Shirley Temple was one of the most successful child actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age, making her a box-office draw. She was also passionate about sports, and she expressed that passion in unconventional ways.
Born in Santa Monica, California, Temple played football casually growing up with her two brothers. She wanted to play competitively, but her parents said no and encouraged her to play golf instead. Still, she turned to another gridiron sport, rugby, once appearing in a game featuring Hollywood co-stars.
Photo courtesy of Pre-War Collector
Eventually, Temple’s love of football took another form, appearing on a set of football cards issued in 1935 by Klene Gum in the Netherlands, which featured roughly 200 cards dedicated to Temple. Because her family had Dutch roots, Temple was a popular figure there. On one card, Temple is standing beside a small dog, holding a football. Another card shows her in an offensive-line stance, also holding a football. On another card, Temple is in her football attire.
Beyond football, Shirley Temple starred in many movies, from the Great Depression years to the post-World War II years. Her films include Stand Up and Cheer! (1934), Baby Take a Bow (1934), Bright Eyes (1934), Little Miss Marker (1934), Now and Forever (1934), George White’s Scandals (1934), The Little Colonel (1935), Our Little Girl (1935), Curly Top (1935), The Littlest Rebel (1935), Captain January (1936), Poor Little Rich Girl (1936), Dimples (1936), Stowaway (1936), Wee Willie Winkie (1937), Heidi (1937), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938), Little Miss Broadway (1938), Just Around the Corner (1938), The Little Princess (1939), Susannah of the Mounties (1939), The Blue Bird (1940), Young People (1940), Kathleen (1941), Miss Annie Rooney (1942), Since You Went Away (1944), I’ll Be Seeing You (1944), Kiss and Tell (1945), Honeymoon (1947), The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947), That Hagen Girl (1947), Fort Apache (1948), Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949), The Story of Seabiscuit (1949), and A Kiss for Corliss (1949).
After her film career ended, Temple had modest success on television, hosting and narrating the children’s anthology series titled Shirley Temple’s Storybook (1958-1961). Then she pursued a political career. In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon appointed her a delegate to the 24th United Nations General Assembly. During the Ford administration, she served as United States Ambassador to Ghana (1974-1976) and as the first female Chief of Protocol of the United States (1976-1977). Finally, Temple served as the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1989-1992) during the George H.W. Bush administration. She was the first and only woman to hold the post.
Shirley Temple had a prolific career and lived a truly extraordinary life. She died in 2014 at the age of 85.
