While she has been out of the spotlight for several decades, Shirley Temple Black was a beloved child star in her time. She was the subject of many films, and also did a number of commercials, while attracting audiences with her singing and dance moves.

Shirley Temple Black died on Monday at the age of 85. She made it big as a star at an early age, signing her first contract with Fox at the age of 5. She was an actress primarily during the Great Depression, and her first film was released in 1934.

A spokesperson for Shirley Temple and her family made a statement regarding her death and stated “We salute her for a life of remarkable achievements as an actor, as a diplomat, and most importantly as our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and adored wife of fifty-five years.”

She was a cherished star at the height of her fame, and has continued to delight audiences for many years. Even when people did not have the money to do much else, they continued to flock to the cinema to let the cheerful Shirley Temple put a smile on their faces.

Her first big break came in 1934 with Stand Up And Cheer, in which she starred alongside James Dunn, a popular musical star of the day. She also starred in Bright Eyes and Little Miss Marker in 1934, with another big hit coming in 1935 with Little Colonel. Her last big success was with The Little Princess in 1939.

Temple was one of the biggest stars of her time, and the Temple trademark raked in millions of dollars of revenue when stamped on records, magazines, children’s clothes, breakfast cereal, dolls, and even a signature beverage.

After becoming a huge star at such an early age, Shirley Temple officially retired from acting at the age of 22 in 1950. After quitting as an actress, she continued to receive attention, but in a different way.

The original movie cutie pie has died. A trailblazer. #ShirleyTemple I'm having a lollipop today.

— Dominic Monaghan (@DomsWildThings) February 11, 2014

RIP Shirley Temple (1928-2014), the greatest child star and, at her height, the biggest movie star ever. For me, she’s the one who got away.

— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) February 11, 2014

She was an active Republican who ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. House seat in California in 1967. Despite losing, she was later appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Ghana under Gerald Ford, and as ambassador to Czechoslovakia under George H.W. Bush.

Shirley Temple was most recently seen as the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2006.

RIP #ShirleyTemple. One of the last true Hollywood legends.

— Josh Gad (@joshgad) February 11, 2014

Image via Youtube