Everything about Mark Birley totally explained
Marcus Lecky Oswald Hornby Birley (
30 May 1930 -
24 August 2007), known as
Mark Birley, was an
British entrepreneur known for his investments in the
hospitality industry.
Career
In
1962 Mark Birley founded
Annabel's at Berkeley Square in the exclusive
Mayfair district of
London. The club was named for his wife, the former
Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart, and it was the first of its kind: a member-only nightclub that catered to an exclusive clientele, including
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales.
In
1972 Birley opened Harry's Bar and continued to expand his portfolio in the restaurant, nightclub and hotel business. He became the owner of the Annabel's Group, which includes Mark Birley Holdings Limited. He launched a men's fragrance line, Mark Birley for Men, in 1996, in collaboration with the perfumers Frédéric Malle and Pierre Bourdon.
Private life
Mark Birley was the son of
Sir Oswald Birley, the portrait painter, and his wife, the former Rhoda Pike. His sister,
Maxime de la Falaise, became a noted fashion model of the 1950s and a muse to the fashion designer
Yves Saint Laurent.
On
10 March 1954 he married
Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart, daughter of the
8th Marquess of Londonderry. They had three children Rupert,
Robin and
India Jane.
Annabel Birley became the mistress of Birley's former friend
Sir James Goldsmith, and gave birth to two children,
Jemima and
Zac by Goldsmith while she was still married to Birley. The Birleys divorced in 1975.
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In
1986 Birley's son Rupert disappeared in
Togo and was never found. His other son
Robin was mauled as a child by a tiger at the private zoo of family friend
John Aspinall, and badly scarred for life. In his last years, Birley was confined to a
wheelchair. For a time, he turned over the reins of his businesses to his two children.
In
2006, however, Birley dismissed his son
Robin on grounds of
misconduct and returned to the helm of his empire which he ran with his daughter
India Jane.
Death
He died on
24 August 2007, aged 77, following a stroke.
Further Information
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