by Felicia Arnold

Created on: July 02, 2009   Last Updated: July 03, 2009

There have been so many memorable performances by child actors. We have enjoyed hours and hours of terrific performances by young people under the age of nine!

I decided to select Shirley Temple for her contribution to the Arts, and Ron Howard for his varied artistic talents. Shirley started her career in the 1930s, and Ron began his career in the 1950s. When you examine their lives they have both had incredible experiences. Let's begin with Shirley Temple.

Picture a sparkling little curly headed six year old girl dressed in her party dress receiving an Academy Award "in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934". These were the words given to her because of her astonishing ability to help people laugh, smile and even sing as they tried to survive the Depression.

She wowed the audiences with her song "Baby Take a Bow" in the 1934 film Stand Up and Cheer. It was Shirley who danced with the legendary Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. And it was Shirley who brought children's stories to life in the films; The Littlest Rebel, Wee Willie Winkie, Heidi (my personal favorite) and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm"

It is not easy for child actors to continue to work when they enter their teenage years, however, Shirley survived. Her two most remembered films were Since You Went Away and The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer. When she left the film industry she continued to help her country through her work at the United Nations. Now on to Ron Howard.

Whenever I need a touch of old-time country warmth and simple humor I turn my TV channel to the Andy Griffith show and watch little Opie Taylor bond with his Dad as he suffers growing pains. Ron Howard must have been the most recognizable young actor on television at the time. His little voice also entertained us all in the film The Music Man.

Ron Howard, like Shirley Temple, was able to transition to films during his teenage years with the ever popular American Grafitti. Of course, his role as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days is legendary as he grew up with The Fonz (aka Henry Winkler). If you stopped here you would have a wonderfully satisfying career, however, Ron Howard extends his artistic talents behind the camera.

When you look at the list of films he directed; Cocoon, Parenthood, The Paper, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind ( for which he received the Academy Award for Best Director of 2001) and more recently, The DaVinci Code, you see an incredibly varied collection of films.

You can see why I selected these two performers, I am in awe of their capabilities, and am grateful for their talents.

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