Yuri Borienko

SaxonWolf the Teaser.

I have some information (and more coming) from Yuri Borienko's family.

We were correct in confirming that he was actually Polish, by birth, and was Jan Kadlubowski.

We all know that wrestlers would occasionally pop up in bit parts in films or TV shows, but Yuri Borienko seems to have had a decent career, as something more than an "extra", without being the main star. He appears in most of the major ITC TV shows of the 60's and 70's (Department S, Jason King, The Persuaders, The Champions, The Protectors), and has steady work up until 1974, then seems to have a three year gap. Anyway, my point is that he seems to have been fairly successful in securing acting parts.

From February 1947, Stanislaus Borienko seemingly worked full time on, as it were, JP bills. He was billed as the Champion of Ukraine; and at other times from Russia. I see him in plenty of Manchester and Halifax bouts.

This could explain why, 13 years later, our Yuri Borienko was originally billed in the north as just Borienko. Plenty of fans would have remembered the original. And perhaps hoped to see Stanislaus.

Putting two and two together, it seems our Yuri didn't cut much ice by comparison with his earlier namesake and his northern appearances quickly dried up. Stanislaus had feuded with Jack Pye, Assirati and George Gregory. Such opponents were all a bit much for 28-year-uld Yuri to handle in top of the bill bouts.

Yes, Yuri was clearly Polish. Saxonwolf established that a couple of years ago. Looks like you couldn't have a Polish villain in the post-war years. In fact Czeslaw seems to have been the first Pole of note at all, really, and he started only in 1957. I wonder if he was instrumental in getting young "Yuri" in with JPs three years later?

It seems like Stanislaus and Red Staranoff were a cut above Yuri in terms of ringcraft; but Yuri probably had a more lucrative career with his film roles. I wonder if he ever appeared at those James Bond conventions?

POLISH BY BIRTH, DEFINITELY NOT RUSSIAN.

Just pondering this further, and seeing those early bills with "Borienko" billed against Jack Pye, Billy Joyce and the rest: it now dawns on me that the promoters merely added the Yuri in 1961 after Yuri Gagarin became famous. Hence our man didn't sign as Yuri.

Love this jigsawing of history!

He appears to sign himself John, which would fit in with Saxonwolf's original discovery that he was called Jan Kadlubowski. Maybe he didn't like the Yuri the promosters landed him with?

Just came across this one today:

Here's a Few YURI BORIENKO Appearances:- He Was it Seems a Good Pal of My

Friend TONY CASSIO!!

Below against BILLY JOYCE Who's On a Rare Foray SOUTH Down to SEYMOUR

HALL in LONDON!!

MAIN MASK

Some more bits of the jigsaw.

I've found a reference to Yuri Borienko having a wife named Jacqueline and sons John and Stephan. Okay, the reference is the Mick McManus Wrestling book by the mythical Charles Arnold. We are dismissive of such sources, but hold on. Remember the stopped clock that is right twice a day.

I've found a marriage record of Jan B Kadublowski marrying Jacqueline Q. Hickey in Paddington in 1960. I've also found birth records for Stephan and John Kadublowski (mother's maiden name Hickey). Just like Borienko.

Furthermore, in 1965 there are two newspaper reports of a wrestlers' club, The 47 Club, owned by Jan Kadublowski, who it was said had wrestled on television. He was said to be 32 years old.

I think we have enough evidence to conclude Yuri Borienko was Jan Kadlubowski, born 7th November, 1932, died 10th Feb 1999.

Further confirmation of Borienko's date of birth and death. Official death record in Vancouver, Canada. Born 7th November, 1932, died 10th Feb 1999.

I don't think that the Staranoff photo is a mistake. Oakeley was meticulous with his programmes and I'm sure that showing a photo of a man on the bill that night he would have it right.

Borienko may be Kadlubowski but I don't think he's Staranoff.

SaxonWolf is right there may have been an earlier Staranoff but with all the records we have it's very odd none of us have come across him in the 1930s or 1940s.

I don't believe we do need a photo. 18-year-old Borienko could not have commanded the ring presence of Red Staranoff in 1950. It just wasn't him.

18-year-olds get called Wonder Boy, Dynamite, Superstar ....etc. Not the strongest man in Russia. At 18?????

I am convinced that Kadlubowski is Borienko, if only by the fact that his daughter looks too much like him for it to be a coincidence. I also see no reason to dispute the fact that Kadlubowksi/Borienko could have used the name, Red Staranoff, in his early days. This is pro-wrestling, after all, people used and re-used names all the time.

Yes for the moment we are well and truly stuck on Red Staranoff and even have a second thread about him just to add to the mystery. I shall be keeping my eye out.

Thanks Main Mask for all your programme additions. All very interesting and enjoyable but Oakeley has given us nothing to help us on our way there.

Ron, I saw the link you have provided. But we have to wonder where they got their information. The web ain't called the web for no reason. Some months back I saw some guy called Hack touting Borienko as Staranoff and an Anglo Italian fella calling out for Zaranoff.

Shows what they knew!

But that's the magic of our forum. Nobody made it easy. We put the pieces together and occasionally create a picture.

As well as Wiki there is a second source linking Staranof to Borienko. But I am not pushin that this is right.

https://bandsaboutmovies.com/2020/04/06/on-her-majestys-secret-service-1969/

What a wonderful web this has become.

At the time of death Josef Zaranoff's date of birth was given as 5th March 1932. This corresponds to the date in the Who's Who of Wrestling.The Who's Who also names his wife as Victoria. Two more reasons for concluding Zaranoff was not Kadublowski. Rons travel comment still leaves Borienko in the frame, though that Staranoff photo remains an issue.

Two possible lines of enquiry.

Can The Ost shed any light on the origins of the Staranoff photo?

Second. The first two Staranoff matches were for Atholl Oakley. Main Mask has a huge collection of Oakekey material and might find some information on Staranoff from 1950 to 1954.

EDIT

Re the Staranoff photo from the Ost. It has previously been seen in a 1950 Oakley programme posted by Main Mask.

That man was not born in 1932.

Which Borienko photo is a mistake, Ron?

From the evidence we have there are three wrestlers:

Josef Zaranoff

Yuri Borienko

Red Staranoff, about whom we know nothing, apart from a striking photo and impressive bill-topping in the early fifties. When he looked in his thirties.

The strange thing is that a Jan Kadlubowski went to America in 1956 with a Polish Passport. The timing of this would coincide with the end of Red Staranoff. His occupation though was listed as a fitter. he was also born 1930.

Then in 1960 Jan B Kadlubowski married Jaqueline Hickey in Paddington and had children John in Kensington in 1961 and Stephen in 1963 in Ealing (home of the film studios). Being back in 1960 is just in time to be Borienko.

Makes me wonder if the Borienko Photo is a mistake.

Anglo Italian is right in Wiki leading us a merry dance.

I'm now of the opinion that there was a Red Staranoff who was neither Borienko or Zaranoff.

But I am interested in knowing if Powerlock's source had more substance than Wiki when he wrote

I came across this when looking Red Staranoff:

Jan Boleslaw (Yuri) "Red Staranoff" Borienko formerly Kadlubowski

Born 7 Nov 1932 in Miensk, Belarus, Soviet Union

If Kadublowski was not Borienko, who was he?

He certainly existed and we have more substantial evidence than Wiki.

As I mentioned earlier

The London Gazette 20 December 1966, page 13744 lists Jan Boleslaw Kadlubowski, of 14 Birch Grove, London, a professional wrestler, granted British naturalusation on 14th November 1966. He is listed as Polish.

James Morton has written:

I believe Borienko owned/ran a gambling club in/off the Cromwell Road.

Thanks Powerlock ☺

That's interesting in itself. Most Southerners' trips to Morrell-Land included a Newcastle outing. Further signs the part-timer wasn't quite what we nay have imagined.

Thanks, Ron.

I also wrote: "Did Yuri Borienko wrestle in the north (much)?"

I'll interpret the silence as a No.

Reduces his standing even further.

But you, Saxonwolf, just stated that Yuri wrestled as Red Staranoff.

This is precisely the point we are investigating.

For the reasons mentioned below, and also based on The Ost's photo, 18-year-old Yuri was clearly not the Red Staranoff who featured on UK bills from 1950, billed as the strongest Russian.

I covered the whole Yuri Borienko/Jan Padlubowski thing ages ago, here

https://heritagedocs.wixsite.com/talkwrestling/forum/memories-of-the-old-days/were-there-any-russian-wrestlers-that-came-to-the-uk

Do keep up lads!!!

I agree , they look like two very different people. Tough one to sort out.

Wikipedia is leading us a merry dance, I fear. People post all sorts of spurious material and abandon it. It remains on wikipedia but mustn't remain history. At least not regarding such an essential subject as professional wrestling.

Through Jack Doyle, we can locate an August 1953 match at Puck Fair: "Red Staranoff, ‘Russia’s King of Wrestlers’ Vs Ron Knight, ‘London’s Wonder Boy’." From The Ost's photo and the description here, it seems inconceivable that this could have been 21 year old Yuri Borienko.

Plus the obvious: our Yuri never looked like a weightlifter type.

Josef Zaranoff seems much more likely, but the photo isn't him.

It looks like Red Staranoff may have been a legit visting international, who seemingly made a big impression. Josef Zaranoff then lifted his name, more or less, a few years later.

Our Yuri seems to have lived in Britain for about 8 years. He was doing plenty of tv work, which would confirm the initial impression, and why I started this thread: he was merely a part-time wrestler, and very occasional at that. He never seemed to hit any heights on Lincoln bills or Dale Martin, until he started popping up at the Albert Hall on the back of his OHMSS fame. And then disappeared to North America as so many did at that time: Billy Robinson, Les Thornton, The Outlaw, Jean Ferre, Crusher Verdu, etc.

Did Yuri Borienko wrestle in the north (much)?

Red Staranoff, absent from our A-Z, comes out of this as the mystery man. Years later, British promoters would dumb down another Russian (Canadian) name to "Red" Ivan. This must have been fifties speak. I would bet that the photographed Red Staranoff wrestled in other countries and under another name. Or perhaps he was from Barnsley ....

In any case, we need to unmangle wikipedia's horrific mangling of Yuri Borienko and Red Staranoff.

An A-Z entry for Red Staranoff can follow, but we need more information. He's certainly a name we have seen on other bills.

The London Gazette 20 December 1966, page 13744 lists Jan Boleslaw Kadlubowski, of 14 Birch Grove, London, a professional wrestler, granted British naturalusation on 14th November 1966. He is listed as Polish.

I came across this when looking Red Staranoff:

Jan Boleslaw (Yuri) "Red Staranoff" Borienko formerly Kadlubowski

Born 7 Nov 1932 in Miensk, Belarus, Soviet Union

Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

[sibling(s) unknown]

Husband of Jacqueline Queen (Hickey) Kadlubowski — married 1960 in Paddington, London, England, United Kingdom

Father of Stefan Daniel Kadlubowski

Died 10 Feb 1999 at age 66 in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

I saw Yuri Borienko on several occasions and at Camberwell baths I recall him called the fighting cossack from the Steppes of Russia.He certainly looked Russian but I was informed by one ringsider that he was actually Polish and lived in Chiswick.This is possible as West London had a large Polish population in the immediate post-war years.Who knows?

Here's Red Staranoff:

That doesnt look like Borienko or Zaranoff.

Here's Red Staranoff:

Borienko had around a dozen TV matches and was on every year from 1964 to 1969.

He had his first recognised role on TV in 1966 on Adam Adamant, he probably was doing uncredited extra work before that to get his equity card, it is more than a possibility he was mixing the wrestling with acting leading up to his TV and film roles till the acting took priority.

Thanks Gents.

Powerlock, you say he moved to joints in 1962. My impression is that he did very little work 1962 to 1967. Then his boom year.

I wonder if he got the Bond gig due to his Russian accent? Only then to have a silent role ....

I had always imagined Red Staranoff was Josef Zaranoff. I must be wrong.

Yes good accurate info from Powerlock and he even fought Garfield in 1952 as Staranoff. Seems a genuine Russian who died in Canada. I have him as Borienko from 1961-1969. The name Borienko could have been a copy as there had been Stanislaus Borienko in the late 1940's wrestling here.

And shown here for Independents in 1961 and Joint in 1966

Borienko wrestled in the early 1950s as Red Staranoff and spent sometime in the U.S. before returning in 1960 wrestling originally for independents before moving to Joint in 1962 . He appeared on the WOS wrestling bill on the day of the world cup final against Mike Marino.