On Her 96th Heavenly Birthday Shirley Temple Is Remembered For Flourishing After Trauma

The world had never and will never again see the likes of Shirley Temple. There have been regrettably many stories like hers, of doll-faced youths dragged into the limelight by parents who prioritize fame over their safety. But the trajectory of Temple’s life remains one of the most unique even on what is her 96th heavenly birthday, for once confronted with an indifferent Hollywood that had no more affection for a grown-up Temple, she immersed herself fully in diplomacy and even in her darkest hour used her platform to change the way people spoke about cancer.

Temple’s birthday is celebrated on April 23; she was born in 1928, and from the start, her mother pushed her to develop singing, dancing, and acting skills. At the same time, her mother, Gertrude, started styling her hair in what became their signature ringlets, a painstaking process that resulted in exactly 56 curls. Even before Temple’s birth, her mother tried to immerse her in the arts; herself a dancer her literally outgrew her dreams, Gertrude always played music while pregnant with Temple. Gertrude got her wish, at times at great cost to Temple, who would harness her hard-won fame for good when the limelight stopped shining for her.

Shirley Temple faced harsh treatment during her time in Hollywood and as it drew to a close

Temple was in the running to play Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, kept from the iconic role due to her strict contract with 20th Century Fox, a partnership the studio wasn’t about to neglect thanks to Temple proving to be lightning in a bottle. In fact, what started as a two-week $150 contract was quicky extended to seven years after her first performance. That recruitment choice ended up netting the studio millions of dollars, and Slash Films credits the spot of sunshine and youthful innocence as America’s savior during the Great Depression and as the force that kept Fox from ever worrying about bankruptcy during that time.

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To this day, Temple is the youngest recipient of an Oscar. She was just six when she won the first Juvenile Academy Award. Other recognitions would follow, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

But she also right in the crosshairs of the dangerous underbelly of Hollywood glamor. One of her earliest projects was Baby Burlesks, parodies made with toddlers Temple appeared in when she was just three; she would call this series “a cynical exploitation of our childish innocence that occasionally were racist or sexist.”

Work like this also made a target out of her and any other child actor who dared act childishly; anyone who misbehaved was put into the black box, a soundproof enclosure originally used by sound technicians that could grow humid very fast, and the only way to cool them was with large blocks of ice. A child would be placed inside this box of sensory deprivation and the only place for them to sit would be the frozen slab.

Temple posited that “So far as I can tell, the black box did no lasting damage,” but, “It’s lesson of life, however, was profound. Time is money. Wasted time means wasted money means trouble.”

On her 96th heavenly birthday, Temple is remembered as an actor, a diplomat, and a champion of women’s health

Hollywood reveled in Temple’s childhood but childhood itself was not meant for her. Marilyn Granas, Temple’s stand-in, told Closer, “Her mother was very, very protective. When other kids would be in the films with us, her mother wouldn’t let Shirley play with them.” That was because Gertrude feared Temple catching a cold and mingling with kids who were not “socially acceptable.”

This year, April 23 marks her 96th heavenly birthday, and each year the studio threw parties that were more “publicity things” than they were “social occasions,” according to Granas, who added, “Everybody would bring presents, but it was my understanding that Shirley never opened any of them. They all went to charity.”

When things did become social, they quickly became predatory—by fans and executives alike. One woman aimed a gun right at Temple, convinced the child actor had stolen her own kid’s soul. On another occasion, when Temple was just 12, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer producer, Arthur Freed exposed himself to her.

All the while, the clock was ticking on the star who at one point earned $10,000 a week. The entertainment world liked Temple as a child and did not know what to do with her as an adult; however, her bank account had only $40,000 when she quit Hollywood at the age of 22.

But Temple never broke stride and instead pivoted away from the dangerous waters of acting completely and focused on diplomacy. President Richard M. Nixon appointed her a U.S. delegate to the United Nations in 1969. Half a decade later, she was named U.S. Ambassador to Ghana. Under President Ford, she was also the first woman to hold the title of U.S. Chief of Protocol. On top of that, from 1989 to 1992 she served as U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia under President George H. W. Bush.

Temple’s skills allowed her promote dialogue on an international level and she used her platform to be the one shining the spotlight—this time on women’s health. The world was stunned when, in 1972, Temple came forward and revealed she had undergone a mastectomy. She held a news conference right from her hospital room during a time when such topics as cancers and related treatments were discussed in hushed tones, behind closed doors, always stigmatized and never helpfully explored. Her actions threw the doors wide open for a more transparent dialogue and was part of a new movement that encouraged women to pursue their own health needs without shame.

Temple was 85 when she died; this February marks 10 years since her passing. But as we celebrate her 96th heavenly birthday, we remember Shirley Temple as the girl who survived Hollywood at its worst and gave a voice to those who had felt unseen.