Shirley Temple’s Early Years
Shirley Temple was born April 23, 1928 in Santa Monica, California
Shirley had two older teenage brothers when she was born and her mom, Gertrude, wanted a girl after having 2 boys already
Her mother was a talented dancer, so she got Shirley into dance lessons by the age of 3 already
The dance studio was only 10 miles away from Hollywood and so the studio was regularly visited by people from Hollywood who were always on the lookout for new talent.
At the age of 3, after being invited to an audition, Shirley was hired by Universal Studios
Shirley Temple is famous because…
She is one of the most famous Hollywood child stars of all time
Her face and movies helped cheer up millions of people during a time of trouble between the Great Depression and the threat of another World War
She was awarded an Academy Award in 1935 amongst numerous other awards
Millions of products were marketed with her name and photo
Temple served on numerous boards of directors of large enterprises and organizations including The Walt Disney Company, Del Monte, Bank of America, the Bank of California, BANCAL Tri-State, Fireman's Fund Insurance, the United States Commission for UNESCO, the United Nations Association and the National Wildlife Federation.[108
Shirley Temple most recently was…
U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1989
Author of her own autobiography, Child Star, published in 1988
Recently passed away February 10, 2014 in Woodside, California at the age of 85
Honored for her lifetime achievements at the Kennedy Center Honors held in Washington, DC in 1998
In 1988, Temple became the only person to date to achieve the rank of honorary U.S. Foreign Service officer.
A mother of three children and wife of Charles Alden Black for 55 years
Shirley Temple’s Impact on Others Lives…
She helped bring happiness to millions of Americans who were living in the years of the Depression
In 1972, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent an operation. She recovered and later spoke openly of her operation to give courage to many other women who faced the illness.
Later in life, Shirley established a career in public service including a 1969 appointment by President Nixon as a delegate to the United Nations and later as an ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia
As US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, Temple was a personal witness to two crucial moments in the history of Czechoslovakia's fight against Communism. She was she was present during the Velvet Revolution, which brought about the end of Communism in Czechoslovakia.