Theodora FitzGibbon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Theodora FitzGibbon
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| Born |
Theodora Rosling
21 October 1916 London, England
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| Died | 25 March 1991 (aged 74) Killiney, Ireland
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| Occupation | Cookery writer |
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Theodora FitzGibbon (born Theodora Rosling, later Morrison; 21 October 1916 – 25 March 1991) was a famous Irish cookery writer. She was also a model and an actress.
Contents
Her Early Life
Theodora Rosling was born in London, England, on 21 October 1916. Her parents were John Archibald Rosling and Alice Winfred Hodgins. She went to several schools, including convents in Bruges and Hendon. Theodora traveled a lot with her father to places like India, Europe, and the Middle East. It is said that she even learned to cook from the former Queen Natalie of Serbia while at a special school in Paris.
On Stage and Screen
When Theodora was 18, she started acting in plays. She worked in theatre companies in Birmingham and Coventry. She also joined a touring group called the English Players in France. Theodora appeared in a film called Freedom Radio in 1941. She also acted on stage in London's West End. Besides acting, she worked as a model for a stylish fashion designer named Robert Traquair.
Her Cookery Books
In 1952, Theodora was asked to write her first cookery book. It was called Cosmopolitan Cookery in an English Kitchen. She used the money she earned from this book to buy a painting by the famous artist Henry Moore.
She went on to write 25 more cookery books! Her most popular series was called A Taste of.... These books explored special foods from different regions. Some of them included:
- A Taste of Ireland (1968)
- A Taste of Scotland
- A Taste of the Sea
- A Taste of Paris
- A Taste of Rome
These books were more than just recipes. They also shared facts about geography, history, and people's lives in those places. They even had photos and drawings.
One of her biggest books was The Food of the Western World (1976). It took her 15 years to write! This huge book had recipes from 34 different countries. It won a special award, the Glenfiddich Special Gold Medal, in 1976. She also wrote Eat Well and Live Longer in 1968.
In 1987, Theodora won the Prix Choucroutre First Prize for European Food Journalism. She also helped start the Irish Food Writers' Guild and became its first president.
Other Writings
Theodora also wrote a novel called The Flight of the Kingfisher. It was published in 1967 and later became a successful TV play for BBC TV. She wrote two books about her own life, called With Love (1982) and Love Lies a Loss (1985).
Friends and Family
Theodora met many interesting people throughout her life. In Paris, she met photographer Peter Rose Pulham. Through him, she became friends with famous artists like Balthus, Cocteau, Dali, and Picasso. In London, she met young painters such as Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.
In 1944, she married the Irish-American writer Constantine Fitzgibbon. They were married for 15 years. In 1960, she married again, to George Morrison. She was also friends with writer Dylan Thomas and his wife, Caitlin.
Her Passing
Theodora FitzGibbon passed away on 25 March 1991 in Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland.
