 keith floyd (28 december 1943&nbsp;â 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 endeared him to millions of viewers worldwide. ==early life== floyd was born at folly farm near reading, berkshire, on 28 december 1943http://web.researcha.com/iccquery/detail/?did=7564398&c=uk to working class parents sydney and winnifred floyd. he was brought up in a council house in the village 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 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. ==career== 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.{{cite news |newspaper=bristol evening post |url=http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/homepage
1943_births 2009_deaths Cardiovascular_disease_deaths_in_England Deaths_from_myocardial_infarction English_autobiographers English_businesspeople English_expatriates_in_France English_restaurateurs English_television_chefs English_television_presenters Graduates_of_the_Royal_Military_Academy_Sandhurst People_educated_at_Wellington_School,_Somerset People_from_Reading,_Berkshire Royal_Tank_Regiment_officers