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Julia Child is renowned as a groundbreaking chef, beloved television personality, and acclaimed cookbook author. She graced the screen in eight television cooking series and wrote 11 cookbooks. A formally trained chef, Julia had a deep passion for food, particularly French cuisine, which she introduced to American audiences and the world through her popular TV shows and best-selling books. Known for her love of all things rich and creamy, she became a cultural icon. But beyond the kitchen, she was also a trailblazing woman with a fascinating past.
Now, let's dive into ten quirky and unexpected facts about Julia Child…
10. Exceptionally Tall
Standing at an impressive height of about 1.8 meters (6 feet 2 inches), Julia Child was undeniably tall. It comes as no surprise that she excelled in sports during her school years, even captaining the basketball team at the prestigious Katharine Branson School for Girls in California. Her athleticism extended beyond basketball, as she was also part of the tennis, golf, and swim teams, and served as president of the school’s hiking club.
After completing her history degree at Smith College in Massachusetts, Julia Child was determined to contribute to the war effort during WWII. As she remembers, "Everybody that I knew was in the Army or the Navy or down in Washington, so that’s where I went."
However, both the Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service and the Army’s Women’s Army Corps rejected her enlistment due to her extraordinary height. Her siblings also stood over six feet tall, and her mother humorously boasted, "I gave birth to 18 feet of children."
9. My Name Is Child, Julia Child
In 1942, Julia Child relocated to Washington, D.C., where she began working for the Secret Intelligence division of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to the CIA. She initially started as a typist before being promoted to a research assistant role.
Though not officially a spy, Julia held top-secret security clearances and dealt with highly confidential documents while working with the OSS. She was later awarded the Emblem of Meritorious Civilian Service during her assignment in China.
Julia Child was somewhat reserved about her time at the OSS, but in 1981, the CIA declassified details of her service. Author Jennet Conant, in her book A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS, notes, "Julia was never actually a spy, but she very much hoped to become one when she joined the agency."
Her role at the OSS not only provided her with the chance to travel overseas but also led to her meeting Paul Child, who worked for the agency as well. Two years after marrying, the couple moved to France, where Julia would begin her new career.
8. Something Smells Fishy
While serving as a research assistant at the OSS, Julia Child contributed to a project focused on creating a shark repellent during WWII. This initiative was intended to prevent sharks from attacking airmen stranded at sea and to keep sharks away from waterborne explosives aimed at German U-boats.
In a way, it also served as a morale booster, as wartime reports of shark attacks had left sailors and airmen uneasy about the prospect of performing dangerous missions in shark-infested waters.
"I must say we had lots of fun," Julia shared with fellow OSS Officer Betty McIntosh during an interview for Betty’s book on OSS women, Sisterhood of Spies. She recalled how "we designed rescue kits and other agent paraphernalia. I understand the shark repellent we developed is being used today for downed space equipment—strapped around it so the sharks won’t attack when it lands in the ocean."
7. Best Seller
In 1951, Julia Child completed her studies at the prestigious Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. She was determined to simplify classic French recipes, making them accessible to the everyday American cook. Ten years later, Child, along with co-authors and fellow chefs Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck, released Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The book quickly became a bestseller, selling over 1.5 million copies and solidifying Child's legacy in the culinary world.
The cookbook continues to be a favorite among chefs and home cooks alike, even though it dedicates a full 13 pages to the art of making a basic omelet and features numerous recipes that require “thinning out” sauces with rich cream.
The 2009 release of the movie Julie & Julia propelled the cookbook to the top of The New York Times bestseller list, an incredible 48 years after its initial publication. One recent buyer remarked, "I found the recipes, actually, much easier than I thought they were going to be, but the amount of butter was a bit overwhelming. I have this glow, and it’s from too much hot butter. I expected to break out the next day."
6. Big Star on the Small Screen
The success of Mastering helped Julia Child launch the first-ever cooking show hosted by a woman. The French Chef premiered on February 11, 1963, and ran for ten years, with 201 episodes in total. It was an unlikely triumph, as television executives doubted that the tall, middle-aged, and distinctively-voiced Child would connect with audiences. However, they were proven wrong, and the show even earned two Emmy Awards, becoming a beloved family favorite. Julia Child quickly became a household name and TV legend. Her iconic persona was even humorously portrayed by Dan Ackroyd on Saturday Night Live.
In 2022, Julia Child made a return to television with the debut of HBO Max’s comedy series Julia. Described as “less biopic than utopian workplace ‘dramedy’ about Child's cooking show ‘The French Chef’ and the rise of public television,” the show gave a fresh take on Child’s impact.
“Her joy for cooking was also a metaphor for her joy for life,” said Chris Keyser, the showrunner of the HBO Max series.
5. Butter, Butter and Even More Butter
Butter played a starring role on The Art of French Cooking show. Julia Child herself once remarked, “if you’re afraid of butter, use cream.” According to PBS, Child’s other show, Baking with Julia, which aired from 1997 to 1999, went through an impressive 342 kilograms (753 pounds) of butter.
Child’s editor, Judith Jones, reflected, “In this country, we sort of have a love-hate relationship with food—we love it, but we’re also afraid of this whole fear-of-fat mania.”
Julia often quipped, “Oh, butter never hurts you.” She passed away from kidney failure in Montecito, California, in 2004 at the age of 91. Clearly, a generous amount of butter couldn’t have been all that harmful.
4. Butter Rose
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
The Julia Child rose is aptly butter-colored, yet it has a fragrance described as evoking "strong sweet licorice and spice."
“We had been trying to convince Julia for years to have a rose named after her, but she always replied, ‘I’m not worthy of that,’ in classic Julia fashion,” recalls Tom Carruth, a rose breeder and curator at the rose garden of the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
Created by Carruth in 1994, the Julia Child rose received the United States' most prestigious rose honor, the All-America Rose Selection, in 2006. “Just before our beloved American icon passed, she chose this remarkable rose to carry her name. Julia adored the golden butter color and the licorice candy scent,” says Weeks Roses, the company that initially introduced the rose.
3. Words of Wisdom
There are many quotes, some accurate and some not, often attributed to Julia Child, touching on everything from butter to matters of love and relationships. But what did she really say? Below are a few of my favorite Julia Child quotes, all verified by WGBH. And if you're a strict vegan or fruitarian, you might want to look away…
'Always keep in mind: If you’re alone in the kitchen and accidentally drop the lamb, just pick it up. Who’s going to know?'
'Those who truly enjoy eating are always the best people.'
'I stand by red meat. I’ve often said: red meat and gin.'
'Drama is a key ingredient in life: You must enter with a flourish. Never go out quietly. Anything can be dramatic if executed properly. Even a pancake.'
The only time diet food is acceptable is when you’re waiting for the steak to finish cooking.
Fat is what gives food its flavor.
Bon appétit!
2. A Different Kind of CIA
Julia Child made history as the first woman to be inducted into the Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) Hall of Fame in 1993. She once remarked, 'In nearly every successful restaurant or hotel I’ve visited in this country, I’ve encountered a Culinary Institute of America graduate in a leadership role.'
Among the many honors Julia Child received was an honorary doctorate from Harvard University in 1993. The document referred to her as 'a Harvard friend and neighbor who has filled the air with common sense and uncommon scents. Long may her soufflés rise.' In 2001, she was awarded the prestigious Legion of Honor by the French government, and in 2003, President George W. Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
1. I Will Survive
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
In the mid-1960s, Julia Child underwent surgery to remove a cancerous breast. 'In those days, there was no choice,' she recalled in a 1987 interview with The Los Angeles Times. 'They just lopped it off. When I woke up, there I was, single-breasted,' she explained.
During that time, a radical mastectomy was the only available treatment, and survival rates were extremely low. Breast cancer was rarely spoken of, there was no follow-up chemotherapy, and breast reconstruction wasn’t even considered an option. 'They just sewed me up, and I went home,' she remembered.
Just under two weeks after her surgery, she was back on the job and in front of the camera. 'I didn’t want to appear whiny,' Child remarked, always direct and unfiltered.
