Sir Charles Simon Mendl (14 December 1871 – 15 February 1958) was a British diplomat and actor who has been described as "one of the most colourful figures in the diplomatic and social life of Paris".

Early life

Mendl was born in London in 1871, the second son of Ferdinand Mendl and Jeanette Rachel; their firstborn son was

Sigismund Mendl Sir Sigismund Ferdinand Mendl (2 December 1866 – 17 July 1945) was a British Liberal Party politician and businessman. Early life Mendl was born in Kensington, the son of Czech-born grain importer and shipowner Ferdinand and Jeanette Rac ...

. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

, after which he started a branch of his father's grain importing business in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. In 1912, he worked in Paris for a group of South American railway companies as a financial agent, having worked in South America as a railway director. He served as an intelligence officer in the 25th Infantry Brigade during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and left after he sustained serious injury due to a horse falling on him in 1915.

Diplomatic career

He worked in Paris for Admiralty intelligence in 1918, when he was attached to the British embassy during the Paris Peace Conference. Mendl was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in 1924 for services to the Crown, allegedly due to his retrieval of letters from a

gigolo A gigolo () is a male escort or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship, often living in her residence or having to be present at her beck and call. The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifest ...

who had been blackmailing

Prince George, Duke of Kent Prince George, Duke of Kent, (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and Geo ...

. The French believed that it was for services relating to spying. President of the Council of Ministers

Pierre Laval Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. During the Third Republic, he served as Prime Minister of France from 27 January 1931 to 20 February 1932 and 7 June 1935 to 24 January 1936. He again occu ...

believed Mendl was working for British intelligence, blaming him for leaking the Hoare–Laval Pact that would have given much of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

to fascist Italy. Mendl had received part of his 1922 salary from secret service funds. His connections meant that he was able to invite the socialist

Léon Blum André Léon Blum (; 9 April 1872 – 30 March 1950) was a French socialist politician and three-time Prime Minister. As a Jew, he was heavily influenced by the Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century. He was a disciple of French Socialist le ...

to the embassy after his 1936 election, whilst the ambassador George Clerk hadn't met him. Mendl, along with then ambassador

Eric Phipps Sir Eric Clare Edmund Phipps (27 October 1875 – 13 August 1945) was a British diplomat. Family Phipps was the son of Sir Constantine Phipps, later British Ambassador to Belgium, and his wife, Maria Jane (née Miller Mundy). Henry Phipps ...

, supported

appeasement Appeasement in an international context is a diplomatic policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power in order to avoid conflict. The term is most often applied to the foreign policy of the UK governm ...

, playing down Winston Churchill's importance in March 1938 and trying to prevent

Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achieving rapid promo ...

from speaking in Paris in June 1939.

Personal life

Mendl married interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe in 1926, at which point he was head of the press section in the British embassy in Paris, with the wedding held at the British consulate in Paris. De Wolfe was living in a lesbian relationship with

Elisabeth Marbury Elisabeth "Bessie" Marbury (June 19, 1856 – January 22, 1933) was a pioneering American theatrical and literary agent and producer who helped shape business methods of the modern commercial theater, and encouraged women to enter that industry. ...

, and the marriage allowed her to use the title "Lady". De Wolfe paid Mendl a monthly allowance, and the two did not live together. He was an amateur baritone singer, taught by

Jean de Reszke Jean de Reszke (14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a musically inclined family. His mother gave him his first singing lessons and provided a home that was a recognized music centre. His sister Josep ...

. Mendl appeared in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's 1946 film '' Notorious'' in the role of Commodore who meets

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...

's character at a party. In 1947, Mendl hosted a television programme called ''The Sir Charles Mendl Show''. He returned to France after the end of the Second World War. After de Wolfe's death in 1950, Mendl married Yvonne Steinbach, who died in 1956.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendl, Charles Ferdinand 1871 births 1958 deaths People educated at Harrow School British male film actors Knights Bachelor British civil servants