11 Photos of Shirley Temple After Her Big-Screen Career

By Melanie Aman Updated: February 10, 2019

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nostalgia

Many of us can recall seeing Shirley Temple strut across our TV screens singing “Animal Crackers in My Soup,” yet fewer of us remember Shirley Temple as an adult. The beloved child star retired from acting in 1950 at the ripe old age of 22, starting a new chapter in her career. Many actors and actresses fade into obscurity after a few box office flops, but not Shirley Temple.

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From 1958 to 1961, Temple hosted her own show, Shirley Temple’s Storybook, which adapted famous fairytales and fables for the small screen. In the late 60s, Temple revealed her political ambitions, running for a vacant seat during a special election. She didn’t win, but Temple found another way to be a part of government, eventually becoming a US Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.

Beyond her film, TV, and political achievements, Temple was a doting mother and a fabulous cook. “My mother would say that her family was her biggest accomplishment,” her son Charles said. “She loved to invite people over. She would say, ‘Come by my house and I’ll make you leg of lamb.’ She made a beautiful lamb and was famous for her mashed potatoes,” her daughter Susan revealed.

To learn more about Temple’s fascinating adult life, take a look at these nostalgic photos of the actress.

Shirley Temple Wedding Dress

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Shirley Temple was only 17 years old when she married her first husband, Sgt. John Agar, in 1945. The bride wore a beautiful satin gown with short sleeves and an embroidered neckline. If you look closely, you'll notice the shape of the tiara matches the pattern of the dress' embroidery.
Shirley Temple Husband Daughter John Agar

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Temple gave birth to the couple's only child, a daughter named Linda Susan Agar, in 1948. In 1950, the pair divorced, and Agar maintained little contact with his daughter. Eventually, Linda, who went by Susan, started using her stepfather's last name, Black.
Shirley Temple Adult

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Temple dresses as a fairy godmother complete with a tiara and magic wand for a 1958 promotional poster for her show, Shirley Temple's Storybook. The series ran for two seasons and featured adaptations of popular fairy tales and children's stories, like Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Shirley Temple Adult Home

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Temple poses in her home in Los Angeles, California, in 1944. It's clear from this photograph that the then-18-year-old hadn't lost her signature curls even as she transitioned into more adult roles.
Shirley Temple Children

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Temple and her young children, Charles (left) and Lori (right) are all smiles in this 1957 photo. By all accounts, Temple loved being a mother. "I’ve led three lives: the acting part, wife and mother — which is a career — and international relations," she said in a 1998 interview with The Washington Post. "I’m proud of my career, the first one, and I’m proud of the other two, too."
Shirley Temple Kids

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In 1950, Temple married Charles Black, a California businessman. They had two children together, Charles Black Jr. and Lori, plus Temple's daughter from his first marriage. The smitten couple remained married until Black's death in 2005.
Shirley Temple Husband Kids Charles Black

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"As a mother, she was devoted and generous, although she could be a little bit stern if we didn’t behave," Temple's daughter Susan told Closer Weekly. "But family was a really, really important part of her life. She was all about her children and her husband."
Shirley Temple Adulthood

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The actress smiles for a photo in her Los Angeles home in 1957. You can catch a glimpse of Temple's interior design style with the addition of vintage posters to her wall.
Shirley Temple Fashion

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Temple was famous for her blonde ringlets, but her hair took on a darker hue as she got older. Here she's wearing her brunette locks in a bouffant style that was popular at the time.
Shirley Temple Academy Awards Annette Funicello

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Temple and actress Annette Funicello hold a mini Oscar statue at the 33rd Academy Awards in 1961. That year, the rom-com The Apartment starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine won Best Picture.
Shirley Temple Prague

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In addition to her film career, Temple became an American diplomat. She served as US Ambassador to Ghana from 1974 to 1976, Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1976 to 1977, and US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992.