Who is Jim Beard from My Life in France and what is their importance?

Beard was a friend of Julia's who ran a cooking school in New York. He introduced Julia and Simca to many of the important people in the American cooking world, including food editors and chefs. He had originally trained as an actor and opera singer and had done a few cooking shows before Julia's success with The French Chef. Julia enjoyed cooking with Jim and when he visited France, taking him to many of her favorite restaurants. Jim died in 1985 at the age of 81.