Shirley Temple, American actress most famous for her roles as a child, died Monday night at 85 years of age.
She died at home, surrounded by her family and caregivers, Temple's agent wrote in a statement.
Born in 1928, Shirley Temple was already a star at age 5, starring in more than 40 features before turning 13. She was one of the biggest box-office draws of her time, cheering up the American public in the period after the Great Depression.
She was so popular that President Franklin Roosevelt once said “As long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be all right.” She received numerous accolades for her work; she received the first Juvenile Academy Award at age 6, and the American Film Institute has Temple at 18th spot on the list of the top 25 female stars of all time.
Temple retired early, at just 32 years of age. She did stay active on television, and later entered politics, serving, among other positions, as the first female Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1976-77 and the United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1989-1992.
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