Anthony Michael Bourdain was an American celebrity chef, author, travel documentarian, and television personality who starred in programs focusing on the exploration of international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. He was considered one of the most influential chefs in the world. 

Bourdain was a 1978 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a veteran of a number of professional kitchens in his long career, which included many years spent as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan. 

He first became known for his best-selling book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. His first food and world-travel television show, A Cook's Tour, ran for 35 episodes on the Food Network in 2002 and 2003. In 2005, he began hosting the Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure programs Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover. 

In 2013, he began a three-season run as a judge on The Taste and concurrently switched his travelogue programming to CNN to host Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. 

Though best known for his culinary achievements and television presentations, along with several books on food, cooking, and travel adventures, Bourdain also wrote both fiction and historical nonfiction.