Hélène Martini
- August 5, 2017
- 92 years
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Hélène Martini, 92, French nightclub owner (Folies Bergère).
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Full Biography
|Hélène de Cressac Martini (6 August 1924 – 5 August 2017) was a Polish-born French striptease artist turned businesswoman and nightclub owner associated with the Folies Bergère, and nicknamed "The Countess" and "The Empress of the Night".
The Polish-born (present-day Belarus) Martini landed in Paris aged 20 after surviving the Holocaust. She was believed to be the sole surviving member of her family. Starting out at the Folies Bergere, she won three million francs on the lottery. She then went on to employ her managerial and entrepreneurial skills to run half a dozen Paris nightclubs, first with her Syria-born husband, Nachat Martini, a lawyer, professor and secret agent (1910–1961), whom she married in 1955. After his death in early 1961, she carried on alone. The couple had no children. She died in 2017, on the day before her 93rd birthday, leaving no known living relatives.
Biography
She was born Hélène de Creyssac to a French father, a landowner in Poland, and a Russian mother.
With her supposed sister Alice de Creyssac (actually her girlfriend), she arrived in France in 1945, after her family had been decimated by World War II and after she had nearly been killed by a Soviet officer in Königsberg. She did odd jobs in the provinces and then became a nude model at the Folies Bergère in Paris. She won nearly three million francs in the lottery.
She met Nachat Martini, known as “The Lebanese,” a wealthy lawyer of Syrian origin. They married in 1955 and bought cabarets in Pigalle, Paris: the Folies-Pigalle, the Sphinx, and the Narcisse.
Her husband died in 1960 of a heart attack. Hélène was his sole heir, despite legal action brought by the deceased's two brothers.
She continued in the business and acquired four Parisian theaters (Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, Théâtre Mogador, Comédie de Paris [fr], Folies Bergère), as well as cabaret clubs (Le Raspoutine on Rue de Bassano and Le Shéhérazade). Over the years, she sold off her assets, eventually selling the Folies Bergère in 2011.
She abandoned the Pigalle neighborhood, which she felt had changed too much. In 2013, she stated: “The real Pigalle no longer exists,” and “Today, Pigalle is sad, it's nothing.”
In his book New Moon, café de nuit joyeux (2017), dedicated to one of his cabarets, David Dufresne reveals that Hélène Martini associated with the far right, notably with one of the leaders of the Organisation armée secrète.
The New Moon, an annex of the Narcisse on Rue Pigalle, a famous rock concert venue in the 1980s and 1990s, was extorted by the Marseillais and destroyed.
Hélène Martini died on August 5, 2017, in Paris, at the age of 92. A religious ceremony was held at Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Paris. She was buried in the Thiais cemetery in Paris alongside her husband.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne_Martini
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 14 questions
Questions drawn from Hélène Martini's archived record and the sources above.
1.Which author revealed Hélène Martini's association with the far right in the book New Moon, café de nuit joyeux?
- A.A Soviet officer
- B.Nachat Martini
- C.Alice de Creyssac
- D.David Dufresnecorrect
In his 2017 book, David Dufresne revealed that Hélène Martini associated with the far right, including leaders of the OAS.
Source: biography section
2.What was the profession of Nachat Martini outside of owning cabarets?
- A.Doctor
- B.Lawyercorrect
- C.Architect
- D.Journalist
Nachat Martini was a wealthy lawyer of Syrian origin who married Hélène Martini in 1955.
Source: biography section
3.In what year did Hélène Martini sell the Folies Bergère?
- A.2005
- B.2017
- C.2011correct
- D.1990
Hélène Martini gradually sold off her assets over the years, finally selling the Folies Bergère in 2011.
Source: biography section
4.Where is Hélène Martini buried?
- A.Père Lachaise Cemetery
- B.Thiais cemeterycorrect
- C.Montmartre Cemetery
- D.Montparnasse Cemetery
Hélène Martini was buried in the Thiais cemetery in Paris, alongside her husband, Nachat Martini.
Source: biography section
5.Which cabaret owned by Hélène Martini was known as a rock concert venue in the 1980s and 1990s?
- A.Comédie de Paris
- B.Le Raspoutine
- C.The Sphinx
- D.The New Mooncorrect
The New Moon, which was an annex of the Narcisse, became a famous rock concert venue during the 1980s and 1990s.
Source: biography section
6.How old was Hélène Martini when she arrived in Paris?
- A.15
- B.25
- C.30
- D.20correct
Hélène Martini landed in Paris at the age of 20 after surviving the Holocaust.
Source: biography introduction
7.In what country was Hélène Martini born?
- A.Polandcorrect
- B.France
- C.Russia
- D.Syria
Hélène Martini was born in present-day Belarus, which at the time was part of Poland.
Source: biography introduction
8.What nickname was Hélène Martini famously given?
- A.The Lady of the Folies
- B.The Queen of Pigalle
- C.The Tsar of Paris
- D.The Empress of the Nightcorrect
Hélène Martini was nicknamed 'The Countess' and 'The Empress of the Night'.
Source: biography introduction
9.What did Hélène Martini do for a living when she first started at the Folies Bergère?
- A.Costume designer
- B.Ticket manager
- C.Nude modelcorrect
- D.Accountant
Hélène Martini became a nude model at the Folies Bergère in Paris after moving to France.
Source: biography section
10.How much money did Hélène Martini win in the lottery?
- A.Two million francs
- B.Four million francs
- C.Three million francscorrect
- D.One million francs
Hélène Martini won nearly three million francs in the lottery, which helped her start her business career.
Source: biography section
11.In what year did Hélène Martini marry Nachat Martini?
- A.1950
- B.1960
- C.1955correct
- D.1945
Hélène Martini married the Syrian-born lawyer Nachat Martini in 1955.
Source: biography section
12.Which of these theaters did Hélène Martini acquire during her career?
- A.Comédie-Française
- B.Théâtre Mogadorcorrect
- C.Théâtre du Châtelet
- D.Opéra Garnier
Hélène Martini acquired several theaters, including the Théâtre Mogador, during her time as a businesswoman.
Source: biography section
13.Why did Hélène Martini eventually stop operating in the Pigalle neighborhood?
- A.She felt the area had changed too muchcorrect
- B.The taxes became too high
- C.The neighborhood was demolished
- D.She moved to Syria
Hélène Martini abandoned Pigalle because she felt it had changed too much, famously stating that the real Pigalle no longer existed.
Source: biography section
14.Where was the religious ceremony for Hélène Martini held after her death?
- A.Saint-Germain-des-Prés
- B.Sacre-Coeur Basilica
- C.Alexander Nevsky Cathedralcorrect
- D.Notre-Dame de Paris
Following her death in 2017, a religious ceremony for Hélène Martini was held at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Paris.
Source: biography section
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