When the legendary Broadway actor Yul Brynner died,
he made some strange omissions from his will. Stay tuned to find out all the juicy details!
Yul Brynner had a historic Broadway career, spending 34 years acting as King Mongkut in The
King and I on Broadway and starring in the 1956 film adaptation. During those three-plus decades,
the actor dazzled crowds with more than 4,600 performances as the King of Siam. He
shaved his head for the role, and it became his signature look. In his personal life,
Brynner was married four times and had three biological children: Rock,
Lark, and Victoria. He and his third wife adopted two children as well: Mia and Melody. In his later
years, Brynner began dating Kathy Lee, to whom he was married for the last two years of his life.
In 1983, Brynner paid a visit to his doctor after finding a lump on his vocal cords.
He was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and a tumor near his heart — the result of
years of smoking cigarettes. He found out just before his 4,000th Broadway performance.
The radiation treatments Brynner underwent made his throat raw and sore, and his acting career
suffered as a result. His son Rock recalled the actor's comment about low ticket sales, saying,
"Cancer is a real poison at the box office."
Brynner, who was photographed for years with a cigarette always in hand,
spent his final months creating televised public service announcements.
He implored his fans to never start smoking cigarettes.
"Don't smoke. Whatever you do, just don't smoke."
According to the Los Angeles Times, Brynner smoked five packs of cigarettes each day until
he was diagnosed. He sought out both common and nontraditional cancer treatment options,
going through a round of radiation followed by a plant-based vitamin treatment.
As he told The New York Times, he was still enjoying his daily Broadway performances,
saying that he would rather receive standing ovations from his thousands of fans than lay
in bed and rest. Brynner performed his final Broadway show on June 30, 1985.
At the age of 65, Yul Brynner died on October 10, 1985,
in New York and was buried in La Touraine, France. His children and wife remained at
his bedside in his final hours. Following the Oscar- and Tony-winning actor's death,
his family was left with an intriguing will — so who inherited his money after he died?
He had a net worth of $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Blumberg Blog reports that Brynner bequeathed some money to his family
and some to friends, but he made some striking omissions in his will, too.
Brynner addressed part of his will to his three biological children. He gave his son Rock all
of his stocks in Hard Rock Cafes across New York and Delaware, along with $50,000. Then,
to his daughter Lark, Brynner bequeathed $25,000. He established a $100,000 trust fund
for his daughter Victoria and lavished her with another $50,000. About 25 years after his death,
Victoria would go on to publish a collection of her father's photographs,
saying that they were a noteworthy addition to his artistic legacy.
But as for his adopted children, Mia and Melody, Brynner omitted them from the will.
He basically wrote that he had made no provisions for any children who weren't
explicitly mentioned in the will. The only way his adopted children would inherit anything
was if Kathy Lee died and left them her share. Brynner had apparently created an
"inter vivos" trust — sometimes called a living will — for his two adopted children.
Kathy Lee, however, was well taken care of after the actor died. First off, she was gifted two
estates — one in New York City and the other in France. Brynner also left her many of his personal
possessions, including his cars, silverware, works of art, book collection, and household items.
He didn't forget his friends, either. He gave a watercolor painting of boats to his
friend Robert Lantz, and he gave an abstract Vasarely painting to his friend Michael Lynne.
His memory lives on for his role as an unforgettable character in The King and I
and as one of the longest-performing Broadway actors in history.
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