Shirley Temple’s children reveal insights about their mother, who was a Hollywood child star and cinematic superstar.
Few child performers have ever achieved the fame of Shirley Temple, regarded as the cutest and most accomplished young actress of the 1930s. She appeared in several films, including Curly Top and Heidi, and received numerous honors, including a special Juvenile Academy Award for her extraordinary contribution as a juvenile performer in motion pictures during 1934.
Moreover, Shirley profited from licensed items featuring her clean images, such as dolls, kitchenware, and clothing.
Shirley resigned from acting at 22 in the thick of her success. However, she returned to acting a few years later, making guest appearances on television shows in the early 1960s.
Shirley was a successful businesswoman who served on the boards of several firms and organizations, including The Walt Disney Company, Del Monte Foods, and the National Wildlife Federation.
At the same time, she was a diplomat, serving as the US ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia and becoming the country’s first female Chief of Protocol.
Shirley had a fulfilled life. She had three children from two marriages. She died in 2014, at the age of 85, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Shirley had a daughter, Linda Susan Agar, from her first marriage to her husband, John Agar. Shirley gave birth to a son Charles Alden Black Jr., and a daughter Lori Black while married to her second husband, Charles Alden Black.
Shirley’s most difficult child was Lori. Lori, for example, was a musician who played bass for the bands “Clown Alley” and “Melvins.” She became engaged in drugs in the 1980s and fought to break her addiction. Her mother was always by her side during that period.
Shirley’s children gathered to pay respect to their mother on what was supposed to be her 90th birthday. Her son Charles talked about growing up with a celebrity mother. “The only time I realized her celebrity power was when someone else asked for her autograph. She was a wonderful lady. She was great — and very normal. Every night, we ate dinner together at the table.”
“She was dedicated and generous, yet she could be a little stern if we didn’t behave,” Linda, her daughter, remarked. She was, however, a lot of fun. Very creative and original. She was preoccupied with her children and her husband.
“We had a great time decorating the dining room. Her biggest accomplishment is being a wife and mother. We were shopping and traveling companions. We traveled to a lot of locations together. She was one of my closest pals…”
Shirley Temple was a wonderful woman.
