Biography
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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.
Shirley 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 Temple
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.
Shirley Temple's popularity earned her both public
adulation and the approval of her peers. She was the
first recipient of the special Juvenile Performer
Academy Award in 1935. Seventy years later, Temple is
still the youngest performer ever to receive this honor.
She is also the youngest actor to add foot and hand
prints to the forecourt at Grauman's Chinese Theater.
A list of Temple's costars reads like a Who's Who of
Hollywood. She was paired with James Dunn in several
films; she also made pictures with Carole Lombard, Gary
Cooper, and many others. Arthur Treacher appeared as a
kindly butler in several of Temple's films.
Temple's ability as a dancer was well known and
celebrated. Even in her earliest Baby Burlesk films she
danced, and she was able to handle complex tap
choreography by the age of five. She was teamed with
famed dancer Bill Robinson A.K.A Bojangle in The Little
Colonel, The Littlest Rebel, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
and Just Around the Corner. Robinson also coached and
developed Shirley's choreography for many of her other
films. Because Robinson was African-American, his scenes
holding hands with Shirley had to be edited out in many
cities in the South.
Aside from the films, there were many Shirley Temple
product tie-ins during the 1930's. Ideal's numerous
Temple dolls, dressed in costumes from the movies, were
top sellers. Original Shirley Temple dolls bring in
hundreds of dollars on the secondary market today. Other
successful Temple items included a line of girls'
dresses and hairbows. Several of Temple's film songs,
including "On the Good Ship Lollipop" (from 1934's
Bright Eyes), "Animal Crackers in my Soup" (from 1935's
Curly Top) and "Goodnight my Love" (from 1936's
Stowaway) were popular radio hits. Shirley frequently
lent her likeness and talent to promoting various social
causes, including the Red Cross.
The role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, played by Judy
Garland, was originally intended for her. She was unable
to appear in the film when a trade between Fox and MGM
fell through. She was also rumored to be the inspiration
for Bonnie Blue Butler in Gone With the Wind and was one
of the early contenders for the role in the motion
picture, but was too old by the time the film went into
production.
In 1940, Shirley Temple left Fox. She juggled classes at
Westlake Academy with films for various other studios,
including MGM and Paramount. Her most successful
pictures of the time included Since You Went Away with
Claudette Colbert, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer and
Fort Apache. She retired from motion pictures in 1949,
around the same time that she divorced Agar. In the
1950's and 60's, she made a brief return to show
business with two television series.
In 2001 she served as a consultant on the ABC Television
Network production of Child Star: The Shirley Temple
Story, based on part one of her autobiography.
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced on September 12,
2005 that Shirley Temple Black was to receive the
Guild’s most prestigious honor—The Screen Actors Guild
Life Achievement Award for career achievement and
humanitarian accomplishment. Ambassador Black will be
presented the Award, given annually to an actor who
fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” at
the 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. In making
the announcement, Screen Actors Guild President Melissa
Gilbert said:
"I can think of no one more deserving of this year’s
SAG Life Achievement award than Shirley Temple Black.
Her contributions to the entertainment industry are
without precedent; her contributions to the world are
nothing short of inspirational. She has lived the most
remarkable life, as the brilliant performer the world
came to know when she was just a child, to the dedicated
public servant who has served her country both at home
and abroad for 30 years. In everything she has done and
accomplished, Shirley Temple Black has demonstrated
uncommon grace, talent and determination, not to mention
compassion and courage. As a child, I was thrilled to
dance and sing to her films and more recently as Guild
president I have been proud to work alongside her, as
her friend and colleague, in service to our union. She
has been an indelible influence on my life. She was my
idol when I was a girl and remains my idol today."
Shirley Temple was married first to actor John Agar in
1945; she was then 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 favorably 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.