Julia Child (1912-2004) can be thanked for introducing French cuisine to America - the land of hot dogs and apple pie - during the 1960s. Aside from her most famous creation, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Child wrote more than a dozen cookbooks. Mastering the Art of French Cooking was first published in 1961 and her TV career began two years later. Her television shows, particularly The French Chef, turned her into a cultural icon in America - much loved and much parodied. Her final book was My Life in France, an autographical account published in 2006 after her death. My Life in France details Child's life in France following World War II.