 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Philippe de Rothschild" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(September 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | This articlecontainspromotional content. Please helpimprove it by removingpromotional language and inappropriateexternal links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from aneutral point of view.(November 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Philippe de Rothschild | |
|---|---|
 1931Autochrome | |
| Born | Georges Philippe de Rothschild (1902-04-13)13 April 1902 Paris, France |
| Died | 20 January 1988(1988-01-20) (aged 85) Paris, France |
| Spouses | |
| Partner | Joan Littlewood |
| Parent | BaronHenri de Rothschild |
| Family | Rothschild |
Philippe, Baron de Rothschild (13 April 1902 – 20 January 1988)[1] was a member of theRothschildbanking family who became aGrand Prix motor racing driver, a screenwriter and playwright, a theatrical producer, a film producer, a poet, and a wine grower.
Born in Paris,Georges Philippe de Rothschild was the younger son of BaronHenri de Rothschild and Mathilde Sophie Henriette von Weissweiller. At the outbreak ofWorld War I, 12-year-old Philippe was sent to the family's vineyard in the village ofPauillac in theMédoc. There, he developed a love for thewine business, an enterprise in his family since 1853, but one his father and grandfather had shown little interest in.[citation needed]
_en_1929.jpg)
During the 1920s, Philippe lived the life of a wealthy playboy, often found in the company of a beautiful woman, usually an actress, at one of the popular night spots in Paris. Philippe's older brother had made friends withRobert Benoist when they served together in theArmée de l'Air duringWorld War I and through this connection, for a short time Philippe took upGrand Prix motor racing. From his father, he inherited the love of fast cars, but wishing to maintain a low profile Philippe used the pseudonym "Georges Philippe" in order to race anonymously.
Rothschild raced his ownBugatti T35C with moderate success, including coming fourth in the1929 Monaco Grand Prix. He also made a brief appearance for the eliteBugatti works team, but at the end of 1929 he abruptly withdrew from motorsport, to concentrate on the family wine-growing business.
Rothschild made his first competition appearance in theParis–Nice auto race of 1928, competing in a borrowedHispano-Suiza. After purchasing a superchargedBugatti, the ex Targa Florio factory type 37A (37317)T37, he adopted the pseudonym to protect his family. 'Georges Philippe' made his first appearance at the 1928 Bugatti Grand Prix atLe Mans, a race solely for private Bugatti owners where he became second immediately after the winner André Dubonnet.
For 1929, Rothschild decided to upgrade to a full Grand Prix-specificationType 35C. In fact, he was so enamoured with the vehicles, he ordered three. Using one of the new cars,Georges Philippe was entered into the Grand Prix d'Antibes. In a field that includedRené Dreyfus andPhilippe Étancelin, both race winners many times over, Rothschild led the race until he crashed out on the 36th lap. A mere two weeks later, with the car rebuilt, Georges Philippe finished a highly creditable fourth at the inauguralGrand Prix Automobile de Monaco, behind winnerWilliam Grover-Williams.
Continued improvement was finally rewarded when Georges Philippe won theBurgundy Grand Prix three weeks later, finishing ahead ofGuy Bouriat [Wikidata] in a second Rothschild T35C. However, he was unfortunate to retire from the following race while running sixth. The third of Rothschild's T35Cs was regularly campaigned by a rather curious acquaintance for a future Baron. A model and exotic dancer at theCasino de Paris, Helene Delangle regularly took to the track under her professional pseudonymHellé Nice.
Nevertheless, Georges Philippe had attracted sufficient attention to be offered a factory drive alongside Monegasque starLouis Chiron. In his two races for the crack squad, Rothschild ran at the front of the field, before dropping back later in the race due to vehicle troubles. At the1929 German Grand Prix, around the notoriousNürburgring Nordschleife, Georges Philippe was comfortably ahead of Chiron before contact with a wall caused damage to his Bugatti's axle, slowing the car and allowing Chiron to pass and take the victory.
Unfortunately, increasing fame was wearing Georges Philippe's anonymity rather thin. His final appearance was in the1930 24 Hours of Le Mans where, driving an AmericanStutz, he failed to finish. After this Rothschild quietly laid 'Georges Philippe' to rest, and returned to running Château Mouton Rothschild.
In 1935, Rothschild and his friend, Jean Rheims, who were sponsoring a bobsled team, refused to participate in the 1936 Winter Olympics at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, protesting what they called the "persecution of Germans of Jewish religion."
Rothschild took over the operations of theChâteau Mouton Rothschild vineyards at twenty years old.
In 1934, Philippe de Rothschild marriedÉlisabeth Pelletier de Chambure (1902–1945), the former wife ofJonkheerMarc de Becker-Rémy [Wikidata], a Belgian nobleman. They had two children:Philippine Mathilde Camille de Rothschild (born 22 November 1933, died 23 August 2014) and Charles Henri de Rothschild (born and died 1938).
The outbreak of World War II had serious consequences for the entire Rothschild family, who were Jewish. Following theGerman occupation of France, Philippe de Rothschild's parents fled to the safety ofLausanne, Switzerland, and the Paris mansion where they had lived became the headquarters for the German Naval Command.
Although he was called up to serve in theFrench Air Force, the quick fall of France resulted in de Rothschild being arrested inAlgeria by theVichy government and the vineyard property seized. His French citizenship was revoked on 6 September 1940 for whatThe New York Times described as "having left France without official permission or a valid reason."[2] Released from Vichy custody on 20 April 1941, Philippe de Rothschild made his way to England, where he joined theFree French Forces of GeneralCharles de Gaulle, earning aCroix de Guerre.[3]
On his return to France following theAllies' liberation, Philippe de Rothschild learned that, although his daughter was safe, theGestapo had, on charges of attempting to cross a line of demarcation with a forged permit, deported his estranged wife in 1941 toRavensbrück concentration camp where she died – the cause of her death remains unresolved – on 23 March 1945.Élisabeth Pelletier de Chambure was the only member of the Rothschilds to be murdered inThe Holocaust.
The vineyard restarted wine production by the early 1950s.
Rothschild returned to participation in the theatrical world, writing the playLady Chatterley's Lover withGaston Bonheur. Based on theD. H. Lawrence novel, their play was later made into a motion picture starringDanielle Darrieux. In 1952 Rothschild and Bonheur wrote the script for the filmLa Demoiselle et son revenant. He also translated Elizabethan poetry and the plays ofChristopher Fry.
In 1954, Rothschild marriedPauline Fairfax Potter (1908–1976).
In 1973, Château Mouton Rothschild became the only French vineyard to ever achieve reclassification toFirst Growth, thanks to decades of lobbying. Subsequently, the owner ofChâteau d'Yquem sued unsuccessfully to have the reclassification reversed as illegitimate.
Rothschild purchased Château Clerc Milon, a fifth-growth classified vineyard strategically located next to his own property. In 1980, he announced a joint venture with American wine growerRobert Mondavi to form theOpus One Winery in Oakville, California.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild remained active in the wine business until he died in 1988 at the age of 85, whereupon his daughter assumed control of the company.[citation needed]
In 1962 at Mouton the Rothschilds created the Museum of Wine in Art.
In 1978Mercure de France published Philippe de Rothschild'sLe Pressoir perdu: poèmes. In 1981Presses de la Cité published hisVivre la vigne: du ghetto de Francfort à Mouton Rothschild 1744-1981.[4][5]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
