Siegi Sessler

Who is Siegi Sessler?

Siegi Sessler was one of London's most famous restaurateurs and club owners of the late 1940s, '50s and '60s.

He started club life after the Second World War, and in 1950, he opened Siegi's Club, at 46, Charles Street, in the heart of London's Mayfair.

Siegi's became the first of the Mayfair establishments, later including The Claremont Club, Annabel's, Tramp, Harry's Bar and The Colony Club.

Well known to be the 'home from home' for Hollywood stars Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, Bob Hope, Crosby, Niven, Brando, Monroe, John Wayne, Cary Grant, Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Doris Day, Joan Crawford, Ingrid Bergman and Elizabeth Taylor. It was also the place where studio moguls, producers and directors forged their deals, often under Siegi's watchful eye and Prime Ministers mixed with shipping magnates, sportsmen enjoyed the mutual admiration of singers and authors and artists, mixing seamlessly with Royalty and the not so royal.

It was described by legendary coloumnist, Marjorie Proops, as "a sort of Madame Tussauds for live people... a safe haven for the friendless and a place impossible to leave, without a pocketful of introductions, for all four corners of the globe. You may not have wanted to lunch with Brando in LA, or safari with William Holden, at his Mt. Kenya Safari Club, however once out of the door, you were committed and often compelled to be their house guests, although a stranger...and you may have only popped in for a night cap before bed!"