Sir Brian Kenneth "Napper" Dean Paul, 6th Baronet Paul of Rodborough (1904–1972) was a member of the "

Bright Young Things __NOTOC__ The Bright Young Things, or Bright Young People, was a nickname given by the tabloid press to a group of Bohemianism, Bohemian young Aristocracy (class), aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London. They threw flamboyant costume party, f ...

" social scene, together with his sister

Brenda Dean Paul Brenda Irene Isabelle Frances Theresa Dean Paul (8 May 1907 – 26 July 1959), generally known by her stage name Brenda Dean Paul, was a British silent film actress, socialite, and " Bright Young Thing" in the 1920s. Her use of illegal drugs la ...

Biography

Brian Kenneth Dean Paul, known as "Napier" or "Napper", was born in 1904, the son of Sir Aubrey Edward Henry Dean Paul, 5th Baronet, and Irene Regina "

Poldowski Poldowski was the professional pseudonym of a Belgian-born British composer and pianist born Régine Wieniawski (16 May 187928 January 1932), daughter of the Polish violinist and composer Henryk Wieniawski. Some of her early works were publishe ...

" Wieniawski. He got his nickname from his habit of falling asleep in doorways due to a serious drug addiction; like his younger sister, the socialite and sometime actress

, he was an alcoholic and

opiate An opiate, in classical pharmacology, is a substance derived from opium. In more modern usage, the term ''opioid'' is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain (including antagonis ...

user. In 1930 Napper Dean Paul took over the grill-room of a restaurant in

Burlington Gardens Burlington Gardens is a street in central London, on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate. Location The street is immediately to the north of the Royal Academy of Arts and joins Old Bond Street and New Bond Street in the west and ...

, which he named "The Breakfast-Room". He specialized in a supper-breakfast menu of Anglo-American dishes, with dancing and a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

. Dean Paul also published a volume of poems, called ''Patchwork''. In 1931 he was involved in a scandal that was to lead his sister to prison.

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

described Napper Dean Paul as a "young man of effeminate habits and manners, who does not appear to follow any occupation". In the late 1930s he was friends with

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

. Together with his sister Brenda, he frequented the

Gargoyle Club The Gargoyle was a private members' club on the upper floors of 69 Dean Street, Soho, London, at the corner with Meard Street. It was founded on 16 January 1925 by the aristocratic socialite David Tennant, son of the Scottish 1st Baron Glenco ...

, owned by

David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...

, Brenda's lover and brother of Stephen Tennant. He was also a friend of

Anna Wickham Anna Wickham was the pseudonym of Edith Alice Mary Harper (1883 – 1947), an English/Australian poet who was a pioneer of modernist poetry, and one of the most important female poets writing during the first half of the twentieth century. She w ...

, whom he knew from frequenting the Kleifeldts' tavern. Dean Paul was gay, and Ken Leech recalled meeting him at the Golden Lion, a well-known gay pub in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

. Nevertheless, in 1937, he married the pianist Muriel Lillie, widow of

Arthur Weigall Arthur Edward Pearse Brome Weigall (1880 – 3 January 1934) was an English Egyptologist, stage designer, journalist and author whose works span the whole range from histories of Ancient Egypt through historical biographies, guide-books, popula ...

and sister of Beatrice Lillie. He was also a

cross-dresser Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...

, and supported himself with petty crimes, even if in the early 1930s he tried a career as interior designer. In 1941 he went to work for Kensington ARP, thanks to the recommendation of

Hugh Cholmondeley, 6th Marquess of Cholmondeley George Hugh Cholmondeley, 6th Marquess of Cholmondeley (CHUM-lee); 24 April 1919 – 13 March 1990), styled Earl of Rocksavage from 1923 until 1968, was a British peer who served as Lord Great Chamberlain of England between 1968 and 1990. ...

, a friend and head of the association. In the 1950s he was friends with the painter

Lucian Freud Lucian Michael Freud (; 8 December 1922 – 20 July 2011) was a British painter and draughtsman, specialising in figurative art, and is known as one of the foremost 20th-century English portraitists. He was born in Berlin, the son of Jewis ...

, who took his portrait in 1954. Following his father's death in 1961, Dean Paul inherited the family title and was listed in police records as Sir Brian Kenneth Dean Paul. He died in 1972, and the Paul baronetcy became extinct.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean Paul, Brian Kenneth 1904 births 1972 deaths 20th-century English poets Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom English people of Polish-Jewish descent English socialites British gay writers English LGBT people Male-to-female cross-dressers 20th-century LGBT people