Shirley Jane Temple Black Obituary (1928 – 2014) | LoveQUIL
Shirley Jane Temple Black Obituary (1928 – 2014)
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Shirley Jane Temple Black
1928 — 2014
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, politician, and diplomat. She was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Temple began her film career in 1931 at the age of three and gained significant recognition for her role in "Bright Eyes," released in 1934, earning a special Juvenile Academy Award in 1935. While her popularity as a child star was immense, her subsequent films became less popular as she grew older, and she appeared in her last film, "A Kiss for Corliss," in 1949.
Following her acting career, Temple embarked on a new chapter of public service. She joined the Junior League of Palo Alto, California, in 1959. Her diplomatic career commenced in 1969 with her appointment as a delegate to a session of the United Nations General Assembly. She later served as the United States Ambassador to Ghana (1974–1976) and as the first female U.S. Chief of Protocol (1976–1977). From 1989 to 1992, she was the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, witnessing pivotal moments such as the Soviet invasion of 1968 and the Velvet Revolution that ended communism in the country. In 1988, she published her autobiography, "Child Star."
Shirley Jane Temple was born on April 23, 1928, at Santa Monica Hospital in Santa Monica, California, to homemaker Gertrude Amelia Temple and bank employee George Francis Temple. The family had Dutch, English, and German ancestry. She had two brothers, John and George Jr. Her mother played a significant role in nurturing her singing, dancing, and acting talents from an early age. Temple was discovered by casting director Charles Lamont and signed a contract with Educational Pictures in 1932, appearing in "Baby Burlesks" comedy shorts. Her breakthrough performances came in films like "Stand Up and Cheer!" (1934) and "Bright Eyes" (1934), which featured her iconic song "On the Good Ship Lollipop." By late 1935, her salary reached $2,500 per week.
She also ventured into radio with her own CBS series, "Junior Miss," in 1942. From 1958 to 1961, she hosted, narrated, and occasionally acted in the television anthology series "Shirley Temple's Storybook" (later "The Shirley Temple Show").
In her personal life, Temple married John Agar in 1945 at age 17, and they had a daughter, Linda Susan Agar, in 1948 before divorcing in 1950. In 1950, she met and married Charles Alden Black, with whom she had a son, Charles Alden Black Jr., and a daughter, Lori. They remained married until his death in 2005. In 1972, at 44, Temple was diagnosed with breast cancer and made her diagnosis public, contributing to increased breast cancer awareness and reducing stigma.
Shirley Temple Black died at age 85 on February 10, 2014, at her home in Woodside, California. Her death certificate cited chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as the cause. Though a lifelong cigarette smoker, she avoided public display of the habit. She is interred at Alta Mesa Memorial Park.
Throughout her life, she received numerous accolades, including a Juvenile Academy Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Kennedy Center Honors, and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. The popular mocktail "Shirley Temple" is named in her honor.
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