The ‘Original’ Child Star, Shirley Temple, Dies Aged 85

Shirley Temple, who’s often said to be the ‘original’ child star, has passed away in her Woodside, California home at the age of 85. The actress’ publicist, Cheryl Kagan, released the following statement: “She was surrounded by family members and caregivers. We salute her for a life of remarkable achievements as an actor, as a diplomat, and most importantly as our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and adored wife for fifty-five years of the late and much missed Charles Alden Black.”

Born in Santa Monica, California in 1928, Shirley Temple made her film debut when she way only three years in a series of short films, where children starred in parodies of well-known feature films. In 1934 she had her breakthrough with the feature Stand Up and Cheer!, where many were incredibly impressed with her singing, dancing and acting.

Almost immediately she became a major star, starring in six more films in 1934 alone. She even received a special Academy Award in 1935 in recognition of her, “Outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934.”

Although other child actors have been popular since, such as Jodie Foster and Macaulay Culkin, no one has really come close to Temple, who was the top box office draw between 1935 and 1938. That essentially means that before she was 10, she was a bigger star than Brad Pitt or George Clooney is today.

Some have even credited with saving 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy, thanks to the massive success of movies such Curly Top and Littlest Rebel.

Although she continued to work throughout the 1940s, as she became a young woman she never managed to recapture the success she had in the 1930s. Temple surprised many when she retired from acting in 1950, at the age of 22 (the same year she married her husband, Charles). After that, Temple’s screen appearance were incredible infrequent, although in 1958 she did appear in the anthology series, Shirley Temple’s Storybook.

After that she found a lot of success in politics, holding a number of diplomatic posts. She rose up the ranks and was appointed as the US ambassador to Ghana in 1974, and later became the US ambassador to Czechoslovakia.

To many, however, she will always be remembered as a cheery, curly-haired little girl.

Shirley Temple – April 23, 1928-February 10, 2014 – RIP.