Shirley Temple Black was an American actress, singer, dancer, and diplomat, who was Hollywood's number-one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938. Later, she was named United States Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia and also served as Chief of Protocol of the United States.

In 1943, 15-year-old Temple met 22-year-old John Agar, whom she married two years later in 1945, at age 17. She gave birth to Linda Susan Agar in 1948. Agar was reportedly an alcoholic, and had extramarital affairs. Temple divorced Agar in 1950 on the grounds of mental cruelty.