My partner Philippe Carden, who has died aged 74 of oesophageal cancer, was a well-known accountant in the field of theatre, film, television and the arts.

He was passionate about all the performing arts and he combined this with a talent for making personal tax less daunting. He was much loved by his clients and always made a big impression with the graduating students at the London and Bristol drama schools with his annual lecture on “How to survive the UK tax system”.

For many years he was involved with the London Bubble Theatre Company and he also invested in shows, co-writing, with Bee Huntley, Investing in West End Theatrical Productions: How to Be an Angel (1992), which is still a key reference work. He also wrote articles for the Stage and the Evening Standard.

The eldest of three children, he was born in London to Françoise Domerc, who taught French, and a French/British/Australian father, Dick Carden, who travelled the world selling British products. Philippe went to Wimbledon college and, in 1969, to St John’s College, Cambridge, where he studied economics.

After graduation he trained at Peat Marwick (now KPMG). As a newly qualified chartered accountant, he set up his own business in 1977 and specialised from the early days in the tax affairs of individuals working in theatre and television. To Philippe’s joy one of his daughters, Mondane (also a chartered accountant), joined the practice in 2012 and became a partner in 2015. The practice continues under her stewardship.

Although for most of his life he lived in south-west London, Philippe’s first language was French and part of his soul resided in the family home in the Dordogne, which he first visited before he was one. He spent every summer there and visited as often as he could. Britain leaving the European Union after the referendum in 2016 broke his heart.

He married Julia Lindon in 1977; they divorced in 1989.

Philippe and I met while studying Italian at an evening class in 1991. He loved cooking and obtained a City & Guilds catering qualification at Southwark College in 2001. He also rode motorbikes, as did I, and we would ride them every summer to the family house in south-west France. We formalised our relationship with a civil partnership during a break in lockdown.

Philippe is survived by me, his daughters, Mondane and Genevieve, his grandchildren, Anna, Guy, Sidney and Louis, and his siblings, Dominique and Jacques.