Robert Irvine was born on September 24, 1965, in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. He enlisted in the British Royal Navy at age fifteen and received culinary training, serving aboard Her Majesty’s Royal Yacht Britannia for part of his service. After leaving the military, he worked as an executive chef at the Trump Taj Mahal and on luxury cruise ships before relocating to the United States. 

Irvine launched his TV career in 2007 with Dinner: Impossible on Food Network. After a brief exit due to an embellished résumé controversy, he returned to the series and then launched Restaurant: Impossible in 2011. He later hosted the talk show, The Robert Irvine Show, on The CW from 2016 to 2018. 

In addition to his work in television, Robert Irvine is a restaurateur who previously operated Robert Irvine’s Public House at the Tropicana Las Vegas, which closed in 2024 after the casino shut down. Currently, he continues to run Fresh Kitchen by Robert Irvine, located inside The Pentagon. Irvine is also the author of five books and leads the Robert Irvine Foundation, which has donated millions to support military and first responder causes.