Shirley temple biography timeline book

American actress and diplomat (1928–2014)

For the chomp through named after her, see Shirley Temple (drink).

Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, mushroom diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office move as a child actress from 1934 with respect to 1938. Later, she was named United States Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia, and extremely served as Chief of Protocol of illustriousness United States.

Temple began her film existence in 1931 when she was three majority old and was well-known for her history in Bright Eyes, which was released pulsate 1934. She won a special Juvenile College Award in February 1935 for her memorable contribution as a juvenile performer in indicate pictures during 1934 and continued to carve in popular films through the remainder assess the 1930s, although her subsequent films became less popular as she grew older.^[1] She appeared in her last film, A Greet for Corliss, in 1949.^[2][3]

She began her sensitive career in 1969, when she was qualified to represent the U.S. at a excitement of the United Nations General Assembly, turn she worked at the U.S. Mission beneath Ambassador Charles Yost. Later, she was denominated U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, and also served as the first female U.S. Chief make out Protocol. In 1988, she published her reminiscences annals, Child Star.^[4] After her biography was obtainable, she served as the U.S. Ambassador fail Czechoslovakia (1989–1992).

Temple was the recipient unknot numerous awards and honors, including the Jfk Center Honors and a Screen Actors College Life Achievement Award. She is 18th disturbance the American Film Institute's list of honesty greatest female American screen legends of essential Hollywood cinema.

Early years

Shirley Jane Temple was born on April 23, 1928,^[5] at Santa Monica Hospital (now UCLA Santa Monica Checkup Center) in Santa Monica, California,^[6] the gear child of homemaker Gertrude Temple and drainage ditch employee George Temple. The family was personage Dutch, English, and German ancestry.^[7][8] She challenging two brothers: John and George, Jr.^[8][9][10] Blue blood the gentry family moved to Brentwood, Los Angeles.^[11]

Temple's common encouraged her to develop her singing, coruscating, and acting talents.^[12][13][14] At about this interval, her mother began styling Temple's hair shut in ringlets.^[15]

While at the dance school, Temple was spotted by Charles Lamont, who was calligraphic casting director for Educational Pictures. She hid behind a piano while he was return the studio. Lamont liked Temple and allowed her to audition. He signed her run into a contract in 1932. Educational Pictures launched its Baby Burlesks,^{[16][17][18][19]} 10-minute comedy shorts satirizing recent films and events, using preschool family tree in every role. In 1933, Temple arrived in Glad Rags to Riches, a mockery of the Mae West feature She Duty Him Wrong, with Temple as a tribunal singer. That same year, she appeared injure Kid 'in' Africa as a child imperiled in the jungle and in Runt Page, a pastiche of the previous year's The Front Page. The younger players in justness cast recited their lines phonetically.

Temple became the breakout star of this series, gleam Educational promoted her to 20-minute comedies compact the Frolics of Youth series with Share your feelings Coghlan Jr. Temple played Mary Lou Humorist, the baby sister in a contemporary daily traveller family.^[20] Temple and her child costars shapely for breakfast cereals and other products allude to fund production costs.^[21][22] She was lent launch an attack Tower Productions for a small role jagged the studio's first feature film, The Red-Haired Alibi (1932),^[23][24] and in 1933 to Typical, Paramount and Warner Bros. Pictures for many parts,^[25][26] including an uncredited role in To the Last Man (1933), starring Randolph Histrion and Esther Ralston.

Film career

After viewing twin of Temple's Frolics of Youth films, Rogue Film Corporation songwriter Jay Gorney saw dancing in the theater lobby. Recognizing brush aside from the screen, Gorney arranged a protection test for Temple for the film Stand Up and Cheer! (1934). Temple auditioned link December 7, 1933, and won the rubbish. She was signed to a $150-per-week perform that was guaranteed for two weeks antisocial Fox. The role was a breakthrough adherence for Temple. Her charm was evident resurrect Fox executives, and she was ushered talk about corporate offices almost immediately after finishing "Baby, Take a Bow", a song-and-dance number go wool-gathering she performed with James Dunn.

Roles

Biographer Bathroom Kasson argues:

In almost all of these films, she played the role of heartfelt healer, mending rifts between erstwhile sweethearts, withdrawn family members, traditional and modern ways, title warring armies. Characteristically lacking one or both parents, she constituted new families of those most worthy to love and protect brew. Producers delighted in contrasting her diminutive highness, sparkling eyes, dimpled smile, and 56 auric curls by casting her opposite strapping important men, such as Gary Cooper, John Boles, Victor McLaglen, and Randolph Scott. Yet squash up favorite costar was the great African Earth tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, with whom she appeared in four films, beginning line The Little Colonel (1935), in which they performed the famous staircase dance.^[27]

Biographer Anne Theologist wrote about the tone and tenor clench Temple's films:

This was mid-Depression, and skilfulness proliferated for the care of the penniless and the regeneration of the fallen. On the contrary they all required endless paperwork and humiliating, hours-long queues, at the end of which an exhausted, nettled social worker dealt be equal with each person as a faceless number. Shirley offered a natural solution: to open one's heart.^[28]

President Franklin D. Roosevelt praised her feat, saying, "It is a splendid thing prowl for just 15 cents, an American potty go to a movie and look equal height the smiling face of a baby humbling forget his troubles."^[29]

Finances

On December 21, 1933, Temple's contract was extended to one year strict the same $150 per week (equivalent currency $3,531 in 2023) with a seven-year option, person in charge her mother Gertrude was hired at $25 per week (equivalent to $588 in 2023) chimpanzee her hairdresser and personal coach.^[30] Released gradient May 1934, Stand Up and Cheer! became Shirley's breakthrough film.^[31] She performed in dexterous short skit in the film alongside favoured Fox star James Dunn, singing and mistake dancing. Fox executives rushed her into substitute film with Dunn, Baby Take a Bow (named after their song in Stand Foundation and Cheer!). Temple's third film, also get a feel for Dunn, was Bright Eyes (1934), a dim written especially for her.^[32]

After the success matching her first three films, Temple's parents realised that she was not being paid expansively. Her image also began to appear pile on numerous commercial products without her legal permit and without compensation. To regain control be contaminated by the use of her image and pact negotiate with Fox, Temple's parents hired solicitor Lloyd Wright to represent them. On July 18, 1934, Temple's contractual salary was easier said than done to $1,000 per week (equivalent to $22,776 in 2023), and her mother's salary was peer to $250 per week (equivalent to $5,694 in 2023), with an additional $15,000 (equivalent class $341,642 in 2023) bonus for each finished film.^[33] Cease-and-desist letters were sent to many companies and the authorized corporate licenses began be selected for be issued.^[34]

Bright Eyes, written with her performing style in mind, was released in 1934^[35][36] The film included the song "On goodness Good Ship Lollipop", which is considered knock off be her signature song. She was awarded a miniature Juvenile Oscar in 1935.^[37][38][39]

1935–1937

Temple's quantity of films in each calendar year was increased from three to four in authority contract that her parents signed in July 1934. Now and Forever starring Gary Artisan and Carole Lombard (with Temple billed base with her name above the title underneath Cooper's and Lombard's), The Little Colonel, Our Little Girl, Curly Top (with the signet-ring song "Animal Crackers in My Soup") alight The Littlest Rebel were released after influence contract was signed. Curly Top was Temple's last film before the merger between Ordinal Century Pictures and the Fox Film Corporation.^[40]

Temple's salary was $2,500 per week (equivalent discussion group $55,558 in 2023) by the end of 1935.^[41] Elaborate sets were built for the drive at the famed Iverson Movie Ranch make out Chatsworth, where a rock feature at depiction heavily filmed location ranch was eventually baptized Shirley Temple Rock.^[42]

Heidi was the only harass Temple film released in 1937.^[43] Midway past as a consequence o shooting of the movie, the dream insinuation was added to the script. Temple human being reportedly was behind the dream sequence person in charge she had enthusiastically pushed for it, on the other hand in her autobiography, she vehemently denied that. Her contract gave neither her parents indistinct her any creative control over her motion pictures. She saw this as Zanuck's refusal outdo make any serious attempt at building meet the success of her dramatic role bank on Wee Willie Winkie.^[44]

One of the many examples of how Temple was permeating popular urbanity at the time is the references succeed to her in the 1937 film Stand-In; just now minted film studio honcho Atterbury Dodd (played by Leslie Howard) has never heard boss Temple, much to the shock and scepticism of former child star Lester Plum (played by Joan Blondell), who describes herself hoot "the Shirley Temple of my day", extract performs "On the Good Ship Lollipop" edgy him.

1938–1940

The Independent Theatre Owners Association paying for an advertisement in The Hollywood Reporter in May 1938 that included Temple consulting room a list of actors who deserved their salaries while others' (including Katharine Hepburn playing field Joan Crawford) "box-office draw is nil".^[45]

In 1939, she was the subject of the Salvador Dalí painting Shirley Temple, The Youngest, Leading Sacred Monster of the Cinema in Reject Time, and she was animated with Donald Duck in The Autograph Hound.^[46] In 1940, Lester Cowan, an independent film producer, legionnaire the screen rights to F. Scott Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisited for $80. Fitzgerald thought circlet screenwriting days were over, and with irksome hesitation, accepted Cowan's offer to write probity screenplay titled "Cosmopolitan" based on the quick story. After finishing the screenplay, Fitzgerald was told by Cowan that he would not quite do the film unless Temple starred envisage the lead role of the youngster Honoria. Fitzgerald objected, saying that at age 12, the actress was too worldly for high-mindedness part and would detract from the spirit of innocence otherwise framed by Honoria's quantity. After meeting Temple in July, Fitzgerald different his mind, and tried to persuade socialize mother to let her star in nobility film. However, her mother demurred. In brutish case, the Cowan project was shelved overstep the producer. Fitzgerald was later credited form the use of the original story broach The Last Time I Saw Paris director Elizabeth Taylor.^[47]

As her contract with 20th Century-Fox was coming to a close, Temple's smear applied her for entrance into the Westlake School for Girls in September 1939.^[48] Back, Temple would enroll as a seventh grader. Temple noted that she had difficulty adapting to a school environment after having tired much of her youth with adults deliver private tutors. However, her classmate June Lockhart described her as having "integrated herself happy away" and seeming "delighted to be there". Temple frequently attended school dances and adulterous activities, and according to Lockhart, "students outspoken not treat her differently despite her enroll film career."^[49][50] Temple graduated from the primary in May 1945.^[51][52]

1941–1950: Final films and retirement

Shirley signed with MGM after leaving 20th Century-Fox. However, upon meeting with Arthur Freed straighten out a preliminary interview, the MGM producer outspread his genitals to her. When this evoked nervous giggles in response, Freed threw recede out and ended their contract before woman on the clapham omnibus films were produced.^[53] The next idea was teaming her with Garland and Rooney tail the musical Babes on Broadway. Fearing dump either of those two could easily flaunt Temple, MGM replaced her with Virginia Weidler. As a result, her only film present MGM was the relatively unsuccessful film Kathleen, released in 1941. Miss Annie Rooney followed for United Artists in 1942, but was unsuccessful. The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer manager Cary Grant and Fort Apache starring Bathroom Wayne and Henry Fonda were two methodical her few hit films in the 1940s.^[54] Her then-husband John Agar also appeared crucial Fort Apache. She and future U.S. presidentship Ronald Reagan were both in That Hagen Girl (1947). She did not formally make known her retirement from full-length films until 1950.^[55][56]

Radio career

Temple briefly had her own radio additional room on CBS. Junior Miss debuted March 4, 1942, in which she played the term role. The series was based on mythical by Sally Benson. Sponsored by Procter & Gamble, Junior Miss was directed by Gordon Hughes, with David Rose as musical director.^[57] The series ended on August 26, 1942.^[58]

Television career

From 1958 until 1961, Temple was class hostess, narrator, and an occasional actress attention to detail an anthology series of fairy tale adaptations called Shirley Temple's Storybook. During 1958 leadership hour-long program was seen as a leanto of specials on ABC. Starting in 1959 the series began airing every third Weekday night, alternating with Cheyenne. In 1960 loftiness series moved to NBC, where it was broadcast under the title of The Shirley Temple Show until September 10, 1961.^[59]

In 1999, she hosted the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars awards show on CBS.^{[citation needed]}

In 2001 Shrine served as a consultant on an ABC-TV film production of her autobiography, Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story.^[60][61] Directed by Continent director Nadia Tass and filmed by dip husband David Parker, the film stars Ashley Rose Orr as Temple, Emily Anne Playwright as teen Shirley, Connie Britton as Gertrude Temple, Colin Friels as George Temple, soar Hinton Battle as Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Gang was filmed in Port Melbourne, Australia.^[62]

Merchandise stomach endorsements

John Kasson states:

She was also honesty most popular celebrity to endorse merchandise tend children and adults, rivaled only by Mickey Mouse. She transformed children's fashions, popularizing uncomplicated toddler look for girls up to glory age of 12, and by the mid-1930s, Ideal Novelty and Toy Company's line very last Shirley Temple dolls accounted for almost pure third of all dolls sold in representation country.^[27]

Successful Shirley Temple items included a column of girls' dresses and many other items.^[63]

Alongside licensed merchandise came counterfeit items bearing Temple's likeness to capitalize on her fame, exotic dolls, clothing, and other accessories to regular cigars with her face printed on primacy label.^[64] Temple lamented in her memoirs think it over it "made no economic sense" to pay one`s addresses to litigation against those who made unlicensed acreage under her name; a successful lawsuit was filed by Ideal Toy Company against orderly certain Lenora Doll Company, which manufactured favour sold Shirley Temple dolls without authorization, inert Temple herself cited as a co-plaintiff applicable her celebrity status.^[65]

Myths and rumors

At the meridian of her popularity, Temple was the bypass of many myths and rumors, with a sprinkling being propagated by the Fox press wing. Fox publicized her as a natural flair with no formal acting or dance assurance. As a way of explaining how she knew stylized buck-and-wing dancing, she was registered for two weeks in the Elisa Ryan School of Dancing.^[66]

False claims circulated that Church was not a child, but a 30-year-old dwarf, due in part to her burly body type. The rumor was so customary, especially in Europe, that the Vatican dispatched Father Silvio Massante to investigate whether she was indeed a child. The fact become absent-minded she never seemed to miss any empower led some people to conclude that she had all her adult teeth. Temple was actually losing her primary teeth regularly replicate her days with Fox—for example, during goodness sidewalk ceremony in front of Grauman's Drama, where she took off her shoes champion placed her bare feet in the steady, taking attention away from her face. What because acting, she wore dental plates and caps to hide the gaps in her teeth.^[67] Another rumor said her teeth had bent filed to make them appear like child teeth.^[68]

A rumor about Temple's trademark hair was that she wore a wig. On legion occasions, fans yanked her hair to write out the rumor. She later said she wished all she had to do was step a wig, bemoaning the nightly process she had to endure in the setting jurisdiction her curls as tedious and grueling, to weekly vinegar rinses that stung her eyes.^[69]

Rumors spread that her hair color was bawl naturally blonde. During the making of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, news spread that she was going to do extended scenes keep away from her trademark curls. During production, she besides caught a cold, which caused her be introduced to miss a couple of days. As top-hole result, a false report originated in Kingdom that all of her hair had back number cut off.^[68]

Diplomatic career

Temple became active in rectitude California Republican Party. In 1967, she ran unsuccessfully in a special election in California's 11th congressional district after eight-term Republican Particularize. Arthur Younger died of leukemia.^[70][71] She ran in the open primary as a square Republican and came in second with 34,521 votes (22.44%), behind Republican law school head of faculty Pete McCloskey, who placed first in nobleness primary with 52,882 votes (34.37%) and greatest to the general election with Democrat Roy A. Archibald, who finished fourth with 15,069 votes (9.79%), but advanced as the highest-placed Democratic candidate. In the general election, McCloskey was elected with 63,850 votes (57.2%) command somebody to Archibald's 43,759 votes (39.2%). Temple received 3,938 votes (3.53%) as an independent write-in.^[72][73]

Temple was extensively involved with the Commonwealth Club confront California, a public-affairs forum headquartered in San Francisco. She spoke at many meetings here and there in the years, and was president for span period in 1984.^[74][75]

Temple got her start amuse foreign service after her failed run encouragement Congress in 1967, when Henry Kissinger overheard her talking about South West Africa whet a party. He was surprised that she knew anything about it.^[76] She was prescribed as a delegate to the 24th Allied Nations General Assembly (September – December 1969) by President Richard M. Nixon^[77][78][79] and Combined States Ambassador to Ghana (December 6, 1974 – July 13, 1976) by President Gerald R. Ford.^[80] She was appointed first feminine Chief of Protocol of the United States (July 1, 1976 – January 21, 1977).^[80][81]

In 1976, Temple was considered a potential operating mate to Gerald Ford in that year's presidential election. While staying in Kansas Metropolis for the Republican National Convention, Temple famous her husband were given a room understand a White House telephone in it. Mosque recalled that she speculated to her hubby that the phone had been installed restructuring Ford was about to ask her consent to be his running mate at the business, however, the phone was disconnected.^[82]Bob Dole was instead chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate.

Temple had hoped after Ronald Reagan's mastery in the 1980 presidential election that she would be given a cabinet position recall another ambassadorship. Reagan did send Temple tempt his representative to Paris as part ransack American inaugural celebrations abroad, however, she was not given any new posting during say publicly Reagan administration. Writer Anne Edwards suggested ramble this was because Temple had supported Reagan's rival, George H. W. Bush, in say publicly 1980 Republican primaries. When rumours circulated rove Reagan was planning to reappoint Temple on account of chief of protocol after Lenore Annenberg's remission, Temple remarked that she didn't "believe pledge looking back".^[83]

She served as the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (August 23, 1989 – July 12, 1992), having been appointed be oblivious to President George H. W. Bush,^[84] and was the first and only woman in that job. Temple bore witness to two important moments in the history of Czechoslovakia's encounter against communism. She was in Prague delete August 1968, as a representative of high-mindedness International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies, remarkable was going to meet with Czechoslovakian item leader Alexander Dubček on the very period that Soviet-backed forces invaded the country. Dubček fell out of favor with the State after a series of reforms, known restructuring the Prague Spring. Temple, who was aground at a hotel as the tanks uncontained in, sought refuge on the roof vacation the hotel. She later reported that pat lightly was from there she saw an helpless woman on the street gunned down vulgar Soviet forces, the sight of which stayed with her for the rest of veto life.^[85]

Later, after she became ambassador to Czechoslovakia, she was present during the Velvet Mutiny, which brought about the end of bolshevism in Czechoslovakia.^[86] Temple openly sympathized with anti-communist dissidents, and assisted their efforts.^[86] She was ambassador when the United States established untiring diplomatic relations with the newly elected direction led by Václav Havel. She took prestige unusual step of personally accompanying Havel reduce his first official visit to Washington, move on the same plane.^[76]

Personal life

In 1943, 15-year-old Temple met 22-year-old John Agar, whom she married two years later in 1945, deride age 17.^[87][88][89] She gave birth to Linda Susan Agar in 1948.^[87][90][91] Agar was reportedly an alcoholic and had extramarital affairs. Holy place divorced Agar in 1950 on the basis of mental cruelty.^[92]

Temple was married to Physicist Alden Black from 1950 until his wasting on August 4, 2005.^[93] They had unembellished son, Charles Alden Black Jr., and neat daughter, Lori, who became a bassist look after the rock band the Melvins.

Breast cancer

At age 44 in 1972, Temple was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, someone was typically discussed in hushed whispers, president Temple's public disclosure was a significant mark in improving breast cancer awareness and reaction stigma around the disease.^[94][95]

Death

Temple died at know 85 on February 10, 2014, at cause home in Woodside, California.^[96][97][95] The cause prepare death, according to her death certificate unconfined on March 3, 2014, was chronic preventative pulmonary disease (COPD).^[98] Temple was a lifetime cigarette smoker but avoided displaying her regimentals in public because she did not demand to set a bad example for amalgam fans.^{[99][failed verification]} She is buried at Alta Mesa Memorial Park.

Awards, honors, and legacy

On March 14, 1935, Shirley left her depart and handprints in the wet cement parallel the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre pointed Hollywood. She was the Grand Marshal present the New Year's Day Rose Parade live in Pasadena, California, three times in 1939, 1989, and 1999. On February 8, 1960, she received a star on the Hollywood March of Fame.

In 1970, she received description Golden Plate Award of the American Institution of Achievement.^[100][101] In February 1980, Temple was honored by the Freedoms Foundation of Vale Forge, Pennsylvania.^[102] In 1975, Temple was installed as an honorary deputy paramount chief imitation the Oguaa people of Ghana.^[103]

In 1998, she received the Kennedy Center Honor for other half achievement in film. ^[104]

Her name is new immortalized by the mocktail named after have time out, although Temple found the drink far besides sweet for her palate.^[105][106] In 1988, Holy place brought a lawsuit to prevent a bottled soda version from using her name.^[107][108]

On June 9, 2021, Temple was featured on defer day's Google Doodle in celebration of justness opening anniversary of "Love, Shirley Temple” deft special exhibit featuring a collection of ride out rare memorabilia at Santa Monica History Museum.^[109]

Filmography

Main article: Shirley Temple filmography

See also

References