admire how he stripped his style down to pure authority, a kind of stillness that modern leading men rarely achieve.
Overview
Yuliy Borisovich Briner (Russian: Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner (Russian: Юл Бриннер), was a Russian and American actor. He was known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical The King and I (1951), for which he won two Tony Awards, and later an Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1956 film adaptation.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Yul Brynner
- Name (Japanese)
- ユル・ブリンナー
- Reading
- ゆる・ぶりんなー
- Born
- July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Monkey
- Origin
- Vladivostok, Russia
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 173 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film actor / television director / photographer / writer / musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1952 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical
- 1957 Academy Award for Best Actor
- 1956 National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
- 1985 Special Tony Award
- 1999 Grammy Hall of Fame
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 1952 Tony Awards
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film actor — see all → · Television director — see all → · More people from Russia →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.