Keith Floyd
| Keith Floyd | |
|---|---|
Floyd in 2003
|
|
| Born |
28 December 1943 Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Died | 14 September 2009 (aged 65) Bridport, Dorset, England, UK |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Celebrity cook, television personality, businessman, restaurateur, author |
| Years active | 1984–2009 |
| Spouse(s) | Jesmond Ruttledge (?–?, divorced) Julie Hatcher (?–?, divorced) Shauna Mullett (1991–94, divorced) Teresa Smith (1995–2008, divorced) |
| Partner(s) | Celia Martin (?-2009, his death) |
| Website | Official website |
Keith Floyd (28 December 1943 – 14 September 2009) was a British celebrity cook, television personality and restaurateur, who hosted cooking shows for the BBC and published many books combining cookery and travel. On television, his eccentric style of presentation - usually drinking wine as he cooked and talking to his crew - endeared him to millions of viewers worldwide.
Floyd was born at Folly Farm near Reading, Berkshire, on 28 December 1943 to working class parents Sydney and Winnifred Floyd. He was brought up in a council house in the small town of Wiveliscombe in Somerset. His family made financial sacrifices to enable him to be educated privately at Wellington School, Somerset.
Floyd became a cub reporter on the Bristol Evening Post. He, perhaps joking, claimed he decided to join the British Army in 1963 after watching the film Zulu, although the film was not released until 1964. He attained the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Royal Tank Regiment, where he pestered the mess cook to produce gourmet dinners.
After three years, finding that he and the Army were "mutually incompatible", Floyd found employment in several catering-related jobs including barman, dishwasher and vegetable peeler.
By 1971, Floyd had acquired three restaurants in Bristol, Floyd's Bistro in Princess Victoria Street in Clifton, Floyd's Restaurant in Alma Vale Road and Keith Floyd's Restaurant in Chandos Road, Redland. All three restaurants had financial problems. Floyd sold the restaurants and the rights to the name "Floyd's Restaurant" and moved to the south of France, where again he opened a restaurant in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Vaucluse. After this again ended in financial problems, he moved back to Britain. With the help of loans from friends, he opened another restaurant in Chandos Road.
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Wikipedia