Producers delighted in contrasting her diminutive stature, sparkling eyes, dimpled smile, and 56 blond curls by casting her opposite strapping leading men, such as Gary Cooper, John Boles, Victor McLaglen, and Randolph Scott. Characteristically lacking one or both parents, she constituted new families of those most worthy to love and protect her. In almost all of these films, she played the role of emotional healer, mending rifts between erstwhile sweethearts, estranged family members, traditional and modern ways, and warring armies. Her charm was evident to Fox executives, and she was ushered into corporate offices almost immediately after finishing 'Baby, Take a Bow', a song-and-dance number that she performed with James Dunn. The role was a breakthrough performance for Temple.

She was signed to a $150-per-week contract that was guaranteed for two weeks by Fox. Temple auditioned on Decemand won the part.

Recognizing her from the screen, Gorney arranged a screen test for Temple for the film Stand Up and Cheer! (1934). Pictures for various parts, including an uncredited role in To the Last Man (1933), starring Randolph Scott and Esther Ralston.Īfter viewing one of Temple's Frolics of Youth films, Fox Film Corporation songwriter Jay Gorney saw her dancing in the theater lobby. She was lent to Tower Productions for a small role in the studio's first feature film, The Red-Haired Alibi (1932), and in 1933 to Universal, Paramount and Warner Bros. Temple and her child costars modeled for breakfast cereals and other products to fund production costs. Temple played Mary Lou Rogers, the baby sister in a contemporary suburban family. Temple became the breakout star of this series, and Educational promoted her to 20-minute comedies in the Frolics of Youth series with Frank Coghlan Jr. The younger players in the cast recited their lines phonetically. That same year, she appeared in Kid 'in' Africa as a child imperiled in the jungle and in Runt Page, a pastiche of the previous year's The Front Page. In 1933, Temple appeared in Glad Rags to Riches, a parody of the Mae West feature She Done Him Wrong, with Temple as a saloon singer. Educational Pictures launched its Baby Burlesks, 10-minute comedy shorts satirizing recent films and events, using preschool children in every role. Lamont liked Temple and invited her to audition. She hid behind a piano while he was in the studio. While at the dance school, Temple was spotted by Charles Lamont, who was a casting director for Educational Pictures.

At about this time, her mother began styling Temple's hair in ringlets. Temple's mother encouraged her to develop her singing, dancing, and acting talents. The family moved to Brentwood, Los Angeles. She had two brothers: John and George, Jr. The family was of Dutch, English, and German ancestry. Shirley Jane Temple was born on Ap at Santa Monica Hospital (now UCLA Medical Center) in Santa Monica, California, the third child of homemaker Gertrude Temple and bank employee George Temple. She is 18th on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female American screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema.Įarly years Temple in Glad Rags to Riches (1933) Temple was the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the Kennedy Center Honors and a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1989–1992). After her biography was published, she served as the U.S. In 1988, she published her autobiography, Child Star. Ambassador to Ghana, and also served as the first female U.S. at a session of the United Nations General Assembly, where she worked at the U.S. She began her diplomatic career in 1969, when she was appointed to represent the U.S. She sat on the boards of corporations and organizations, including the Walt Disney Company, Del Monte Foods, and the National Wildlife Federation. In 1958, Temple returned to show business with a two-season television anthology series of fairy tale adaptations called Shirley Temple's Storybook, which was very popular at the time. She appeared in her last film, A Kiss for Corliss, in 1949. She won a special Juvenile Academy Award in February 1935 for her outstanding contribution as a juvenile performer in motion pictures during 1934 and continued to appear in popular films through the remainder of the 1930s, although her subsequent films became less popular as she grew older. Temple began her film career in 1931 when she was three years old and was well-known for her performance in Bright Eyes, which was released in 1934. Later, she was named United States Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia, and also served as Chief of Protocol of the United States. Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938.

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