Editing Yul Brynner (section)

===1950s===
====''The King and I''====
The next year, at the urging of Martin, Brynner auditioned for [[Rodgers 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.<ref>Capua, pp. 26, 28</ref>

[[File:King dictates to Anna.jpg|thumb|left|alt=woman kneeling in front of a standing man; the two are conversing and each is gesturing with one hand as if ringing a small bell|Brynner with [[Gertrude Lawrence]] in the original production of ''The King and&nbsp;I'' (1951)]]
Brynner's role as [[King Mongkut]] in ''[[The King and I]]'' (4,625 times on stage) became his best known. He appeared in the original 1951 production opposite [[Gertrude 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 the [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical]] for the first of these Broadway productions and a special Tony for the last.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tonyawards.com/winners/?q=brynner|title=Winners|website=www.tonyawards.com}}</ref> 

He reprised the role in the [[The King and I (1956 film)|1956 film version]], for which he won an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] as [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]. He also played it in ''[[Anna and the King (TV series)|Anna and the King]]'', a short-lived TV series on [[CBS]] in 1972. Brynner is one of only ten people who have won both a Tony and an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for the same role.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/history/facts/|title=tonyawards.com|access-date=August 9, 2013|archive-date=July 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704091953/http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/history/facts/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1951 Brynner shaved his head for his role in ''The King and I''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yul Brynner, 65, dies of cancer in N.Y. hospital|newspaper=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|date=October 10, 1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Lost' actor stars in West End's 'King'|url=http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2009/06/18/Lost-actor-stars-in-West-Ends-King/UPI-54921245381356|newspaper=UPI.com}}</ref> Following the huge success of the Broadway production and subsequent film, Brynner continued to shave his head for the rest of his life. He wore a wig when necessary for certain roles. Brynner's shaven head was unusual at the time, and his striking appearance helped to give him an exotic appeal.<ref>{{cite book|last=Brynner|first=Rock|title=Empire & odyssey: the Brynners in Far East Russia and beyond|year=2006|publisher=Steerforth Press}}</ref> Some fans shaved off their hair to imitate him.<ref>{{cite book|last=Crouse|first=Richard|title=Reel Winners: Movie Award Trivia|publisher=Dundurn|year=2005|url=https://archive.org/details/reelwinnersmovie0000crou|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/reelwinnersmovie0000crou/page/171 171]}}</ref> A shaven head was often referred to as the "Yul Brynner look".<ref>{{cite book|last=Doyle|first=Hubert|title=Ventures with the World of Celebrities, Movies & TV|year=2008|publisher=Joshua Tree |isbn=9780976867760|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IywAvmhXLPkC&pg=PA112}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Douty|first=Linda|title=How Did I Get to Be 70 When I'm 35 Inside?: Spiritual Surprises of Later Life|year=2011|publisher=SkyLight Paths |isbn=9781594732973|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WWL0FrvB0PIC&pg=PA50}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last=Yacowar|first=Maurice|title=The Bold Testament|year=1999|publisher=Bayeus |isbn=9781896209319|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9eX060DD19MC&pg=PA139}}</ref>

Brynner's second motion picture was the film version of ''[[The King and I (1956 film)|The King and I]]'' (1956) with [[Deborah Kerr]]. It was a huge success critically and commercially.<ref>Miller, Frank. [https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/121565 ''The King and I''] tcm.com, retrieved May 30, 2019</ref>

[[File:Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments (1956) (cropped).jpg|right|upright|thumb|Brynner as Ramesses II in ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]'' (1956)]]
[[Cecil B. de Mille]] hired Brynner for ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]'' (1956) to play [[Ramesses II]] opposite [[Charlton Heston]] after seeing him in the stage version of ''The King and I,'' telling Brynner backstage that he was the only person for the role.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yul Brynner: The Ten Commandments|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObdUuw5JETo |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ObdUuw5JETo| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|website=YouTube| date=November 2, 2010 |publisher=Janson Media|access-date=April 2, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He rounded out his year with ''[[Anastasia (1956 film)|Anastasia]]'' (1956), co-starring with [[Ingrid Bergman]] under the direction of [[Anatole Litvak]]. Both films were big hits and Brynner became one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood. {{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

MGM cast Brynner as one of ''[[The Brothers Karamazov (1958 film)|The Brothers Karamazov]]'' (1958), which was another commercial success. Less so was ''[[The Buccaneer (1958 film)|The Buccaneer]]'' (1958), in which Brynner played [[Jean Lafitte]]; he co-starred with Heston, [[Inger Stevens]], [[Claire Bloom]] and [[Charles Boyer]] in a historically accurate tale of the [[Battle of New Orleans]]. The film was produced by De Mille and directed by [[Anthony Quinn]].

MGM used Brynner again in ''[[The Journey (1959 film)|The Journey]]'' (1959), opposite Kerr under the direction of Litvak, but the film lost money. So too did ''[[The Sound and the Fury (1959 film)|The Sound and the Fury]]'' (1959) based on the novel by [[William Faulkner]] with [[Joanne Woodward]].

However, Brynner then received an offer to replace [[Tyrone Power]], who had died during the making of ''[[Solomon and Sheba]]'' (1959) with [[Gina Lollobrigida]]. The movie was a huge hit, which postponed the development of a planned Brynner film about [[Spartacus]]. When the [[Kirk Douglas]] film ''[[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]'' (1960) came out, Brynner elected not to make his own version.<ref>"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.</ref>