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Shirley Jane Temple (born April 23, 1928), later known as Shirley Temple Black, is an American diplomat and former film child actress, the most famous child actress of the 1930s.

Film career

Born in Santa Monica, California, she starred in over 40 films during the 1930s. Shirley had two older brothers. Even at the age of five, the hallmark of her acting work was her professionalism: lines memorized and dance steps prepared. Her films continue to enjoy popularity today, particularly among young girls.

Temple began her career at the age of three, after being chosen from her dance class by a visiting director. Between the end of 1931 and 1933 she appeared in two series of short subjects for Educational Pictures. Her first series, Baby Burlesks, satirized recent motion pictures and politics. Many of these films are dated and would be considered offensive now. Shirley's second series at Educational, Frolics of Youth, was a bit more acceptable, and cast her as a bratty younger sister in a contemporary suburban family.

While working for Educational Pictures, Shirley also performed many walk-on and bit player roles in various other movies. She was finally signed to Fox Film Corporation (which later merged with 20th Century Pictures to become 20th Century Fox) in late 1933 after appearing in Stand Up and Cheer with James Dunn. She would stay with Fox until 1940, becoming the studio's most lucrative player. Her contract was amended several times between 1933 and 1935, and she was loaned to Paramount for a pair of successful films in 1934. For four solid years, she ranked as the top-grossing box office star in America.

Family and career as Shirley Temple Black

Temple was married first to actor John Agar in 1945; she was 17, and they had one daughter, Linda Agar, later known as Susan Black, in 1948. They divorced in 1950 and later that year she married the Californian businessman Charles Black (1919-2005) and took his name. She may have looked favourably on his admission during their courtship that he had never seen any of her films. Together, they had two children; Lori and Charlie Black. They remained married until his death from myelodysplastic syndrome on August 4, 2005, aged 86.

Black subsequently became involved in Republican Party politics, unsuccessfully entering a Congressional race in 1967 on a pro-war platform. She went on to hold several diplomatic posts, serving as America's delegate to many international conferences and summits. She was appointed American ambassador to Ghana (1974-76). In 1976, she became the first female Chief of Protocol of the United States which put in her charge of all State Department ceremonies, visits, gifts to foreign leaders and co-ordination of protocol issues with all US embassies and consulates. She was ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1989-92) and witnessed the Velvet Revolution, about which she comments: "That was the best job I ever had."

Black appeared on the cover of People magazine in 1999 with the title "Picture Perfect" and again later that year as part of their special report "Surviving Breast Cancer." She appeared at the 1998 Academy Awards and also in that same year received Kennedy Center Honors.

Black served on the board of directors of some large enterprises including The Walt Disney Company (1974√75), Del Monte, Bancal Tri-State and Fireman's Fund Insurance. Black's nonprofit board appointments included the Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Council of American Ambassadors, the World Affairs Council, the United States Commission for UNESCO, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the United Nations Association and the U.S. Citizen's Space TaskForce. Black received honorary doctorates from Santa Clara University and Lehigh University, a Fellowship from College of Notre Dame, and a Chubb Fellowship from Yale University. Black now lives in Woodside, California.

Books

∙ Child Star: An Autobiography (1988) ISBN 0446357928

Trivia

∙ At least two cocktails have been named for Temple. A Shirley Temple is also a non-alcoholic cocktail named for the child actress. It was invented at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii, where she often stayed. Alcoholic variations on the recipe exist, called "Shirley Temple Black" and "Dirty Shirley". When Temple herself is asked for her opinion of these drinks named for her, she'll invariably reply that she dislikes them because they are too sweet, and she makes not one penny from the use of her name.

∙ Shirley Temple auditioned for a lead role in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies (later known as The Little Rascals) in the early 1930s, but was not cast. The reason why varies, depending upon who is telling the story: Roach himself stated that Temple and her mother were unable to make it through the red tape of the audition process, while Our Gang producer/director Robert F. McGowan and Temple herself recall that the studio wanted to cast Temple, but refused to give in to Temple's mother's demands that Temple receive special star billing with Our Gang. [1]

∙ She is a distant relative of Drew Barrymore

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