Helen O'Brien

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Helen O'Brien
Born
Elena Constantinescu

(1925-12-14)14 December 1925
Bucharest, Romania
Died16 September 2005(2005-09-16) (aged 79)
near Valbonne, France
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Nightclub owner and spy
Spouses
Kenneth Archer
​
​
(m. 1946; died 1946)​
Jimmy O'Brien
​
​
(m. 1948; died 1994)​
Children2

Helen O'Brien (née Elena Constantinescu, 14 December 1925 – 16 September 2005) was a British spy and nightclub owner. The daughter of a landowner and an aristocrat, she escaped advancing Russians on the King's racehorse, fled the communists in Romania, and in 1953 co-founded what the press dubbed as a club with the most daring West London floor performances of its era, where she worked as a spy for the UK's MI5 and MI6.

Early life

Helen O'Brien was born Elena Constantinescu on 14 December 1925, the daughter of a Romanian estate–owning father and an aristocratic mother who was the daughter of an exiled Russian duchess.[1] She was born and grew up in Bucharest.[2]

First marriage

In early 1946, O'Brien married Kenneth Archer, an RAF officer.

communism in Romania.[1][3]

London, second marriage and Eve nightclub

She made her way to London and found work at

St Valentine's Day in 1953.[5] As a members only club charging a guinea a year, it did not have to comply with the usual licensing laws and served alcohol until 3 am.[4] Members included kings, ambassadors, sultans and a bishop who ran off with a club hostess.[1][4] In 1954, she hosted John Profumo's stag night at the club.[4][6]

As the hostess of Eve, Helen introduced topless girls and strippers to the club's entertainment, performing on the world's "first-ever illuminated glass floor" in what the press dubbed as the "most daring show" in London's West End.[1][6] The club was known for "its unique appeal of glamour, intrigue, sex, sophistication, daring floorshows, and mystery".[6]

The club was popular with senior civil servants and Eastern European diplomats, and, as O'Brien was

Charles Elwell.[6] When Helen's father was finally able to come to London, Elwell found him to be a "goldmine of intelligence" about Romania.[6] She also worked for MI6.[1][6]

Later life

The club closed in 1992, and in 1993, they retired to the south of France.[1] Jimmy died in 1994.[1] Helen O'Brien died on 16 September 2005.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Helen O'Brien". The Daily Telegraph. 20 September 2005. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Bouleanu, Elisabeth (17 January 2016). "Helen O'Brien, superba spioană româncă din Marea Britanie care l-a dat afară pe Nicu Ceauşescu din clubul ei, pentru că i-a pipăit animatoarele". Adevarul.ro (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  3. ISBN 978-1-4746-0912-8
    .
  4. ^ a b c d e f Horwell, Veronica (29 September 2005). "Obituary Helen O'Brien". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  5. ISBN 978-1-78219-931-1. Archived
    from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  6. ^
    ISBN 9780861545339. Archived
    from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
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