Background and career
Shirley Jane Temple Black (née Temple; April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, politician, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was named United States Ambassador to Ghana and to Czechoslovakia, and also served as Chief of Protocol of the United States.
Temple began her film career in 1931 when she was three years old and became well known for her performance in Bright Eyes, released in 1934. She won a special Juvenile Academy Award in February 1935 for her outstanding contribution as a juvenile performer in motion pictures during 1934 and continued to appear in popular films through the remainder of the 1930s, although her subsequent films became less popular as she grew older. She appeared in her last film, A Kiss for Corliss, in 1949.
Temple joined the Junior League of Palo Alto, California, in 1959 and shortly thereafter began a new chapter of public service, perhaps using a combination of her stardom and her leadership training to advocate for important causes.
She began her diplomatic career in 1969, when she was appointed to represent the U.S. at a session of the United Nations General Assembly, where she worked at the U.S. Mission under Ambassador Charles Yost. Later, she was named U.S. ambassador to Ghana, and also served as the first female U.S. chief of protocol. In 1988, she published her autobiography, Child Star. After her biography was published, she served as the penultimate U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1989–1992).
How Shirley Temple makes money
She was signed to a $150-per-week contract that was guaranteed for two weeks by Fox. Temple's salary was $2,500 per week (equivalent to $58,708 in 2025) by the end of 1935.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (2024-04-03), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
