Depression-era child actor-turned-diplomat, Shirley Temple Black passed away at her home surrounded by family on Monday night at age 85.

Temple Black will always be remembered as the curly haired dimpled child who delighted audiences worldwide and helped them forget their troubles for an evening during the worse depression in U.S. history.

Born on April 23, 1928, Temple would be in dance school by two and began her film career at the young age of three. From the very start, the young child’s mother curled Temple’s hair in Mary Pickford-style ringlets, but the dimples were all her own.

Temple first went to work for Educational Pictures, who did one reel films called “Baby Burlesks,” and two-reelers called “Frolics of youth.” It was that same year that she made her feature film debut with a small part in “Red-Haired Alibi.” Educational Pictures went bankrupt in 1933 and in 1934, Temple signed with Fox Film Corporation and continued on with bit parts until she was picked to do the role of Shirley Dugan in “Stand Up and Cheer.” She was the unofficial star of that film and her talents were showcased in that vaudvillian film.

After that breakout film, Temple’s salary was raised to $1,250 a week and her career was off to a racing sart. She next starred in Paramount’s film, “Little Miss Marker,” where she played a child who’s father gave her up as collateral for a wager with gangsters. In the film, after her father loses the bet and commits suicide, and Temple becomes the favorite of the gansters,eventually winning everyone’s hearts.

At the end of that same year, Temple would star in the film “Bright Eyes” and in it sing her signature song, “On the Good Ship Lollipop. Two months after the release of the film, she would be the first child star to be awarded the Juvenile Oscar.

After the success of “Bright Eyes,” Fox had writers put together a slew of scripts written just for Temple and she would go on to do four films a year and star in a succession of box office hits that included, “The Little Colonel.” “Our Little Girl,” “Curly Top,” “The Littlest Rebel,” Captain January,” “Poor Little Rich Girl,” “Dimples,” “Stowaway,” and “Wee Willie Winkie.” It was these films that allowed Twentieth Century Fox to become a giant in the film industry.

Temple continued to do films and draw crowds until 1940, but that year, she starred in two movies that flopped at the box office, “The Blue Bird,” and “Young People.” Those two films signalled the demise of Temple’s film stardom. She would continue in the industry, but never re-acquire the acclaim of her younger years.

Temple married in 1945 at age 17. She married an Army Corps Sergeant named John Agar. The couple had one child together and by 1949, were divorced, the divorce was finalized in December of 1950. Eleven days later, Temple would marry again, this time to Charles Alden Black, this marriage would last a lifetime. The couple would remain married for 54 years until Black’s death in 2005 of bone marrow disease.

By 1967, Temple Black’s attention turned to politics and she unsuccessfully ran in a special election for a vacant seat in California’s 11th COngressional District. She lost to Pete McCloskey.

Although she would not run again, it was not the end of her political career. She would be appointed as a Representative to the 24th United Nations General Assembly in 1969 by Richard Nixon. That was followed by an appointment as Ambassador to Ghana by Gerald Ford in 1974. She became the first female Chief Protocol of the United States in 1976. Later, she would serve as Ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992 after an appointment by George H. W. Bush.

Shirley Temple Black died in her home in Woodside, California at 10:57 pm with her family by her side.