Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928, at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica in Santa Monica, California, the third child of homemaker Gertrude Temple and bank employee George Temple.
The family was of Dutch, English, and German ancestry.
She had two brothers: John and George, Jr. The family moved to Brentwood, Los Angeles.

Her mother encouraged Shirley to develop her singing, dancing, and acting talents, and in September 1931 enrolled her in Meglin's Dance School in Los Angeles.
At about this time, Shirley's mother began styling her daughter's hair in ringlets.

While at the dance school, she was spotted by Charles Lamont, who was a casting director for Educational Pictures.
Temple hid behind the piano while she was in the studio.
Lamont took a liking to Temple, and invited her to audition; he signed her to a contract in 1932.
Educational Pictures launched its Baby Burlesks, 10-minute comedy shorts satirizing recent films and events, using preschool children in every role.

Glad Rags to Riches was a parody of the Mae West feature She Done Him Wrong, with Shirley as a saloon singer.
Kid 'n' Africa had Shirley imperiled in the jungle.
The Runt Page was a pastiche of The Front Page.
The juvenile cast delivered their lines as best they could, with the younger players reciting phonetically.
Temple became the breakout star of this series, and Educational promoted her to 20-minute comedies.
These were in the Frolics of Youth series with Frank Coghlan Jr.; Temple played Mary Lou Rogers, the baby sister in a contemporary suburban family.
To underwrite production costs at Educational Pictures, she and her child co-stars modeled for breakfast cereals and other products.
She was lent to Tower Productions for a small role in her first feature film (The Red-Haired Alibi) in 1932 and, in 1933, to Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Pictures for various parts.
Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928, at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica in Santa Monica, California, the third child of homemaker Gertrude Temple and bank employee George Temple. The family was of Dutch, English, and German ancestry. She had two brothers: John and George, Jr. The family moved to Brentwood, Los Angeles.
Her mother encouraged Shirley to develop her singing, dancing, and acting talents, and in September 1931 enrolled her in Meglin's Dance School in Los Angeles. At about this time, Shirley's mother began styling her daughter's hair in ringlets.
While at the dance school, she was spotted by Charles Lamont, who was a casting director for Educational Pictures. Temple hid behind the piano while she was in the studio. Lamont took a liking to Temple, and invited her to audition; he signed her to a contract in 1932. Educational Pictures launched its Baby Burlesks, 10-minute comedy shorts satirizing recent films and events, using preschool children in every role.
Glad Rags to Riches was a parody of the Mae West feature She Done Him Wrong, with Shirley as a saloon singer. Kid 'n' Africa had Shirley imperiled in the jungle. The Runt Page was a pastiche of The Front Page. The juvenile cast delivered their lines as best they could, with the younger players reciting phonetically. Temple became the breakout star of this series, and Educational promoted her to 20-minute comedies. These were in the Frolics of Youth series with Frank Coghlan Jr.; Temple played Mary Lou Rogers, the baby sister in a contemporary suburban family. To underwrite production costs at Educational Pictures, she and her child co-stars modeled for breakfast cereals and other products. She was lent to Tower Productions for a small role in her first feature film (The Red-Haired Alibi) in 1932 and, in 1933, to Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Pictures for various parts.
Shirley Temple