One of the most famous child stars in history of films in the United States was great Shirley Temple. Temple starred in some of greatest movies ever made during the film industry's . Born on April 23, 1928 in Santa Monica, , Temple was encouraged by her mother to develop interest in singing, acting, and dancing. She enrolled Shirley into a dance school at the age 3. She also began styling Shirley's hair copying movie star Mary Pickford's wholesome, All-American, pigtail look.

first acting experience came while she was still the dancing school at a very young age. appeared in a series of short films where actors were used to play adults. The shorts, they were called, were satirical in nature, and fell out of favor with the public. Temple valuable acting experience at a young age, though. Fox Film songwriter was very taken by the star, and he introduced her to studio executives. was signed to do her first film in at the age of 5. The film Stand and Cheer was a big hit, and Temple's was off.

Her career is one of the remarkable in Hollywood history. She made dozens of films as a child actress. She was very , and talented for someone so young, but by , her films began to flop. Her career was over by her teen years, and announced her retirement in 1950. This did not stop Temple , as she began a second career as a servant. She got involved with the Republican party, in a special election, in California, in 1967, lost. She was then noticed by U.S. Secretary State, Henry Kissinger, who offered her a diplomatic , which she accepted. She served as ambassador to countries during her political career under President Gerald , and President George H.W. Bush.