Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928 in Santa Monica, California, one of three children. She began taking singing and dancing lessons when she was two years old, and when she was three and a half, she became an actress. She was the most popular motion picture star for five years straight, appearing in movies like Little Miss Money Marker, Poor Little Rich Girl, The Little Princess, Rebecca of Stoneybrook Farm, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and more.
In 1934, Shirley was named "the outstanding personality of 1934" by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Then in 1935, Shirley became the youngest actor to win an Academy Award (as well as the first child to win one).
However, as Shirley grew up, she became less and less popular with the public. A TV show called "Shirley Temple" appeared in the 1940's, but was so ineffective that it had to be taken off the air. In 1945, Shirley married a man named John Agar, and they had a daughter together. However, they divorced four years after the birth of their daughter. Later, she married Charles A. Black and they had two children.
In 1974, Shirley served as the US Ambassador to Ghana in Africa for two years, and also was the first woman to serve as chief protocol. She also wrote her own autobiography called Child Star, which won awards. Shirley had dolls made after her and also two drinks: Dirty Shirley and Shirley Temple Cocktail. She also invented the color "Temple Blue" at her own wedding. Presently, Shirley Temple is retired.
