When his nude photograph was taken in 1942, Russian-born actor Yul Brynner was not yet famous. He was still struggling and trying to make a name for himself. However, he did make his Broadway debut in 1941, playing a part in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Therefore, he wasn’t entirely unknown and unrecognizable, which tells a lot about his willingness to get photographed nude when it was so looked down upon during the time. Brynner was just on the brink of fame when he chose to risk his future. He became a very successful Broadway actor, starring in over 4,000 performances. He acted in films as well, and his breakthrough performance in the musical The King and I brought him immediate acclaim and a Tony Award in 1952. He continued his movie star career until the mid-70s. Although his achievements are interesting and impressive, it is noteworthy that this photograph shows Brynner’s authentic self before Hollywood and fame took over. Further into his career, he became known for his shaved head (as seen in Dorothy Wilding’s 1951 photograph Yul Brynner), but Lynes captured him as a young, struggling actor, still with his hair, doing whatever he could to get a little money and not caring what other people thought about it.

“Yul Brynner.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 3 Feb. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Yul-Brynner.

Wilding, Dorothy. Yul Brynner, 1951. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw18578/Yul-Brynner?_gl=1*1cob5so*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTk5MzAwMTE4NC4xNzQ0MjEzMDkz*_ga_3D53N72CHJ*MTc0NDIxMzA5Mi4xLjEuMTc0NDIxMzE5Ni4wLjAuMA.