Yul Brynner was a charismatic and engaging star of stage and screen, and in 1959, the United Nations asked him to lend his talents to support efforts to aid the world's refugees.
The Russian-born actor, filmmaker and photographer was appointed a special consultant to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in connection with World Refugee Year. Ahead of the International Human Fraternity Day, marked annually on 4 February, this week's #ThrowbackThursday edition focuses on the Hollywood stars who focused on the plight of refugees fleeing conflict.
The Oscar-winning star of The King and I, Mr. Brynner visited refugee camps around the world and, through his work, including film and radio, helped to highlight the plight of millions of displaced people.
Listen to Mr. Brynner host Doris Day, Kim Novak, Peter Ustinov and other leading actors of the 1950s, narrating stories based on the real-life experiences of refugees here.
Catch up on our #ThrowbackThursday series here, and watch episodes from UN Video's Stories from the UN Archive playlist here, cultivated from the UN Audiovisual Library's 49,400 hours of video and 18,000 hours of audio recordings. Join us next Thursday for another dive into history.
