Born in Santa Monica, California, Shirley Temple was enrolled in singing and dancing classes at a very young age. She was discovered by a talent scout at the age of 3 and started her acting career. She had a prolific acting career from 1932 to 1949, when she did her last movie and stepped away from acting into a career of diplomacy.
She acted in several movies and, as an actress, was invited to several of the galas meant to promote those films. As a child, she was not allowed to drink.
Legend has it that she was served a mocktail, which was a mix of ginger ale, a splash of grenadine and garnished with a maraschino cherry. The drink thus got the name Shirley Temple.
But she said -
The saccharine sweet, icky drink? Yes, well... those were created in the probably middle 1930s by the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood, and I had nothing to do with it. But all over the world, I am served that. People think it's funny. I hate them. Too sweet!
Source: NPR Archives