An iconic Hollywood actor-turned-diplomat, Shirley Temple donned various roles in her life. And to commemorate her work, the Santa Monica History Museum in California opened ‘Love, Shirley Temple’ on this day in 2015. The display featured a collection of her rare memorabilia.

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On Wednesday, search engine giant Google is celebrating her with a doodle, in which Temple can be seen as a child actor, an award winner and a diplomat. 

Shirley Temple’s childhood and rise to fame

She was born in 1928 on April 24 in Santa Monica, California and took up dancing at the age of three. In 1934, she left the audience dazzled in the musical ‘Stand Up And Cheer’, with her dimples and blonde curls.

The same year, she acted in a dozen films, which includes ‘Bright Eyes’ that brought her international fame, in which she performed her most famous routine ‘On the Good Ship Lollipop’. 

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In 1935, she became the first recipient of the Academy Juvenile Award, or Juvenile Oscar. Even before she was 10, Temple was already among the most popular Hollywood actors.

She continued to work in films in her teens, including ‘Kiss and Tell’ in 1945 and ‘The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer’ in 1947. However, her fame as a child actor didn’t continue in the teens, with the audience unwilling to accept her in adult roles. She retired in 1950 at the age of 22. 

Temple’s stint in politics

In 1950, she married businessman Charles Black. As per CNET, her interest in politics was ignited when Black joined the military during the 1950-53 Korean war, as an intelligence award. Temple became a Republican fund-raiser.

In 1967, she ran for Congress but was unsuccessful in the bid. 

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The actor becomes a diplomat

Two years later, president Richard Nixon appointed Temple as the  US representative to the UN. In 1972, she was appointed as the ambassador to Ghana.

She was also active in environmentalism and represented her nation at the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment.

Temple became the first female Chief of Protocol to the State Department in 1976 and was appointed an Honorary Foreign Service Officer in 1988.

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The legendary actor died on February 10, 2014, at the age of 85 in California and is buried at the Alta Mesa Memorial Park.