In Memory of Former Child Superstar Shirley Temple: 10 Years After Her Tragic Death

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It's been ten years since the demise of beloved former and first and major child superstar turned U.S. Ambassador Shirley Temple. She died from pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on February 10, 2014. But she lived a remarkable and compelling life of both victory and loss. This is her story.

A Closer Look

"Any star can be devoured by human adoration, sparkle by sparkle."

So said Shirley Temple, about life in the spotlight. Yet, unlike many former child stars who died either too young or long before their time, or experienced horrific tragedies in one way or the other, Temple lived long and prospered.

The Birth of a Temple

Shirley Temple was born April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, CA. She began making movies when she was just 3 years old. Multi-talented in every area and skill of entertainment expertise, Temple soon became Hollywood first super child star.

With upbeat and likable performances during the Depression era, Temple made magic at movies for millions of fans, and made millions for the movie studios. Her image and likeness graced countless items such as dolls, phonograph records, mugs, hats, dresses, and more.

From 1935 to 1938, Temple was box-office gold, ahead of non-child stars like Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Robert Taylor, Gary Cooper and Joan Crawford.

By 1935, Temple's was making $2,500 per week. The followng year, that increased $50,000 per movie; in 1938, that became $307,014.

Unfortuantely, Temple's parents, specifically, her father, mismanageed her money, and was left with a miniscule amount of cash. But she remained undaunted, and later said, that "for reasons some of you may find inexplicable, I felt neither disappointment nor anger."

And then...

By 1939, however, Shirley Temple's popularity somewhat slowed, while she still delviered solid performances in movies like Since You Went Away (1944) and The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947).

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The Big Switch

Years later, Shirley Temple switched gears, serving as an American Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.

She had married twice: actor John Agar (from 1945 to their divorce in 1950; they had one child) and Charles Black (from 1950 to his demise in 2005; they had 2 children).

Lasting Impression

Unlike other former child stars who found fame before and after her, Shirley Temple stood out from the crowd. She had her share of struggles, but carried on, and in the end, lived well and triumphantly across the board. Not only was she multi-talented and many steps ahead of the average performer (of any age group), she utilized her public persona for the highest good of humanity.

In essence, Shirley Temple remained true, off-screen, to her inspiring persona, on-screen.

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