Her television programs were meant to introduce French cooking techniques to Americans. With low budgets for the programs, and just one taping, mistakes happened on camera and Child's reactions to and recovery from errors proved part of their charm -- and part of the lessons in real-life cooking. Her distinctive voice, dramatic presence and willingness to "make a mess" helped Americans see French cooking as something they could also do. She managed to come across both as part of America's aristocracy, and an ordinary person "just like us."
Julia Child's television work won a Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy Award in 1966.
In 1968, Julia Child was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her mastectomy, the cancer did not return.
In her later books, Julia Child focused on transforming traditional recipes to take advantage of ingredients available in America and also to make the recipe preparation take less time.
Paul Child's health failed and, after a series of strokes, was in a nursing home after 1989. He died in 1994. Julia Child continued her active work, with more cookbooks published, with some special attention to how to plan whole meals.
Julia Child spent most of her last years at her home in Massachusetts, spending time each year at the Childs' vacation home in France. Julia Child was born and spent much of her early years in California, and began spending her winters there again in her later years. When she closed her Cambridge home in 2001, the Smithsonian Institution acquired her kitchen and installed it as an exhibit, Julia Child's Kitchen, at the National Museum of American History.
Julia Child died in 2004 of kidney failure. At her request there was no funeral, and her ashes were scattered where Paul's had been, in Santa Barbara and Maine.
Julia Child wrote My Life in France with Alex Prud'Homme, and it was published after her death.
More Julia Child Facts
Background, Family:
- Mother: Carolyn Weston McWilliams
- Father: John McWilliams (farm consultant)
- Siblings: Dorothy, John
Education:
- Katherine Branson School for Girls (boarding school, Ross, California), 1930.
- Smith College, B.A. 1934.
Marriage, Children:
- husband: Paul Cushing Child (married September 1, 1945, died 1994; diplomat, photographer, painter)
- no children
Political Affiliation: Democrat
By Julia Child:
- The French Chef Cookbook. 1968, 2002.
- From Julia Child's Kitchen. 1975, 1999.
- Julia Child and Company. With E.S. Yntema. 1978.
- Julia Child and More Company. With E.S. Yntema. 1979.
- The Way to Cook (6 cassettes with booklets: Poultry; Meat; Vegetables; Soups, Salads, and Breads; Fish and Eggs; First Courses and Desserts). 1985.
- The Way to Cook. 1989.
- Cooking with Master Chefs. 1993.
- In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs. With N.V. Barr. 1995.
- Julia's Delicious Little Dinners. 1998.
- Julia's Menu for Special Occasions. With E.S. Yntema. 1998.
- Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. With Jacques Pepin. 1999.
- Julia's Breakfasts, Lunches, and Suppers. With E.S. Yntema, photographs by James Scherer. 1999.
- Julia's Casual Dinners. With E.S. Yntema. 1999.
- An American Feast: A Celebration of Cooking on Public Television. Editor, with Burton Wolf. 1999.
- Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking. With David Nussbaum. 2000.
- My Life in France. (Memoir.) With Alex Prud'Homme. 2006. (The 2009 movie, Julie & Julia, was adapted in part from this book.)
Books About Julia Child:
- Noël Riley Fitch. Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child. 1997.
- Joan Reardon. M.F.K Fisher, Julia Child, and Alice Waters: Celebrating the Pleasures of the Table. 1994.
- Laura Shapiro. Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America. 2004.
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