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On April 23, 1928 a little star was born. In her future life as a movie actress, she would perform in forty motion pictures, fifty television shows, be number one at the box office, and possess the smile and talent that would bring the country out of the Depression. This all began when she was only three, but ended shortly at the age of twenty-one. As her movie career ended, her adult life began without her mother’s guide. She began her family life as a housewife and later on she became a diplomat. She still is known today for her dimples and her title as the American Princess. This American Princess is Shirley Jane Temple (Temple). Everyone has a role model figure to help guide them though their life and follow their examples. Mary Pickford was a role model for Gertrude Temple’s image of her daughter, Shirley. She wanted Shirley to look just like her, so Gertrude began putting tight curls in her hair to create her famous ringlets. Gertrude was Shirley’s key to success, her reminder to ‘sparkle’. It all started with dance lessons at Ethel Meglin’s Studio. Here, Shirley took lessons and was also discovered as a child star hiding behind the piano. Her first series was the Baby Burlesks, which soon led to bigger and better things, as she grew older. She then she made the transition to the motion pictures; her first long picture was Red-Haired Alibi. Making this movie seemed to be overwhelming for her, but this was only the beginning (Edwards). For sixteen years Shirley Temple starred in movies. In her teenage years, her quality of acting and popularity had dramatically decreased. The public was not interested in a young adult star that was once a curly blond that "danced and sang into the hearts of America" (Churchill). They wanted that child back, to remind them of the good times while things were tough. During her slow-moving career, she had enrolled in the Westlake School for Girls when she was twelve years old. In the spring of 1945, Shirley graduated from school and began her new life with her husband, John Agar. Her movie career ended with A Kiss for Corliss (Black). John "Jack" Agar was the older brother of Joyce Agar, one of Shirley’s friends.
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