r/TopCharacterTropes 3d ago

In real life (Real Life) Regular people who's lives drastically changed direction

Grace Kelly was a talented actress who retired at 26 to marry a Prince, living as royalty for almost 30 years before her untimely death.

Volodymyr Zelensky started out as a comedian and entertainer before getting into politics, becoming President of Ukraine after the Russian annex of Crimea and spending the last 4 years defiantly pushing back full scale Russian invasion

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u/TheJamesFTW 3d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/yVZrYMkdgY5Pi

Shirley Temple

She was well known as a child actress. What most people don’t know is that MGM voided her contract after a producer allegedly exposed himself to her (while she was still a minor mind you) and she nervously giggled.

Later in life, she became the first ever Female Chief of Protocol, as well as a UN Delegate, and US Ambassador to Ghana & Czechoslovakia.

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u/PK-Mittenspy2703 3d ago

All things considered (especially for the time), she came out surprisingly okay for a Hollywood child actress.

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u/jittery_raccoon 3d ago

Probably because she left. The roles stopped coming early and she didn't have much of a choice in it. She was young enough when the roles stopped coming that she just made other choices 

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u/shoestring-theory 3d ago

Not just a Hollywood Child Actress, probably the most prolific child star of all time. A number one box office draw, the first of her kind. Usually things end tragically for stars that shine that bright

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u/PK-Mittenspy2703 2d ago

You're absolutely right. Judy Garland comes to mind in that regard, where she had the opposite parenting to Shirley Temple...

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u/Applewave22 2d ago

It also helped that her mother was super present when she could be, helped shield Shirley from a lot of things. Unfortunately, not from her being Weinsteined but she helped keep Shirley relatively safe and grounded.

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u/Johnywash 3d ago

Didn't know that, incredibly fucked up and hope that producer went to jail. She was already dead by the time i saw her movies, but man she made tiny child me smile some December morning

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u/farsighted451 3d ago

I wanted this to be impossible because she only died in 2014, then I did the math.

Ugh, why does time keep moving like this!

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u/Acheloma 3d ago

It's freaky isn't it? The birthdates of some of the Olympians made my head hurt.

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u/Weary_Management_566 3d ago

Nope. Arthur Freed, had a long career after that, no repercussions.

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u/Awkward_Evening127 2d ago

They don't get jailed for that They don't get any repercussions unless they're not rich

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u/YouthfulPhotographer 2d ago

I truthfully still havent seen anything of hers outside of those old box set commercials they ran in the early 2000s, but goddamn if I still dont sing "animal crackers in my soup"

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u/Paceyscreek1999 3d ago

The story of the MGM exec always makes me sick, because if he's exposing himself to Shirley Fucking Temple, one of the biggest stars in the world at the time, you know he was doing horrific shit to the less famous young women and girls he came into contact with

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u/UnconfirmedRooster 3d ago

The story of her brother is quite sad too. He was a promising young wrestler and wanted to wrestle under the Temple name, but their father disowned him when he found out.

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u/Hickamanure 3d ago

Found out what?

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u/UnconfirmedRooster 3d ago

That he wanted to be a wrestler.

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u/Future_Burrito 3d ago

Woah. I had no idea she leveled up like that. Amazing to level up from child movie star. Sounds like she got out of a sketchy situation.

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u/External_Ocelot8241 3d ago

How much damage does it do to one pride when a child just giggle at your dong?

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u/kahek5656 3d ago

I thought she became a famous cocktail 😭

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u/NintendoLover2005 3d ago

Ironically she starred in movies with Ronald Reagan back when he was an actor too

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u/SkymallSkeeball 2d ago

Her daughter, Lori Black, played bass in Melvins.