Shirley Temple during her child megastar days.
It’s hard for child stars to make a transition from the world of Hollywood into the real world. There are so many tragedies involving promising youngsters who go the down the wrong path, that it’s a small miracle when any actor or actress emerges as someone without a criminal record, let alone as a normal, decent person. The key seems to be knowing when to get out of the game, and perhaps Shirley Temple is the best example for any child star to follow. Temple was one of the biggest movie stars in the world, then she retired and became a United States ambassador and political figure in one of the most successful second acts in Hollywood history. Unfortunately, that storied life has come to an end. Shirley Temple Black has passed away at age 85 at her Woodside, California home.
As Shirley Temple, the actress starred in an impressive 43 feature films and 14 short films, as well as having a television series. As an ambassador, Shirley Temple Black was the US representative to the United Nations in 1969. She later became the ambassador to Ghana in 1974 and the ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1989. She was also the Chief of Protocol of the US in 1976, which means that she basically ran the diplomatic functions of the White House as far as meeting with foreign dignitaries goes. So, basically, she went from the highest possible position as an actress (America’s sweetheart) to the highest possible position as an ambassador (the UN AND the White House) in her two lives. Oh yeah, she also has three children, so she did the second half of her career while being a mother.
You can’t argue with that kind of success.
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