Introduction
Linda Susan Agar was the daughter of two Hollywood personalities, actress Shirley Temple and actor John Agar. Born in California in the late 1940s, she grew up connected to one of the most recognizable families in American entertainment. Her mother had become internationally famous as a child actress, while her father was also a successful actor. Despite having such famous parents, Linda Susan Agar did not follow the same path into a major Hollywood career.
Linda was Shirley Temple and John Agar’s only child together. Her parents’ marriage eventually ended in divorce, after which Shirley Temple married Charles Alden Black. Linda subsequently became known as Susan Black and grew up as part of the family that Shirley Temple created with Black.
Although Linda made a brief appearance on television during her childhood, she largely avoided the entertainment spotlight as she became older. Available sources suggest that she later worked as a freelance writer, but information about her adult life remains limited. Because of this, her story is best understood through her family background, childhood appearance, relationship to Shirley Temple, and decision to maintain a comparatively private life.
Birth and Family Background
Linda Susan Agar was born on January 30, 1948, in Santa Monica, California. Her birth came during an important period in the life of her mother, Shirley Temple.
Shirley Temple had already achieved extraordinary fame by the time Linda was born. As one of the biggest child stars of the 1930s, Temple had appeared in numerous successful films and had become a cultural icon. Her popularity was so significant that her image became closely associated with Hollywood’s golden age.
Linda’s father was John Agar, an actor whose career included work in films and television. Shirley Temple and John Agar married in 1945, and Linda was born approximately three years later.
Growing up as the child of two actors meant that Linda entered a world very different from that experienced by most children. Her family was closely connected to the film industry, but her own future would eventually take a quieter direction.
Daughter of Shirley Temple and John Agar
Linda Susan Agar was the only child born to Shirley Temple and John Agar. Her birth made her an important part of Shirley Temple’s personal history because Temple’s early Hollywood career had already made her one of America’s most famous personalities.
Temple’s public life was highly unusual. She had achieved international fame at a very young age, appearing in films that made her one of the most successful child performers of her era. Her transition from child star to adulthood was also closely followed by the public.
Linda, however, was not raised to become another version of her mother. Although she had access to Hollywood because of her parents, there is no indication that she pursued a major acting career.
Her childhood was still touched by the entertainment business. She briefly appeared on television, but her involvement was limited compared with her mother’s extraordinary career.
Parents’ Marriage and Divorce
Shirley Temple and John Agar married in 1945. Their marriage attracted public attention because both were connected to Hollywood and Temple was already a famous figure.
The relationship eventually ended, and the couple divorced in 1950. Linda was still very young when her parents separated.
After the divorce, Shirley Temple’s life entered a new chapter. She later married Charles Alden Black, a businessman and former naval officer. Black became an important part of Linda’s family life and helped establish the household in which she grew up.
The change in family structure meant that Linda’s childhood included both her biological father and a stepfather who became closely connected to her mother’s life.
Life With Shirley Temple and Charles Alden Black
Following her parents’ divorce, Linda became part of Shirley Temple’s new family with Charles Alden Black. Temple and Black married in 1950 and remained together for decades.
The marriage produced two more children, Charles Alden Black Jr. and Lori Black. Linda therefore grew up with younger half-siblings and became the eldest child in the household.
The family environment was different from the one associated with Shirley Temple’s childhood celebrity. By the time Linda was growing up, Temple was moving beyond her early acting career and eventually became involved in public service and diplomacy.
This meant that Linda’s childhood was connected not only to Hollywood but also to the changing professional life of her mother.
The surname Black became associated with Linda after Shirley Temple’s second marriage, and she was later known as Susan Black.
Brief Appearance on Television
Although Linda did not pursue a major acting career, she did make a brief appearance on television as a child. IMDb credits her as Susan Agar in an episode of Shirley Temple’s Storybook in 1958.
The program was a television anthology series associated with Shirley Temple. Its connection to Linda’s mother made the appearance particularly notable.
Linda appeared alongside her younger half-siblings, Charles Alden Black Jr. and Lori Black. The appearance provided a rare opportunity for Shirley Temple’s children to be seen together in a television production.
However, the appearance did not lead to a long-term career in acting. Linda remained largely outside the entertainment industry afterward.
Her brief television involvement therefore stands as an interesting footnote in her biography rather than the beginning of a professional acting career.
Choosing a Life Away From Hollywood
One of the most interesting aspects of Linda Susan Agar’s story is the contrast between her family background and her own life choices.
Her mother was one of the most recognizable actresses of the twentieth century, and her father also worked as an actor. Linda could easily have entered Hollywood herself, particularly given her family’s connections.
Instead, she largely avoided becoming a public entertainment personality.
This decision allowed her to live with considerably less attention than her mother had experienced. Shirley Temple’s childhood was famously documented by newspapers, magazines, studios, and fans, while Linda’s adult life has remained much less visible.
Her quieter path also illustrates that being born into a famous family does not necessarily mean a person will pursue fame themselves.
Career and Reported Work as a Writer
Information about Linda’s professional career is limited. One biographical source describes her later work as a freelance writer.
Writing would have provided a creative profession without requiring the same level of public exposure associated with acting. It would also have allowed Linda to develop a professional identity separate from the enormous reputation of her mother.
Because detailed records of her career are not widely available, it is difficult to establish the full extent of her writing work or identify a complete list of publications.
Nevertheless, the reported connection to freelance writing fits with the broader picture of Linda choosing a quieter professional path rather than becoming a celebrity.
Her career therefore appears to have been considerably more private than that of her famous parents.
Connection to Shirley Temple’s Legacy
Linda Susan Agar remains relevant to people researching Shirley Temple because she was Temple’s first child and only child with John Agar.
Shirley Temple’s legacy extends far beyond her film career. After leaving much of Hollywood behind, she became involved in politics and diplomacy and served as a United States ambassador to several countries.
Her later career demonstrated that she was more than a former child star. She became a public figure in international affairs and remained prominent in American public life.
Linda’s place within that family history provides another perspective on Temple’s life. Instead of focusing only on films and public achievements, Linda represents the personal side of Temple’s story.
As the eldest child in Temple’s later family, she witnessed the transition of her mother from Hollywood celebrity to wife, mother, diplomat, and public figure.
Conflicting Information About Her Later Life
Because Linda Susan Agar maintained a private life, information about her later years is incomplete. Some online genealogy and biographical sources provide claims about her later life, including a possible death date, but these accounts are not consistent.
Some sources list a death in 2000, while other databases do not provide a confirmed death date. This makes it difficult to state a definitive account of her later years without stronger documentation.
Similar uncertainty exists around other personal details, including marriage, children, employment history, and exact circumstances of her later life.
For that reason, it is more responsible to focus on the well-documented parts of her biography. Her birth, parents, childhood television appearance, family connection to Shirley Temple, and reported work as a freelance writer provide a more reliable foundation.
The lack of extensive information should not be interpreted as evidence that she had an unusual or dramatic life. It may simply reflect her preference for privacy and her decision to remain outside the entertainment spotlight.
Conclusion
Linda Susan Agar occupies a unique place in Hollywood family history as the daughter of Shirley Temple and John Agar. Born on January 30, 1948, in Santa Monica, California, she was the only child from her parents’ marriage.
Her parents divorced in 1950, after which Shirley Temple married Charles Alden Black. Linda became known as Susan Black and grew up with her younger half-siblings, Charles Alden Black Jr. and Lori Black.
Unlike her mother and father, Linda did not establish a major acting career. Her only notable documented television appearance came as a child on Shirley Temple’s Storybook in 1958. Later sources describe her as a freelance writer, suggesting that she developed a quieter professional identity away from Hollywood.
Her life is particularly interesting because of the contrast between her famous family and her relatively private existence. While Shirley Temple became one of the defining stars of Hollywood’s golden age and later a diplomat and public figure, Linda largely avoided the spotlight.
Some details about Linda’s later life remain uncertain because different online sources provide conflicting information. Rather than relying on unsupported claims, her biography is best viewed through the reliable historical record of her birth, parents, childhood, family, television appearance, and reported writing career.
Linda Susan Agar’s story ultimately shows another side of a famous Hollywood family: the life of a child who was born into extraordinary fame but chose, as an adult, to remain largely outside it.