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 Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

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

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include: Listed by name Paris Accords may refer to: * Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...

. 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 Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

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

gigolo A gigolo ( ) is a male escort, call boy or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship. The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifestyle consisting of a number of such relationships serially rat ...

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 George ...

. 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. He served as Prime Minister of France three times: 1931–1932 and 1935–1936 during the Third Republic (France), Third Republic, and 1942–1944 during Vich ...

believed Mendl was working for British intelligence, blaming him for leaking the

Hoare–Laval Pact The Hoare–Laval Pact was an initially secret pact made in December of 1935 between French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval and British Foreign Secretary Sir Samuel Hoare for ending the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. Italy wanted to incorporate the i ...

that would have given much of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

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 of France. As a Jew, he was heavily influenced by the Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century. He was a disciple of socialist l ...

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 relations, international context, is a diplomacy, diplomatic negotiation policy of making political, material, or territorial concessions to an aggressive power (international relations), power with intention t ...

, 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 politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achi ...

from speaking in Paris in June 1939.

Personal life

Mendl married interior decorator

Elsie de Wolfe Elsie de Wolfe, Lady Mendl ( Ella Anderson de Wolfe; December 20, c. 1859 – July 12, 1950) was an American actress who became a prominent interior designer and author. Born in New York City, de Wolfe was acutely sensitive to her surroundings ...

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 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. Since 18 ...

, 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 (born Jan Mieczysław Reszke; 14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish dramatic tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a wealthy Polish family with classical and operatic musical traditions. His mother gave him his first singing ...

. Mendl appeared in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. 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 featu ...

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

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cin ...

'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