Latest Update: Shirley Temple's Assets & Salary - Is the Star a Billionaire? Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

As one of the most talked-about figures, Shirley Temple has built a significant fortune. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What Was Shirley Temple's Net Worth?

In 1967, Shirley ran for Congress but lost. She eventually became the Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. She also served on the boards of several corporations during her lifetime, including Del Monte, TheWalt DisneyCompany, and Bank of America.

In 1933, Shirley had an uncredited role in the action romance film "To the Last Man," and she received a contract extension with a salary of $150 per week, which is the modern equivalent of over $3,000. Her mother was also hired to be her hairdresser and received a salary of $25 a week, which is the modern equivalent of just over $500.

Shirley Temple was born Shirley Jane Temple on April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California. Her parents were of Dutch, Anglican, and German ancestry. Her mother was a homemaker, and her father worked as a banker. She had two older brothers, and they grew up in Brentwood, Los Angeles.

In 1932, she was signed to a contract and starred in "Baby Burlesks," which were ten-minute comedy shorts satirizing popular movies and shows only using preschoolers. At this point, Temple had already adopted her signature ringlets, and she performed so well that she was promoted to the twenty-minute comedy shows. The same year she signed on with Educational Pictures, she was lent to Tower Productions for a small role in their feature film "The Red-Haired Alibi."

In 1934, she was cast in the Fox Film musical "Stand Up and Cheer," which proved to be her breakout role. The magnitude of her roles increased over the course of that year, and she had starring roles in the comedy musical "Baby, Take a Bow" and the family comedy film "Bright Eyes." She maintained a busy schedule for a seven-year-old and had starring roles in the next year's "The Little Colonel," "Our Little Girl," "Curly Top," and "The Littlest Rebel." During her years as a child actor, Temple tended to appear in family-oriented films and musicals, and she was often cast in roles where she diffused conflict between adults, had fairy-like attributes, or was the precocious comic relief. A common theme was the triumph of goodness over evil. Her salary grew to reflect her popularity, which was something her parents had hired an attorney to accomplish. In 1934, she was receiving $1,000 a week, the modern equivalent of nearly $20,000, and she earned $15,000 or around $295,000 in modern dollars. Because her image was being used on numerous commercial products without compensation, her attorney began sending out cease and desist letters to those using her likeness without permission. In 1935, Shirley was the first child actor to be awarded a juvenile Oscar for her work in film, and she received another raise of $2,500 a week, or today's equivalent of nearly $500,000.

Shirley achieved true superstar status after the movie "Bright Eyes" was released in 1934. The film was written specifically for her and featured her singing abilities with the song "On the Good Ship Lollipop." The song alone sold 500,000 copies of sheet music. Temple would go on to appear in dozens more films, most notably "Curly Top," "Our Little Girl," "Poor Little Rich Girl," "Dimples," "The Littlest Rebel," and "Heidi." Several of these films were the highest-grossing movies in the years they were released.

Shirley Temple was an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, author, and diplomat who had a net worth of $30 million at the time of her death. Shirley Temple died on February 10, 2014, at the age of 85 in Woodside, California.

Her mother encouraged her to develop her talents in singing and dancing, and when she was three years old, she was enrolled at Meglin's Dance School in Los Angeles. While participating at the dance school, Shirley was spotted by a casting director for Educational Pictures, and she was invited to audition for the studio.

At her peak, Shirley Temple was one of the highest-paid actors in the world, an achievement she accomplished before even hitting her teenage years. In 1934, when she was just six years old, Shirley signed a contract with Fox Films. That same year, she landed what would become her breakout role in the movie "Stand Up and Cheer!" Pretty soon she was the talk of the town and earning$1,250 per week, which is equal to$22,000after adjusting for inflation. Before the age of 14, Shirley had earned$3 millionas a child actor, which is equal to$34 millionafter adjusting for inflation.

Ultimately, Shirley Temple's financial journey is a testament to their success.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.