Yul Brynner's shaved head
Yul Brynner's shaved head refers to the bald pate of the American actor Yul Brynner. Brynner made a bold decision in 1951[1] to shave his head for his iconic role of the king,[2] in the Broadway musical The King and I. Following the huge success of the Broadway production and subsequent film, Brynner continued to shave his head for the rest of his life, though he would sometimes wear a wig for certain acting roles. Brynner's shaved head was extremely unusual at the time, no other lead actor looked this way and Brynner became synonymous with the shaved head look. His visually striking appearance helped to give him an iconic appeal.[3]
Such was Brynner's popularity that some fans would adopt this extreme look, even young high school students shaved off their hair in order to emulate him.[4] A completely bald shaved head is often referred to as the Yul Brynner look.[5][6][7]
References
- ^ "Yul Brynner, 65, dies of cancer in N.Y. hospital". The Baltimore Sun. 10 October 1985.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "'Lost' actor stars in West End's 'King'". UPI.com.
- ^ Brynner, Rock (2006). Empire & odyssey: the Brynners in Far East Russia and beyond. Steerforth Press.
- ^ Crouse, Richard (2005). Reel Winners: Movie Award Trivia.
- ^ Doyle, Hubert (2008). Ventures with the World of Celebrities, Movies & TV.
- ^ Douty, Linda (2011). How Did I Get to Be 70 When I'm 35 Inside?: Spiritual Surprises of Later Life.
- ^ Yacowar, Maurice (1999). The Bold Testament.