If she was still alive, iconic TV chef Julia Child would be celebrating her 100th birthday today. Despite her absence, cooks across the world will be remembering Julia, the woman who made it her mission to bring the art of French cooking into American homes, first via her then ground-breaking cook book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and later through TV shows such as The French Chef and regular spots on Good Morning, America. Her eccentric personality and informative (and often unintentionally funny) presenting style made her famous in the US, while Nora Ephron's 2009 film Julie & Julia (released five years after her death), helped to create a whole new generation of fans. Here, we celebrate the life and legacy of the inimitable Julia Child with some of our favourite video clips...

Julia Child on David Letterman

Making a guest appearance on the David Letterman Show, Julia shows exactly why she thinks every kitchen should have a blow torch, when her attempt to make a fresh hamburger is hampered by technical difficulties.

Julia Child and The Chicken Sisters

On her show The French Chef, Julia introduces the audience to ‘The Chicken Sisters’: her supporting cast of six raw, headless chickens, each with their own special way of being cooked, which she has also given names – because everyone does that, right?!

Julia Child's Chafing Dish Dinner

This clip from Julia Child & Company shows Julia making a ‘chafing dish dinner’, i.e. dinner - in this case, Steak Diane and a baked chocolate mousse - cooked at the table. Made way before the days of sleek editing, we love that Julia says and does the things that TV chefs these days would never do, like point out how many baked chocolate mousses she has pre-prepared, and ever so nearly tipping over her whole dish of Steak Diane.

Julia Child makes Boeuf Bourguignon

On the first show of her series The French Chef, Julia made her famous boeuf bourguignon. This 28-minute clip sees Julia talk through exactly how to make the classic French dish, from the right cuts of meat to use to the best wine to serve at dinner, in her mission to educate her American audience in the art of French cooking.