What Was Culinary TV Legend Julia Child's Net Worth?

Julia Child's Net Worth At The Time of Her Death

Celebrity chef, author, and television personality Julia Child was a TV cooking show pioneer who paved the way for future generations of chefs and cooking show hosts. Child’s cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," is credited with popularizing French cuisine in America. Child starred on numerous television shows, winning several Emmy awards. She was portrayed by Meryl Streep in the 2009 Nora Ephron-directed film "Julie & Julia." She had an estimated net worth of $50 million at the time of her death in 2004, as per Celebrity Net Worth.   

Julia Child’s Sources of Income

Early Career 

Born Julia Carolyn McWilliams, Child attended Polytechnic School and Katherine Branson School (a boarding school in Ross, California), and she played basketball, tennis, and golf during her youth. She went on to major in history at Smith College in Massachusetts, earning a degree in 1934.

Child moved to New York City after college and took a job as a copywriter in W. & J. Sloane's advertising department. She then joined the Office of Strategic Services as a typist after failing to enlist in the U.S. Navy's WAVES or the Women's Army Corps.

Child was promoted to a top-secret researcher under General William J. Donovan, the head of OSS. She worked as a file clerk and assistant to the shark repellent developers for the OSS Emergency Sea Rescue Equipment Section.

Child is credited with finding a shark repellent which she made when too many underwater OSS explosives were being set off by sharks. The repellent is reportedly still in use. Child went on to receive the Emblem of Meritorious Civilian Service while serving as the head of the Registry of the OSS Secretariat. 

Career as a Chef 

Child did not receive any culinary training until her she was in her late 30s. She attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, after meeting her husband Paul, who was known to have a sophisticated palate. Julia then studied with masterchefs such as Max Bugnard, and she joined Le Cercle des Gourmettes, a women's cooking club.

Further, she met Simone Beck, who asked Child to work on a French cookbook for Americans that she was writing with Louisette Bertholle. The three also began teaching cooking classes for American women in 1951, and a decade later, they published "Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. The book was an instant hit and led to publishing of the second book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two" in 1970.

After the success of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," Julia wrote magazine articles as well as a column for "The Boston Globe." She published numerous cookbooks like the "The French Chef Cookbook" (1968), "Julia Child & Company" (1978), "Baking with Julia" (1996), "Julia's Menus For Special Occasions" (1998), "Julia's Breakfasts, Lunches & Suppers" (1999), and "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home" (1999).

Career in TV

Child made her TV debut on a book review show on a Boston TV station. She then got her own show “The French Chef" premiered on Boston's WGBH in February 1963, and it aired 201 episodes over 10 seasons.

Julia starred in "Julia Child & Company" from 1978 to 1979, "Julia Child & More Company" from 1979 to 1980, "Dinner at Julia's" from 1983 to 1984, "Cooking with Master Chefs: Hosted by Julia Child" from 1993 to 1994, "In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs" from 1995 to 1996, "Baking with Julia" from 1996 to 1998, and "Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home" from 1999 to 2000.

Other ventures

Child, Richard Graff and Robert Mondav co-founded the American Institute of Wine & Food t in 1981. Child also had a professional kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts where three of her shows were filmed. In 2001, she donated the kitchen to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Real Estate Assets

Child’s first home was in Washington D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood where she produced recipes for one of her earliest cookbooks, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Called the “little jewel,” Child lived in the 3150 square feet home with her husband Paul from 1948 to 1961. The home hit the market in 2021, years after Child’s death. The home underwent some elaborate renovations and was listed for $3.5 million, as per Vanity Fair.

Personal Life

Child married Paul Cushing Child on September 1, 1946. The two met when Paul was stationed in Kandy, Ceylon, with the Office of Strategic Services. They moved to Washington, D.C., and later when Paul joined the United States Foreign Service, he was assigned to be an exhibits officer in Paris.  During their time in Paris, Julia took cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, graduating in 1951.

Death 

Julia Child died on August 13, 2004, from kidney failure at an assisted living home in Montecito, California. She was cremated, and her ashes were placed in an underwater mausoleum near Key Biscayne, Florida, called the Neptune Memorial Reef. In honour of Child, the U.S. Postal Service released a set of "Celebrity Chefs Forever" stamps featuring he, James Beard, Joyce Chen, Felipe Rojas-Lombardi, and Edna Lewis in 2014.

Philanthropy

After Child’s husband Paul died in 1994, she launched “The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and Culinary Arts” the following year. After Child’s death the Foundation began making grants to nonprofit organizations and giving out the Julia Child Award. She left no heirs and put the foundation in charge of granting the right to user her name and likeness.

Awards

2001 Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Service Show Host For “Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home”

1996 Daytime Emmy: Outstanding Service Show Host For “In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs”

1966 Primetime Emmy: Achievements in Educational Television – Individuals For “The French Chef”

1965 Peabody Awards: Personal Award For “The French Chef”

2000 Knight of France's Legion of Honor award

2003 U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom

2007 Inducted in the National Women's Hall of Fame

FAQs

How old was Julia Child?

Julia Child died at the age of 91 years.

What did Julia Child's pass away from?

Julia Child died of kidney failure in Montecito, California, just two days before her 92nd birthday on August 13, 2004.

Did Julia Child have any kids?

Julia Child and her husband Paul Cushing Child didn't have children.

Who did Julia Child leave her money to?

Julia Child left no heirs and she put her foundation, “The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and Culinary Arts” in charge of granting the right to user her name and likeness.

What nationality was Julia Child?

Julia Child was an American born in Pasadena, California.

What was Julia Child’s Net Worth at the time of her death?

Julia Child had an estimated net worth of $50 million at the time of her death in 2004.