Shirley Temple RIP

I like my mother before me am a huge fan of Shirley Temple. The first true child star and an icon of a generation. So I was terribly sad to hear that Shirley Temple Black died yesterday at her home in California surrounded by her loved ones and caregivers. She was 85 years old.

Shirley Temple was born in 1928 in California, she made her first screen appearance at aged 3 in a series of short films called Baby Burlesques. By the age of 5 Shirley Temple was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, she could sing, dance, act and many more things besides. She was the biggest box office draw for 4 consecutive years 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1938 beating out the likes of Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper and Joan Crawford.

Her face is and was one of the most recognisable in the world, she was famous for her big golden curls. Her mother was responsible for her hair; exactly 56 curls every time. She was the role model of many famous stars who entered the business after watching her films as children. Shirley Jones and Shirley MacLaine were both named after her. She even has a soft cocktail named in her honour; the Shirley Temple consists of Ginger Ale, grenadine and orange juice, topped with a Maraschino Cherry and a slice of lemon.

She was named #18 on The American Film Institutes 50 Greatest Screen Legends. She holds 2 Academy Award records, she is the youngest presenter at the awards ever, presenting the Best Actress Award to Claudette Colbert at the age of 6. She is the youngest person to receive an Oscar; she was awarded with the first juvenile award at 6 years old. She was a very important figure not just in cinema but for America as a country. During the depression of the 1930's people desperately wanted to escape their own struggling lives, they flocked to Shirley Temple films which were full of innocence, joy, music and laughter and the cutest little girl you could ever see.

One of her biggest films was the Fox picture Bright Eyes (1934) which gave the public her most famous theme On The Good Ship Lollipop which will be forever connected with her. She melted hearts with huge successes such as Little Miss Marker (1934), Baby Take a Bow (1934), Curly Top (1935) and Dimples (1936). Darryl F. Zanuck the head of Fox Studios brought properties especially for her like Heidi (1937) and The Little Princess 1939) which were very successful films.

When Shirley began to grow up and her youthful cuteness began to evolve into young adulthood, audiences began to move away from Shirley's films. The Studios wanted to keep her as a child for as long as possible but the roles no longer fitted her. As a teenager she took roles in successful films such as Kiss and Tell (1945), Honeymoon (1947) The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) and a part in the ensemble Western Fort Apache (1948) Shirley Temple retired from movies at the age of 22 knowing that she could no longer fit the roles which the studios wanted her to do, that audiences wanted her to be a little girl, which she obviously could no longer be, also because of her wish to have a family.

On the set of Fort Apache Shirley met her first husband John Agar, she got married at 17 and had her first child 3 years later. Unfortunately the marriage didn't last they were divorced in 1950, but that same year Shirley set eyes on Charles Black and she has since wrote that it was love at first sight. They were married for 55 years and had 2 children, Black also adopted Susie from Temple's previous marriage.

Shirley Temple Black returned to the limelight but not as a film star but in the world of politics, she was appointed by President Nixon to be the US ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. She had a long and successful career in politics she has also worked for many charities including the National Wildlife Federation. She wrote an auto-biography in 1988 titled Child Star, I have read it myself, it is a brilliant book with an amazing insight into the world of Hollywood during the 1930's and 1940's and into her life. She is very frank and honest, it was an immensely enjoyable read.

It is for her career as the worlds first and greatest child star for which Shirley Temple will always be remembered, she was awarded the Screen Actor's Guild Life Time Achievement Award in 2006 and received a standing ovation. She brought smiles to millions and has been the ultimate role model. An icon and a true star in every sense of the word, she will be sorely missed

If you ever have a bad day or feel down on a rainy afternoon sit and watch a Shirley Temple movie, it will brighten your day immediately. I will leave you with the words her family made public today "We salute her for a life of remarkable achievements as an actor, a diplomat, and...our beloved mother, grandmother [and] great-grandmother"

RIP Shirley Temple.