Mark Birley

Marcus Oswald Hornby Lecky Birley (29 May 1930 – 24 August 2007), known as Mark Birley, was a British entrepreneur known for his investments in the hospitality industry. Early life Mark Birley was the son of Sir Oswald Birley (1880–1952), the royal and society portrait painter, and the artist and gardener Rhoda Vava Mary Lecky Pike. His sister, Maxime de la Falaise (1922–2009), became a noted fashion model of the 1950s; Maxime's daughter, Loulou de la Falaise (1948–2011), was a muse to the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. He was educated at Eton where he excelled at drawing. After doing his National Service he went up to University College, Oxford, to read PPE but he left after failing his first year exams after national service. He then started working as a copywriter for J. Walter Thompson. Career In 1963, Birley founded Annabel's at Berkeley Square in the Mayfair district in central 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 the Prince of Wales.