April 23: Birthday of Shirley Temple (1928)
Prayer Idea
Pray for children who work in entertainment to be able to enjoy childhood.
History Note
George and Gertrude Temple of Santa Monica, California, had a baby girl on April 23, 1928. They named their daughter Shirley Jane. Shirley had two older brothers, Jack and George Jr. At age three, Shirley began dancing lessons. She soon began acting in short movies for $10 per day.
In 1934 Shirley Temple appeared in her first full-length film, and she quickly became an international star, starring in a string of popular movies. To keep people thinking about her, the movie studio put her pictures in magazines and newspapers, had her perform on radio, and arranged for her to make appearances at events.
A lavish theater, called Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, opened in Hollywood in 1927. Since that year, famous actors and actresses have pressed their handprints and footprints into wet cement there and signed their names. Shirley Temple placed hers there when she was six years old. Before Shirley was eight years old, fans were buying 1.5 million Shirley Temple dolls each year plus Shirley Temple dresses, hats, coats, gloves, and more.
Shirley made a few films as a teenager and adult, but she retired in 1961 to focus on being a wife and mother. Shirley Temple and her husband Charles Black were married for 55 years.
Starting in 1969 she received opportunities to serve in the U.S. Government. President Richard Nixon appointed her a representative to the United Nations. President Gerald Ford named her ambassador to Ghana in 1974 and later White House Chief of Protocol. She was the first woman to serve in that position. During the presidency of Ronald Reagan, Mrs. Black was a foreign affairs officer in the Department of State. President George H. W. Bush appointed her as ambassador to Czechoslovakia.
Throughout her life, Shirley Temple Black remained a member of the Screen Actors Guild. In 2005 the Guild honored her with a Life Achievement Award. Accompanying her at the award presentation were her three children and her granddaughter. During her acceptance speech, she said that she had been blessed with three careers: actress; wife, mother, and grandmother; and diplomat.
Shirley Temple Black died in 2014 at age 85.
U.S. Ambassador-Designate to Ghana Shirley Temple Black meets with President Gerald Ford in the Oval Office in 1974. Photo courtesy the Gerald R. Ford Library, National Archives and Records Administration.
Learn More
This video gives a brief history of the life and film career of Shirley Temple.
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