Shirley Temple Black, iconic Hollywood child star, passes away at 85

Shirley Temple Black

Shirley Temple Black, iconic child star of the 1930s and 1940s, has passed away at the age of 85.


Temple was the No. 1 at the box office draw in Hollywood for four straight years from 1935 through 1938. During this time, 20th Century Fox paid her $50,000 per film.

She was a veteran of 46 features and one-reelers before she turned 13.

She is the youngest person ever to receive an Oscar statuette, miniature or otherwise.

In 1968, President Nixon appointed her a U.S. delegate to the United Nations. She later served as the U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia and as the State Department’s chief of protocol.

She accepted the Screen Actors Guild’s Life Achievement Award in 2006 but stayed out of the public eye in her final years.

“When I was 3 years old, I was delighted to be told that I was an actress, even though I didn’t know what an actress was,” she said to much laughter at the SAG presentation.

“I have one piece of advice for those of you who want to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award: Start early!”

(source - Hollywood Reporter)