See Shirley Temple's Fascinating Life in Photos

Shirley Temple was born in 1928 in Santa Monica, California. The youngest of three children, her mother was a housewife, while her father worked as a banker.

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It was her mother, Gertrude Temple, who recognized Shirley's talent for entertainment. She enrolled Shirley in dance classes at the age of 3 and a half years old.

At just 4 years old, Shirley was cast in a series of low budget films called "Baby Burlesks." The actress later shared stories of mistreatment on the set of these movies in her memoir, Child Star: An Autobiography.

Even at a young age, Shirley's charisma and ability to share the stage with anyone was clear as day. She's seen here hitching a ride from fellow child star, Baby LeRoy.

Shirley's exposure in the "Baby Burlesks" led to her being discovered by 20th Century Fox. At 5 years old, the young actress signed a seven-year contract with the studio.

After Shirley signed her studio contract, her father, George Francis Temple, took over as her talent manager. George represented his daughter's interests to the studio, served as a middle man, and fought for pay increases throughout her career.

Fox wasted no time in capitalizing on Shirley's adorable demeanor. By the end of 1934, she'd starred in seven major pictures, including Bright Eyes. Here, Shirley is seen with her adult costars in Little Miss Marker, Dorothy Dell, Charles Bickford and Adolphe Menjou.

While the country was in the depths of the Great Depression, President Roosevelt referred to the child star as Little Miss Miracle and credited her with boosting the country's morale. By 1935, Shirley was the biggest film star in America. That year she released some of her most beloved films, including Curly Top to The Littlest Rebel, and worked with some of the biggest names in the business.

Shirley's childhood in the 1930s consisted of vacationing at Charlie Chaplin's Palm Springs home and playing with his two sons, Charles Jr. and Sydney Chaplin.

The child star had another iconic friend: Buck the St. Bernard, a Hollywood pup who starred in classics like 1935's Call of the Wild. Just a year after Shirley signed her big 20th Century Fox deal, Buck had a big break of his own — becoming the first dog to ink a five-year contract.

While starring in one of her most-known feature films, Curly Top, Shirley was photographed on set with her costar, Jane Darwell.

In 1935, a 7-year-old Shirley received an honorary colonel title from the American Legion. The A-list tot wore her best military wear for the ceremony.

Shirley attended the 7th Annual Academy Awards as both a presenter and a recipient. The Academy created the Academy Juvenile Award specifically for the 7-year-old, who was given the award for "her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934." She also presented Claudette Colbert with her award for Best Actress for It Happened One Night.

On the eve of her 9th birthday, the film star was photographed in her family home blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.

One of Shirley's most well-known movies, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, was released in 1938 and was — no surprise — a box office hit.

In 1936, Fox resigned Shirley for another seven-year contract, bumping her pay up to $50,000 per film — an unheard of amount at that time. Here, she's seen arriving at the premiere of her 1939 film, The Little Princess, with her parents.

The Academy Award winner was invited to present an award to Walt Disney for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Here, the actress chats with the visionary filmmaker and his unique Oscar, which boasted seven mini statues to represent the seven dwarfs.

Shirley shares a laugh with Deanna Durbin, while visiting her friend on set of the musical comedy Spring Parade, in which Deanna played the lead role.

In 1940, 20th Century Fox decided not to renew Shirley's contract. The actress was now a teenager and was walking the fine line between child and adult movie star. At the age of 14, she began attending school in Los Angeles and worked on films, like Miss Annie Rooney, sporadically.

Since You Went Away is widely recognized as Shirley's break away from her child star roles. Seen here in a scene with her costar, Jennifer Jones (left), the movie depicts American home life during World War II.