'Julia': What was Julia Child's net worth? Iconic chef's debut book sold more than 1.5M copies
Julia Child was a cooking teacher, a vibrant author, and an American television personality. Often regarded as a cultural pioneer, she was highly regarded for bringing French cuisine to the American public, courtesy of her debut book 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking'. It was only a matter of time before she hit the big screen and soon entered the playing field with her television programs, most famously 'The French Chef' which premiered in 1963.
CNN has now chosen her as one of the more interesting topics and is featuring a documentary on her on the channel on Memorial Day. Helmed by Academy Award-nominated directors Julie Cohen and Besty West, it's titled 'Julia' and will celebrate her life, her career as a chef, her books, and how she became an undeterred icon.
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The highly-anticipated documentary is padded up with high-end food cinematography, never before seen archives, interviews and Julia's life in a nutshell. It will explore Julia's love for food making and 10 years of her life simply experimenting with recipes and exchanging notes with two of her buddies. It only seems fitting that a documentary on her is on the way because she was the first woman to get inducted into the Culinary Institute of America's Hall of Fame. With so much achieved, what was Julia's net worth exactly?
Julia Child was a vocal supporter of women’s healthcare & their right to choose. With her audience of millions of American women, her public stance was an inspiration to many. Join us on Monday, May 30th at 8 p.m. ET to learn more about the life of this American icon #JuliaMovie pic.twitter.com/sutmR2rNKn
— CNN (@CNN) May 23, 2022
What was Julia Child's net worth?
After Julia's 1961's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' established her as a woman with reason, she went on to publish 16 more cookbooks and the memoir 'My Life in France'. Her television show 'The French Chef' aired from 1963 to 1973 and was also an Emmy winner. After witnessing the success of her debut book which sold approximately 1.5 million copies, with co-authors Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, she went on to write magazine articles for publishings like 'The Boston Globe'. All this success of hers was accompanied by a stable marriage with her husband Paul Child.
The couple tied the knot in 1946 and met each other in Kandy, Ceylon, at the Office of Strategic Services. In her book 'The French Chef Cookbook', she commented on her marriage saying, "Paul Child, the man who is always there: porter, dishwasher, official photographer, mushroom dicer and onion chopper, editor, fish illustrator, manager, taster, idea man, resident poet, and husband. We had a happy marriage because we were together all the time." She lived in Washington, DC's Georgetown with Paul from 1948 to 1961. Her house, which was renovated by Rory Veevers-Carter, has hit the market in November 2021 for $3.5 million. The late chef affectionately called the 1870 colonial-style home her “little jewel" and it is where she worked on her iconic cookbook 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking'.
Child was rumored to have taught cooking classes to DC’s social set during her time at 2706 Olive Street, and the history even predates Child’s purchase of the property. Built in a post-Civil War era by a notable African American carpenter, Edgar Murphy, the house is, as the listing describes it, “part of a vibrant tapestry of African American influence in Washington, DC during the Reconstruction era.”
Julia's net worth is estimated at a whopping $50 million! Well, it seems fitting for a regular American television personality and such a successful and recurrent author. After 'The French Chef' was an absolute hit, she appeared in at least seven more shows up until the year 2000. It was reported that she earned $50 per episode back in '63 which rounds up to about $450.
Child—whose full name is Julia Carolyn Child—was born on August 15, 1912, in Pasadena, California. Child died of kidney failure on August 13, 2004, in Montecito, California. Her death came two days before her 92nd birthday.
'Julia' will feature on CNN on Monday, May 30, at 8 pm and 10 pm Eastern (5 pm and 7 pm Pacific).