- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGertrude Amelia Krieger
- Gertrude Amelia Krieger was born on July 15, 1893, in Chicago, Illinois. In 1903, her father, German-born Julius Otto Krieger, relocated the family to Los Angeles, California. Because her parents worked long hours and her father died when she was 15, Gertrude spent much of her childhood caring for her younger brother, Ralph. When Gertrude was 16, she met 21-year-old George Francis Temple; they married in 1910. Their first child, John Stanley Temple (Jack), was born in 1915. Another son, George Francis Temple Jr. (Sonny), followed in 1919. The couple's only daughter, Shirley Jane Temple, was born on April 23, 1928. Gertrude soon noticed that her daughter was born with a remarkable sense of rhythm; at 8 months, she was standing up in her crib and dancing to the popular music that her parents played on the phonograph. Gertrude convinced George that they should enroll Shirley in a local dance school. When Charles Lamont visited her dance class looking for young talent, he noticed 3-year-old Shirley and cast her in two of his short film series, Baby Burlesks and Frolics of Youth. Gertrude read Shirley her lines, sewed her early costumes, and was always with her at the studio. Her perseverance and dedication to her daughter's career got Shirley her first major role in a full-length movie, Stand Up and Cheer! (1934), after which her career took off. As Shirley's success made an international star, Gertrude remained the guiding force and constant presence in her daughter's life.
- IMDb mini biography by: Snow4849
- SpouseGeorge Temple(1910 - January 1, 1977) (her death, 3 children)
- Children
- Mother, with George Temple, of 1930s superstar, Shirley Temple, whose career she guided.
- Shirley Temple's autobiography, "Child Star," is dedicated to her.
- She designed and sewed the sequined costume that her daughter wore in Kid in Hollywood (1933).
- She was a close friend of Zasu Pitts.
- Mother-in-law of Charles Black.
- Shirley's motion picture acting is simply part of her play life. It is not tinged with worry about tomorrow or fear of failure. A few times when we have left the studio together, she has looked up at me and said, 'Mommy, did I do all right?' I have replied, 'All right.' That was the end of it. She learns her lines rapidly, just as any child learns nursery rhymes or stories.
- I wouldn't stand from any funny business from Shirley. I never coddled or babied her or allowed her to be rocked or petted too much. If she ever offered to rebel against my wishes I would use force to see that she did what she was told. I have spanked her soundly on three or four occasions when she was slow about minding me, but I do not find it necessary to use force often.
- I do not let Shirley get the idea that she is too important in the scheme of things. At home she feels everything revolves around her father. The mother of a famous child star has a difficult road to travel. No mother can know how difficult until she has a small celebrity in her own home.
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