Shooting Star
Lucy Silberman
In 1956, Yul Brynner’s cinematic triple-header- playing the polyamorous, hard-ruling King of Siam in The King and I, the vengeful Pharaoh Ramses II in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, and a Russian expat mentor to Ingrid Bergman’s faux Rominov princess in Anastasia- established him as one of the most talented young actors of his generation. Nearly 25 years after his death, Brynner’s lesser-known passion-photography- is being presented to the public. Curated and compiled by his daughter, Victoria Brynner, Yul Brynner: a Photographic Journey (Edition L7) features intimate portraits of friends (Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn), behind-the-scenes industry snapshots (Dean Martin joking with Jerry Lewis), and personal photographs (including Brynner family photos). Split into four volumes, with forwards by Bruce Weber, Martin Scorsese, Stefano Tonchi, and longtime Interview editor Ingrid Sischy, Yul not only captures the actor’s life but also provides a window on the world as Brynner saw it-and a spectacular one a that. An exhibition, Yul, Yul Brynner: A Photographic Journey, will also be on view at New York City’s Lehmann Maupin Gallery from September 12-25.