Julia Child

Chef / TV Personality

Born: 15 August 1912
Died: 12 August 2004
Birthplace: Pasadena, California
Best known as: American TV chef and cookbook author

Name at birth: Julia McWilliams

In the late 1940s Julia Child began studying French cooking while living in Paris. During the 1950s she co-founded a cooking school, L'Ecole des Trois Gourmandes, and with her partners began working on a cookbook. In 1961 Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published, and its success helped launch a cooking show on PBS television. Unflappable and droll, she shared her passion for food with American TV audiences for half a century. Child authored several books and won numerous awards around the world, and is often credited with having improved American culinary habits.

Extra credit: During World War II she worked for the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency. She was stationed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and China.

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