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Unlike some child stars of today, Shirley Temple's early fame didn't drive her to drugs or crime as a teenager or adult. On the contrary, her professional training gave her the poise and confidence to make contributions to the world long after her childhood film career ended. From 1936 to 1938, Shirley was Hollywood's biggest box-office draw. Her dimpled smile enchanted America throughout the Depression. But as she grew older, her films became less successful, and she was happy to go to high school and grow up like a normal young woman. In 1945, Shirley married actor John Agar,
and they had a daughter in 1948. She continued to make films sporadically, but in 1949, she retired from the big screen at the age of 21. In the same year, Shirley and John Agar divorced. In 1950, she met entrepreneur Charles Alden Black, and they later married and had two children in the early 1950s. Here are some of Shirley Temple Black's adult accomplishments: - From 1958-1961, she hosted children's TV shows and appeared in TV movies for children.
- In 1969, she was a United States Delegate to the United Nations.
- In 1972, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She eventually went public with the disease to encourage breast cancer screening for women.
- From 1974-1976, she was the U.S. Ambassador to
the Republic of Ghana.
- In 1976, she became the first female U.S. Chief of Protocol.
- From 1989-1993, she was the U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, which became the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic during her term.
- In 1998, she received a lifetime achievement medal at the Kennedy Center Honors.
The former child star, now in her 70s, lives with her husband in Woodside, California. Shirley is involved in various world policy organizations, including the Institute of International Studies at Stanford University.
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