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Spectator
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Hotel Oloffson is ruined – and so is Haiti
Earlier this month, in Haiti's tatterdemalion capital of Port-au-Prince, armed gangs burned down the Hotel Oloffson. As news of the attack spread, both Haitians and foreigners mourned the loss of one of the most beautiful gingerbread mansions in the Caribbean. Thinly disguised as the Hotel Trianon in Graham Greene's 1966 novel The Comedians, the Oloffson had served as a meeting place for writers, journalists, actors and artists of every stripe and nationality. Past guests include Nöel Coward, John Gielgud, Marlon Brando, Tennessee Williams, Jacqueline Onassis and Mick Jagger (who wrote 'Emotional Rescue' there). Laughably, a room had been named after me as the author of a book on Haiti. The manager, Richard Auguste Morse, had been overseeing the hotel remotely from the United States since 2022 until it closed to guests two years later because of escalating gang violence. Rumours had long circulated that it was under threat of arson but news in Haiti is always haphazard: often there is only the teledyòl, Creole for 'grapevine'. So Richard didn't know what to believe when he heard the hotel had burned to the ground. 'I did what I usually do, which is call someone who has drones and have them go take a look,' he said. 'This time, when they called back, they said, 'Take a seat.' I knew then that this wasn't like the other times.' Two policemen were killed in crossfire while the fire raged. The hotel's destruction is emblematic of the destruction of Haiti's history and culture. Over the past two decades, the country has degenerated into a gangland tyranny where cocaine smuggled from Latin America has made the shanty-town drug kingpins ever more violent, unpredictable and powerful. The Oloffson was built in the late 1880s as a private residence for the Sam family who would supply two Haitian presidents over the next 30 years. It was a fairytale folly of spires and conical towers, with lacy white grille work on the eaves and balconies, and pomegranate and breadfruit motifs painted on the clapboard ceilings. The murder of President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam by an enraged mob in July 1915 provided the US government with an excuse to invade Haiti. Throughout the 19-year occupation that followed, the Sam mansion was a military hospital. After the Americans left, a Swedish sea captain called WernerGustav Oloffson converted it into a hotel. Hidden beneath a rug in the bridal suite was once a drain for sluicing the tiles; the suite had been an operating theatre. A succession of eccentric hoteliers followed, among them the American stockbroker Maurice De Young, who raised a species of cayman in the swimming pool and drank endless rum cocktails with Malcolm Lowry, the dipsomaniac author of Under the Volcano who was seen to walk fully clothed into the pool still holding his glass. Richard, a Princeton anthropology graduate, ran the Oloffson for almost 40 years. His mother was the glamorous Haitian danseuse and folklorist Emérante de Pradines. With his Haitian wife Lunise, he performed in a world-class Vodou rock band named RAM, after his initials. Tall and lanky, he seemed to regard the business of managing a hotel in beautiful, bedevilled Haiti as something of an amusement. Most nights he could be found reading a book by the light of a storm lantern in his cubbyhole of an office. 'There's another power cut as you've probably noticed,' he would say, 'and the telephone lines are down. It's the same old, same old.' Papa Dog, the hotel's resident mongrel, liked to flea his rump in the driveway while emaciated goats strayed in for morsels of food. Beyond the Oloffson the roads were clogged with buses known as tap-taps from the noise of their vintage engines. One day in the hotel I met the Haitian journalist Aubelin Jolicoeur, a cane-twirling Firbankian gadfly who appears as the gossip columnist Petit Pierre in The Comedians. Jolicoeur delighted in his fictional counterpart; on the author's death in 1991 wrote: 'I was grateful to [Graham] Greene to have enhanced my legend to such an extent that some fans kneel at my feet.' The hotel staff nicknamed Jolicoeur 'Jolifleur' – pretty flower (his full name actually translated as Littledawn Prettyheart). Dapper in a white linen suit and paisley ascot, Jolicoeur was inseparable from the hotel's history. In 1990 I proposed marriage in the Oloffson, going down on two knees to Laura after a burst of gunfire outside startled me. Thirty–five years on, we're still married. The Oloffson had survived military coups, dictatorships and earthquakes. Now it has gone, and Haiti is plainly ungovernable.
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Gangs burn down Haiti's iconic Hotel Oloffson, host to stars and writers
Haiti's storied Hotel Oloffson, a favorite haunt of writers and artists that survived dictatorship, coups and a devastating earthquake and was immortalized in novelist Graham Greene's 'The Comedians,' is no more. After months of resisting gang threats and attacks that forced thousands in its surrounding Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood to abandon their homes and flee, the landmark hotel overlooking Haiti's capital was 'burned to the ground' Saturday evening into Sunday morning. The hotel's burning was confirmed to the Miami Herald by proprietor Richard A. Morse, who also announced the destruction on X, after drone images began circulating showing its hollowed out structure.. The culprits: members of the Viv Ansanm gang coalition, who had been using the sprawling hotel as a base for their takeover of Port-au-Prince and have been fighting with Haitian national police officers. Another source who confirmed the hotel's destruction said it was among several places in the area gangs burned during the confrontation with police, which intensified on Saturday afternoon. 'Losing the Oloffson reflects the incompetence of Haiti's oligarchs, the Haitian government, the United Nations as well as the French and American governments,' said Morse, an outspoken critic of Haiti's wave of crises and ongoing political instability. The founder of RAM, a Haitian roots band named after him, Morse took over the famed hotel in 1987 after it had been closed a year earlier. At the time it was in near ruins after having once served as a media hub for visiting press during the years of the Duvalier dictatorship. The musician soon transformed the Oloffson into a gathering place for Haitian culture featuring folkc dancers and Vodou rock performances. His band's weekly Thursday performances along the hotel's creaky, wooden balcony attracted both locals and tourists and became a must attend event as gawking visitors begged to see where Mick Jagger, Jackie Kennedy Onasis and Graham Greene once slept. 'Stepping into this magnificent gingerbread mansion with its cathedral ceilings, you could feel the lingering presence of legends —painters like Hector Hyppolite, Philomé Obin and André Pierre; dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham; former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy; Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of 'The Comedians;' Charles Addams of The Addams Family; and James Jones, author of From Here to Eternity — to name just a few,' said Port-au-Prince political analyst and former hotel patron Michel Eric Gaillard. 'Sipping a glass of rum at the old Acajou bar, you might have imagined yourself seated beside Rolling Stones icon Mick Jagger, or witnessing Graham Greene in deep conversation with Aubelin Jolicoeur. Brushing your hand against its walls, you did so with reverence—closing your eyes to absorb the vibrations, the echoes, the voices of history,' he added. 'The Oloffson withstood the 2010 earthquake, its wooden structure flexing with resilience as it stood tall above Port-au-Prince. But it could not defy manmade disaster. Like an old reel of film, it has faded into oblivion.' Gaelle Delaquis, a promoter of Haitian culture, said the hotel's destruction represents a great loss. 'I carry so many cherished memories of this cultural landmark,' she said. 'It was my Thursday Mass, the birthplace of the original Gede Fest – a true symbol of unity, generational legacy and Haitian excellence. 'They can destroy our city, but not our spirit,' Delaquis added. 'Our collective memory is our history.' Gregory Brandt, a fan who also used to support cultural events at the hotel, is mourning the hotel's destruction while trying to understand the logic. 'I am very said and don't understand the use of fire,' Brandt said. 'Take the house and move in, but the attraction for destruction and setting fire?' Built in the late 19th Century, the Oloffson was initially a private home owned by the Sam family, who lived there until President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam in 1915 was lynched by an angry mob in the streets of Port-au-Prince. Sam had only been president for five months at the time of his death, which triggered a U.S. military intervention and a 19-year occupation of Haiti by U.S. marines. Until President Jovenel Moïse's equally brazen slaying four years ago, on July 7, 2021, Sam had been the last Haitian president to be assassinated. During the U.S. occupation, the Oloffson was used by the marines as a hospital, and following the departure of American forces in 1934, it was converted into a hotel in 1935. In 1960, Al Seitz, a New Yorker, became proprietor of the what was then called the 'Ginger Bread' Grand Hotel Oloffson, and he transformed it into a haven for both local and visiting celebrities whose names graced the hotel's rooms. In addition to Jagger and Greene, another draw was the Aubelin Jolicoeur room, named after the Haitian gossip columnist on whom Greene based his character Petit Pierre in 'The Comedians.' The Oloffson itself served as a muse for Greene's fictional Trianon Hotel in 'The Comedians,' which tells a tale of treachery and the absurdity of Haiti amid the rule of Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier. The hotel was also the setting for the 1967 film 'The Comedians,' starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, in which Burton portrayed the hotel manager. Seitz died in 1982 at the age of 64 of cancer, and years later Morse took over. Under Morse's management, the Oloffson braved deepening political instability, dried-up tourism, the 2010 earthquake and worsening gang violence. Still, its low room rates, lunches and rum sours continued to inspire a new generation of writers and foreign correspondents searching for news, as the hotel served as a repository for the latest political gossip and intrigue. Despite curfews, it still attracted Haiti's intellectuals, artists and foreign diplomats on its porch until the gang violence in Carrefour Feuilles and downtown Port-au-Prince completely made it off limits. 'The Oloffson has literally attracted everyone,' Morse said, noting that the late Anthony Bourdain, the celebrated chef and author, once listed it as among his five favorite spots in Haiti after visiting the country in 2011 to film season 7 of his show 'No Reservations.' The demise of the Oloffson follows a similar attack on The Lodge, a popular hotel in the hills above Port-au-Prince. The destruction is part of an alarming rise of violance against private homes and businesses by armed gangs that began ramping up their attacks at the beginning of the year. The violence is paralyzing Port-au-Prince, now up to 90% under gang control, and is quickly spreading to other regions of Haiti. Late last week, at least eight people were reported killed in gang attacks in the Lascahobas area in the Central Plateau. The United Nations issued an alert for the region after armed gangs orchestrated an attack, intensifying the already precarious humanitarian crisis in the rural area. Lascahobas was already hosting 7,455 internally displaced persons following gang attacks in April, the U.N. said. Now with the recent attacks, more Haitians have been forced to flee their homes. In Port-au-Prince, gangs have continued to torch century-old homes in historic neighborhoods like Pacot, not far from the Oloffson hotel, and in the hills above the capital of Kenscoff. Morse, who said he never understood why the hotel was listed as being in an off limits 'red zone' back in the 2000s when the gang problem wasn't what it is today, is vowing to rebuild. 'I'll do everything I can to get it back on its feet in spite of the powers that be,' he said. 'I feel free to finally speak out again. They can only burn it once.'
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Where EastEnders Butcher family are now - sudden death, addiction and quitting TV
The Butcher family first crashed into BBC One's long-running soap EastEnders in the 1980s, and while some of the stars have thrived away from the show, others have faced brutal struggles EastEnders changed for good when it introduced the Butcher family. They came to the fictional London borough of Walford in 1988, just three years after the BBC soap first aired, and started how they meant to continue - with a bang. Back in the early years, EastEnders underwent a massive shift when the co-creator of the show, Julia Smith, decided to take a slight step back from the goings on of the show, allowing producer Mike Gibbon to take the reins. This all played out on screen, with the Butchers turning up and quickly taking over Albert Square. The brash family quickly became the stars of the square as they stepped in to overtake the Queen Vic pub, with Frank Butcher and girlfriend Pat Wicks filling in the shoes of former landlord couple Den and Angie Watts. Along with their kids, the characters quickly got dramatic plotlines and plenty of screen time, and their ancestors have kept cropping up in the market to this day. Decades on from the introduction of the original Butcher family, many more off-shoots have been introduced, and - much like their on-screen counterparts - the actors behind the roles have veered off in wildly different directions... Mike Reid - Frank Butcher Mike Reid started off as a stand-up comedian in clubs and aboard cruise liners in the early 1960s before working as a stunt double. The gravel-voiced actor shot to fame in 70s TV stand-up show The Comedians and released a one-off hit record, a novelty version of The Ugly Duckling which reached No. 10 in the UK Singles Chart. Despite his varied career, Mike's most popular role by far was as car salesman Frank Butcher. Casting the comedian in the soap was a highly controversial move at the time, but he soon became a beloved character and paved the way for many other comedians to join the cast in later years. Frank first appeared on the show in 1987 before his family joined him in 1988, and became a mainstay of the soap. The character sank into depression after marrying Pat, and in real life the storyline took its toll on Mike; leading to him taking a long hiatus from the soap in 1994. Almost 17 million viewers tuned in to see Mike's return on Christmas Day 1995 but he didn't make a full comeback as Frank until May 1998, and was involved in explosive storylines such as accidentally killing Tiffany Mitchell in his car and marrying Peggy. Suffering from heart problems and exhaustion due to the schedule, Mike left the soap once again in 2000 but was persuaded to stay for a few months to film his dramatic exit - with Frank being caught cheating on Peggy with Pat. Mike went on to appear in gangster movie Snatch as well as several low budget British films, but made several brief appearances in EastEnders in 2002, 2003 and 2005. Mike semi-retired from the showbiz world to live in Spain, but returned to acting in two episodes of The Bill in 2007. Sadly, the much-loved actor died suddenly in Marbella in 2007 aged 67 following a massive heart attack, which occurred just two weeks after he was given a clean bill of health. Mike collapsed at his luxury villa in Marbella and was dead by the time he reached hospital. Devastated co-star Barbara Windsor, who played his wife Peggy, said: "It's absolutely terrible news. He was a lovely man, a good performer, an actor and a friend." His funeral at Little Easton Parish church near his home in Essex was attended by over 250 people, including EastEnders co-stars such as Sid Owen, Pam St Clement, June Brown and Barbara Windsor. In 2008, EastEnders bosses decided to kill Mike's iconic character off in a special 'Frank Week', which featured his funeral and flashbacks of his best moments. Pam St Clement - Pat Butcher What needs to be said about Pat Butcher? Known for her iconic earrings and deep love of leopard print, Pat was on Albert Square for more than 25 years. First seen on screen in June 1986, Pam St Clement was initially on a three-episode trial but ultimately went on to become one of the longest-serving stars ever. The bold character made her mark in major storylines such as Pete Wick's paternity drama, her affair with ex-husband Frank, and her longstanding feud/friendship with Peggy Mitchell. It was announced Pam was leaving the soap in July 2011, with the actress admitting she didn't want Pat to be killed off but was pleased with her emotional exit. "I have enjoyed 25 and a half wonderful years in EastEnders creating the character of Pat but feel it's time to hang up her earrings. Leaving the EastEnders 'family' will be akin to a bereavement," she stated. "But I'm looking forward to the other work and life opportunities that I will have the time to pursue." Since leaving Albert Square, Pam has appeared in a feature-length special of Casualty and went on a cannabis discovery in Gone to Pot: American Road Trip. Away from EastEnders, she also appeared on shows such as This Morning and Countryfile, and has made a huge impact as an advocate for conservation and animal rights. The star has mainly left EastEnders behind bar a few cameos and reunion events, and in 2015, Pam admitted she struggles to keep up with what's going on in the show because getting older has made the storylines harder to follow. Revealing how she had been enjoying her time away from Albert Square, she explained: "It's amazing not to have that relentless schedule. It's honestly delightful. I've got time for charity and for travel, I love it and I've got time to work, the only pity is I can't manage all the things I'm offered – everyone's used to me being on screen permanently." Sadly, Pam hasn't been without her troubles in the real world. In August 2019, she opened up about her "year from hell" on Loose Women, revealing that she' d been forced to cancel work and take most of the year off after a horrific injury. Pam explained that she'd been badly hurt on a trip to Australia during a typhoon, which led to further complications when she returned back to the UK ahead of a knee operation. "Idiot that I am I'd planned my knee replacement for after I came back. I was out and it was the tail end of a typhoon. I was messing about with a seven-year-old," she said. "I fell and cut my leg open. It was disgusting, it really was. And would you believe it the one part of my fat body that hasn't got any flesh on it is my shin bone and it was straight across." Sid Owen - Ricky Butcher The life of EastEnders legend Sid Owen has been even more dramatic than that of his character. Tragically, his alcoholic dad left the family when Sid was just six, and his mum died of pancreatic cancer when he was eight. Growing up in such a difficult environment, Sid admitted that he smoked cigarettes at the age of four, broke into a school at 10, and drank from the age of 12. After appearing alongside Al Pacino in 1985 film Revolution, Sid was cast as dopey Ricky Butcher in EastEnders in 1998. While his character was more slow-going, Sid has opened up about his drug-fuelled showbiz lifestyle behind closed doors, including having wild sex in a Tesco toilet. In his autobiography From Rags to Ricky]]]]]]] his drug issues, including snorting as much as £200 of cocaine a night in the 1990s while still working on EastEnders. In the book, he wrote: "It's recreational then all of a sudden it's like, 'Hang on, I've got to get through pages of scripts, and then go to work'. You think you can do it and get away with it. I thought I could juggle the two, but I soon realised it was a silly idea." Thankfully, Sid went to seek professional help and is now a fitness fanatic who swims and runs six times a week. He left EastEnders for the first time in 2000 to make a pop career bid, releasing a cover version of Michael Jackson's 'Good Thing Going' which reached No.14 in the UK Single Chart. The actor returned to EastEnders for the Ricky and Bianca spin-off episode in 2002 and stayed as a regular until his character was axed in 2004 for a lack of storylines. As well as taking part in I'm A Celebrity in 2005, Sid joined the cast for Bad Girls in 2006 for the final series as prison guard Donny Kimber, who started a sexual relationship with inmate Janine Nebeski. Coincidently, she was played by Nicola Stapleton, who was also Sid's on-screen lover in EastEnders as the character Mandy Salter. Sid returned to EastEnders for the final time in 2008 then left for good four years later, going on to appear in the 2012 series of Strictly Come Dancing and The Jump in 2012, Sid has now seemingly given up acting, while occasionally appearing as himself in reality TV shows. In 2020, Sid shattered his jaw and smashed his teeth in a freak accident while on holiday when a golf ball rebounded off a tree into his face. During a Loose Women appearance in October, Sid refused to show his face and admitted his confidence has been knocked. He explained his accident to The Sun at the time, recalling: "One minute I'm playing a round and the next I'm in total agony and on my way to hospital. But actually I've almost been lucky because they've told me if it had hit me two inches higher up I'd probably be dead from that sort of impact.' "I remember seeing two teeth fly straight out of my mouth but it turned out to be a fracture in my face and a broken jaw, along with another tooth embedded into my jaw." He has now settled down and is the "happiest he's ever been" with fiancée Victoria Shores, a restaurant worker he first met 23 years ago. The duo welcomed a baby daughter in 2022, after Victoria almost died during labour due to serious complications. At the time, Sid said that he and Victoria were set to marry that September, but hasn't given any further update about the nuptials. Sophie Lawrence - Diane Butcher Even hardcore EastEnders fans may struggle to remember Diane Butcher, who has appeared on and off since 1988. The rebellious teenage daughter of Frank ran away from home, had a relationship with Mark Fowler, struggled bringing up her son, and became even more elusive when she moved to France. Actress Sophie Lawrence was just 15 when she took on the role, and soon quit in 1991 to take on new projects, including a bid at a music career. Sophie explained of the shocking decision: "I left because I wanted to play something different. In doing that, you have to grow out of the public's perception of you as an EastEnders character. But I wanted variety of roles. I felt I couldn't just carry on being Diane indefinitely. I wanted to be an actor, not just a personality." The budding popstar had minor chart success in 1991 with a cover of Donna Summer's 1997 hit 'Love's Unkind', reaching No.21 in the UK Singles Chart, but didn't see a major takeoff. Sophie then returned to EastEnders for brief stints in 1993, 1994 and 1997, quitting weeks after making that third comeback because it felt like "going back to school and none of your friends are there." Her character returned again in 2008 for Frank's funeral and again in 2012 for Janine's wedding. Away from soap land, Sophie has turned to the theatre, appearing in The Rocky Horror Show, going on two Boogie Nights tours and appearing in panto, but has now been away from showbiz for years. James Forde - Liam Butcher From 2008 to 2015, actor James Forde was watched by millions of soap fans across the UK each week in his role as Liam Butcher. The young actor played the troubled teenage son of Bianca Jackson and Ricky Butcher in EastEnders, who was played by six different child actors before James took over in a prominent role. The actor's last scenes aired in August 2015, when Liam blackmailed Ian Beale over Bobby's murder secret then left Walford with Cindy. "Absolutely honoured to have a world with some of the people I have worked with. It's amazing and the future is exciting," tweeted James after his exit. He has not being spotted in any other acting roles since quitting the show, and James recently revealed he is now working as a builder. Announcing the news to his fans via an Instagram post in February last year in his new uniform - with a caption which read 'Bob the builder' alongside a hammer emoji and a picture of him wearing a hard hat and high-vis vest. James received an outpouring of love from his fans who were excited about his new job development, and quickly clapped back to some trolls. "Life after Eastenders lol a full time job," one person mocked, with James firmly defending: "Yeah, it's called normality mate." The child star refers to himself as an 'ex-actor- on social media and a 'proud employee for' a satellite and aerial installation company. He's also a proud Chelsea FC supporter and a very hands-on uncle to a niece and nephew, while frequently posting memories of his dad, who died in 2022. Charlie Brooks - Janine Butcher Frank's troublesome daughter was originally played by Rebecca Michael between 1989 and 1993, and then Alexia Demetriou until 1996. It wasn't until Charlie Brooks took over in 1999 that she really became an Albert Square icon, becoming a "super-b****" who was loved and hated by viewers in equal measure. Janine wasted no time in making a splash, and in some of her biggest plotlines murdered two of her four husbands, accidentally killed Ronnie Mitchell's long-lost daughter Danielle and was wrongfully charged for the death of Ian Beale's wife Laura. One of her most memorable moments has to be when Janine shoved Barry Evans to his death down a hill - and to this day Charlie still gets "You pushed Barry!" shouted at her in the street. The actress admitted of the recognition: "It is funny, but when you've heard it so many times I just think, 'Oh there we go, there's another one!'" After appearing in The Bill and Jonathan Creek, Charlie first set foot in Albert Square in 1999 and remained until 2004, going on to have roles in Bleak House, Robin Hood and 2006 killer nurse drama Beverley Allitt: Angel of Death. Charlie came back to EastEnders between 2008 and 2012, with Janine going to join sister Diane and daughter Scarlett in Paris after getting away with murdering husband Michael Moon. Charlie shares 16-year-old daughter Kiki with her former partner, Ibiza club owner Tony Truman, whom she split from in 2006. However, the former couple have remained on such good terms that he lives in the flat above Charlie's Surrey home and he even organised a spectacular garden party for her 40th birthday after they were bubbled together during the lockdown. Kiki is looking to follow in her mum's footsteps by pursuing an acting career and has already appeared in The Dumping Ground and The Kennedys. As well as continuing to act, Charlie has also set up her own business where she offers acting training. She competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2011 and famously won I'm A Celebrity the following year, and most recently appeared on 2025's Dancing on Ice. Apart from reality TV and game show appearances she hasn't been on our screens much in recent years, but still acts on stage . Charlie has admitted it has been hard to shed the character of Janine and people sometimes struggle to recognise that they're not the same person. She shared: "Janine is iconic so it's hard for people to see you in anything else. I think I'm A Celebrity probably helped as people got to see Charlie and Janine are very different." Since leaving EastEnders, Charlie has quit booze, learnt meditation and boosted her confidence, with the lack of alcohol helping her feel healthier both mentally and physically. "There wasn't one particular moment I decided to give up. But over the years I'd thought, 'I don't know if I want to drink anymore'. I just felt it was time for a lifestyle change. There was no big rock bottom. Nothing like that," she said.
