Shirley Temple Black 1928-2014

By Aljean Harmetz
February 11, 2014

Shirley Temple Black, who as a dimpled, precocious and determined little girl in the 1930s sang and tap-danced her way to a height of Hollywood stardom and worldwide fame that no other child has reached, died on Monday night at her home in Woodside, Calif. She was 85.

Her publicist, Cheryl Kagan, confirmed her death.

Ms. Black returned to the spotlight in the 1960s in the surprising new role of diplomat, but in the popular imagination she would always be America’s darling of the Depression years, when in 23 motion pictures her sparkling personality and sunny optimism lifted spirits and made her famous. From 1935 to 1939 she was the most popular movie star in America, with Clark Gable a distant second. She received more mail than Greta Garbo and was photographed more often than President Franklin D. Roosevelt... the rest

NPR: Shirley Temple Dies; Childhood Movie Star Became Diplomat

BBC: Hollywood star Shirley Temple dies


Shirley Temple - At the Codfish Ball (1936)
(That's Buddy Ebsen of Beverly Hillbillies fame dancing with her)