12 Angry Men

Shirley Temple Black

Actor, Author, and Diplomat

By Emily Clark

The dimples that changed America

* Shirley Temple had the biggest impact on American people a little girl has ever had. During the 30's and 40's she warmed the hearts of millions of Americans with her smile and high spirits.

* She was in over 60 movies, most of which are classics such as: Dimples, Curly Top, Wee Willy Winkie, The Littlest Rebel, and The Little Princess.

* She was born April 23, 1928 in Santa Monica, California and started working on

* Baby Burlesque was a movie studio that specialized in slightly wicked parodies of movie hits with kids in famous roles. That was Shirley Temple's first professional motion picture work. Soon, she was playing Jane in an all kids version of Tarzan. By 1933, the Hayes Code put a stop to Baby Burlesque productions and Temple was unemployed along with the rest of the country.

* However, a year later at Fox Studios, she graduated from contract player to full-blown star with just one picture.

When the little girl grew up

* Shirley Temple married her first husband, actor John Agar in 1945. She was 17, and they had one daughter, Linda Agar (later known as Susan Black) in 1948. She divorced in 1950.

* Later that year she married the Californian businessman Charles Black (1919-2005) and took his name. Together, they had two children; Lori and Charlie Black. They remained married until his death from myelodysplastic syndrome at age 86.

Black, the diplomat

* Shirley Temple Black was the US Ambassador to the Czech and Slovak Republic's (1989-1993).

* She also served as Chief of Protocol (1976-1977).

* Then as the US Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana (1974-1976).

* "From 1981-1989, she was a Foreign Affairs Officer-Expert with the Department of State (Foreign Service Institute). Ambassador Black also served as the US Representative to the 24th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN); Deputy Chairman of the USSR-USA Joint Commission;