Bernard James King (25 March 1934[1] – 20 December 2002) was an Australian stage actor, celebrity chef, and television personality.
[3] Even though he was working full-time as a teacher after graduation, he found time to participate in amateur theatre productions and variety shows.
His career as a chef began almost accidentally, due to a party he hosted for English actress Vivien Leigh and the Stratford on Avon Theatre Company.
One of the attendees was Maureen Kissell, host of ABC's program A Woman's World; she was so impressed that she invited him to present a cooking demonstration on her show in Sydney.
Another party at his residence, attended by Good Morning Australia hostess Del Cartwright, resulted in an invitation to demonstrate his prowess on that program.
By 1982 King had become an industry, earning five million dollars from lucrative sponsorship deals, licensing arrangements, a signature range of herbs and spices and wide-ranging media commitments.
These appearances were made alongside two well built and scantily clad male assistants dubbed by Kerri-Anne Kennerley as The Bernardettes (Craig Bonney and Ian Burn).