The Visionary Who Transformed Hollywood Stardom Into a Global Design Empire

Anouska Hempel is one of those rare figures whose life feels like a novel you don’t want to put down. She dazzled on screen, reinvented the boutique hotel world, and built a design legacy so distinctive that you can spot her touch from across a room. From a childhood spent on far-flung lands to her rise as a Bond girl and later as a groundbreaking designer, her story is pure cinematic flair mixed with ambition, grit, and reinvention. Today, she’s celebrated not just for her beauty or her screen presence, but for her ability to create worlds—lush, mysterious, unforgettable worlds—where luxury feels alive.

Roots in Adventure: A Life That Started on the Move

Before the fame, the awards, and the design breakthroughs, Anouska Hempel began as Anne Geissler, born in 1941 to a Russian-Swiss-German family. Whether her earliest days unfolded in Wellington, New Zealand, or on a ship traveling from Papua New Guinea—well, that depends on which version of the story she’s telling; mystery has always been part of her charm. What we do know is that she grew up surrounded by movement and reinvention. Her family eventually settled in Cronulla, Australia, where she attended Sutherland High School and discovered her natural flair for aesthetics. Even as a child, she rearranged rooms with bold confidence, insisting on balance, beauty, and a sense of romance in every corner.

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But adventure called louder than any classroom. In 1962, she packed her courage, her creativity, and her unmistakable looks and flew to London. Imagine it: arriving in the heart of Swinging London at just 20, ready to compete with the boldest and most stylish people of the decade. She modeled, she hustled, she soaked up the art and music scenes, and before long, the spotlight found her.

Rising On Screen: A Bond Girl With a Bite

It didn’t take long for casting directors to notice her unique mix of elegance and edge. Anouska Hempel landed her earliest role in The Kiss of the Vampire in 1963 and, by 1969, was appearing in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as one of Blofeld’s hypnotized “angels of death.” Even in a Bond film packed with glamour, she stood out with her striking looks and enigmatic presence.

Her acting career blossomed through the late ’60s and ’70s. She appeared in Hammer films like Scars of Dracula, charmed audiences in comedies such as The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins, and tackled bold roles like the lead in Russ Meyer’s Black Snake—a film she disliked so much she later tried to buy every copy she could find. On television, she shined in series like Zodiac, Space: 1999, UFO, and the hit game show Whodunnit? Her versatility made her unforgettable, whether she was playing a sultry temptress or a poised investigator.

But even at her peak as an actress, she felt the pull of something deeper. She wanted to create—not just perform.

Love, Loss, and Unshakeable Determination

Behind the scenes, Anouska Hempel’s life was marked by love stories that shaped her journey. Her first marriage, in 1964 to journalist-turned-property developer Constantine Hempel, brought two children and a stable foundation for her next evolution. But tragedy struck in 1973 when Constantine died in a sudden car accident, leaving her widowed and navigating the world with young children in tow. The loss was devastating, but it also ignited a fierce resilience that would define the decades ahead.

In 1978 she married producer Bill Kenwright, but the marriage ended two years later. Then came Mark Weinberg, the financier who became her life partner. They married in 1980, raised their blended family, and built an empire of ideas, innovation, and refined taste. Through every storm, her determination hardened. Reinvention wasn’t simply an option—it was her identity.

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From Actress to Architectural Alchemist: The Birth of Blakes

In 1978, using the inheritance from her late husband, Anouska Hempel purchased several townhouses in South Kensington and created what many now consider the world’s first true boutique hotel: Blakes. This wasn’t a sterile high-rise or cookie-cutter guesthouse. It was an escape—a hidden jewel box of dark silks, antiques, exotic influences, and intimate corners. Rock stars adored it. Royals stayed there. Film directors booked entire floors. Blakes wasn’t a hotel; it was a fantasy.

At a time when minimalism or cookie-cutter luxury dominated the market, she built eclectic seduction. Rooms inspired by Eastern dynasties, Venetian romance, British eccentricity—whatever dream she had, she manifested with confidence. Blakes became famous worldwide, not just for its clientele, but because it introduced a new language of hospitality: emotional, atmospheric, unforgettable.

By the late ’90s she had launched The Hempel, an entirely different masterpiece—one of the earliest zen-minimalist hotels in Europe. All white. All symmetry. All serenity. It became the go-to place for celebrities who wanted to disappear into calm rather than spectacle.

And she didn’t stop. Amsterdam’s Blakes, the Grosvenor House Apartments, La Suite West, The Franklin in Knightsbridge, and international projects in Singapore, Paris, and beyond all carried her unmistakable fingerprint: theatricality, intimacy, and storytelling through space.

Signature Style: A World Only She Could Build

Designers study her work the way painters study Vermeer. Anouska Hempel doesn’t simply decorate; she composes. She blends global influences without fear, turns hallways into journeys, and transforms corners into visual poetry. Her style is a mix of:

• dramatic contrasts
• layered textures
• intimate lighting
• multicultural storytelling
• architectural romance

Her interiors feel alive, as if every room holds a secret.

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Awards, Accolades, and an Icon’s Legacy

Her contributions have earned global recognition: AD100 honors, hospitality awards, a Platinum Circle induction, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Andrew Martin International Interior Design Review. Organizations, critics, and fellow designers recognize her as one of the most influential creative minds of the past half century.

Today, in 2025, she maintains her studio in London, still sketching, still dreaming, still shaping the world through velvet, marble, symmetry, and imagination. Her age? Just a number. Her influence? Immense.

A Life of Beauty, Boldness, and Reinvention

From a childhood spent on dusty ranches and remote islands to the shimmering heights of London’s creative circles, Anouska Hempel has rewritten her story again and again. Actress. Widow. Designer. Pioneer. Visionary. She embodies the power of transformation—the belief that your life can be redesigned the same way you redesign a room: with courage, curiosity, and a touch of magic.

Her journey shows us that the most fascinating lives are the ones built with intention. That beauty can be reborn from heartbreak. And that reinvention isn’t only possible—it can become an art form.

In the end, her life is a masterclass in daring to imagine more. And for anyone who’s ever dreamed of reinventing themselves, her story is an exquisite invitation to begin.