Linda Susan Agar is Shirley Temple’s eldest daughter, born January 30, 1948, in Santa Monica, California. Also known as Susan Black, she chose a private life far from Hollywood. Discover her biography, family tree, siblings, and 2026 updates here.
Quick Facts Table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Linda Susan Agar |
| Also Known As | Susan Black, Susan Agar |
| Date of Birth | January 30, 1948 |
| Age (2026) | 78 years old |
| Place of Birth | Santa Monica, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Biological Mother | Shirley Temple |
| Biological Father | John Agar |
| Stepfather | Charles Alden Black |
| Half-Siblings | Charles Alden Black Jr., Lori Black |
| Marital Status | Married (Richard Caltabiano) |
| Children | Teresa Caltabiano (daughter) |
| Grandchildren | One great-grandchild (through Teresa) |
| Profession | Private; minor childhood acting |
| Current Residence | California, USA |
| Social Media | None |
| Status (2026) | Alive and living privately |
Linda Susan Agar Biography
Linda Susan Agar is one of the most quietly significant figures in American cultural history — not because she sought fame, but precisely because she refused it. Born into the heart of Hollywood royalty, she grew up as the eldest daughter of one of the most beloved child actresses the world has ever known, yet she built her entire adult life around the values of privacy, family, and personal dignity.
Her birth on January 30, 1948, in Santa Monica, California, was treated almost as a media event in itself. Her mother, Shirley Temple, was still regarded as “America’s Sweetheart,” and her father, John Agar, was an up-and-coming actor gaining recognition in Hollywood during the 1940s. Despite being born into that world of cameras and public curiosity, Linda would spend the next seven decades quietly proving that inheritance does not have to mean imitation.
Known through much of her adult life as Susan Black — the surname she adopted after her stepfather Charles Alden Black legally adopted her — Linda Susan Agar remains a figure of genuine fascination for those who study the Golden Age of Hollywood and the families it shaped.
Linda Susan Agar Age
As of 2026, Linda Susan Agar is 78 years old, having celebrated her birthday on January 30. Her age places her among the last living direct personal connections to Hollywood’s Golden Age — someone who knew that world from the inside, not through books or documentaries, but through daily family life.
She was just two years old when her parents divorced in 1950, and only a young child when her mother remarried businessman and former naval officer Charles Alden Black that same year. Her entire formative experience was shaped by a household that consciously moved away from Hollywood spectacle toward something far more grounded and private.
Living into her late seventies, Susan has maintained the same fundamental approach to life that defined her early years: keep a low profile, protect your family, and let your values speak louder than any public statement ever could.
Linda Susan Agar – Shirley Temple’s Daughter
Understanding who Linda Susan Agar is requires understanding who Shirley Temple was beyond the curls and tap shoes. By the time Linda was born, Shirley Temple had already begun stepping away from the film industry, choosing instead to focus on marriage, motherhood, and eventually a distinguished career in diplomacy. She served as U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and later to Czechoslovakia, and also held the position of Chief of Protocol of the United States.
This dual legacy — part Hollywood icon, part respected diplomat — deeply influenced how Linda was raised. Shirley Temple was determined that her children would not endure the same intense public scrutiny she had experienced as a child star. She was deliberate and protective, creating a household where education, family values, and personal privacy were prioritized over celebrity.
In a 2015 interview with Closer Weekly, Susan offered a rare glimpse into what her mother was like at home: devoted, warm, a little firm when discipline was needed, and absolutely passionate about cooking. She recalled her mother inviting friends over and cooking leg of lamb and famously perfect mashed potatoes — a far cry from the silver screen image most people associate with Shirley Temple.
That portrait of a nurturing, domestic, and deeply family-centered mother is the Shirley Temple that Linda Susan Agar knew most intimately. And it is the version of her mother she has chosen to honor in the rare moments she has spoken publicly.
Susan Black – Shirley Temple Child and Name History
One aspect of Linda Susan Agar’s story that regularly surfaces in public searches is the question of her name. She is often referred to as Susan Black, and understanding why reveals an important chapter of her personal history.
After Shirley Temple divorced John Agar in 1950, she married Charles Alden Black — a businessman and former naval officer who would go on to be her partner for over fifty years. Charles Alden Black legally adopted Linda Susan, and she took his surname, becoming known as Susan Black in the years that followed. This name became her primary identity throughout her adult life, though historical records and some media sources continue to list her under both names.
The adoption was significant. It marked a full transition in her family environment and established Charles Alden Black as the father figure who helped raise her. By all accounts, he brought structure, stability, and a clear set of values into the household — qualities that are evident in how Susan has conducted her private life ever since.
Linda Susan Agar Siblings
Linda Susan Agar is the only child born to Shirley Temple and John Agar. However, through her mother’s second marriage to Charles Alden Black, she gained two younger half-siblings who each took very different paths in life.
Charles Alden Black Jr. is the eldest of the two half-siblings. Born to Shirley Temple and Charles Alden Black, he has largely followed Susan’s example and maintained a low public profile throughout his life.
Lori Black is perhaps the most publicly recognized of the siblings, though for reasons that surprised many fans of Shirley Temple. Lori became a musician and went on to serve as the bassist for the influential alternative rock band The Melvins during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She dated bandmate Buzz Osborne, who was widely known as a significant influence on grunge legend Kurt Cobain. Shirley Temple was notably supportive of Lori’s band, becoming something of a mother figure to all of the musicians involved. Bandmate Dale Crover later praised Lori as a “really solid bass player.”
The contrast between the three siblings is striking. Susan chose total privacy. Charles maintained a quiet life. Lori stepped into the public eye through music. Each path reflects a different response to the same extraordinary upbringing — and together, they illustrate just how varied the children of famous parents can become.
Linda Susan Agar Family Tree
Linda Susan Agar’s family tree spans two of Hollywood’s most recognized names and extends into the generations that followed.
Grandparents (maternal): George Francis Temple and Gertrude Amelia Krieger, who were deeply involved in managing Shirley Temple’s early career and public image.
Biological Parents: Shirley Temple (married 1945, divorced 1950) and John Agar, a Hollywood actor known for his roles in Westerns and adventure films, including Fort Apache and Sands of Iwo Jima. John Agar passed away on April 7, 2002, at the age of 81, from emphysema. Shirley Temple passed away on February 10, 2014, at age 85, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Stepfather: Charles Alden Black, businessman and former naval officer, who adopted Susan and was married to Shirley Temple for over fifty years. He passed away on August 4, 2005, at age 86, from myelodysplastic syndrome.
Husband: Richard Caltabiano, with whom Linda Susan Agar has remained largely private.
Daughter: Teresa Caltabiano, who pursued a career outside the entertainment industry — specifically in education — continuing the family pattern of choosing purposeful work over public visibility. Teresa has a daughter of her own, making Linda Susan Agar a grandmother and Shirley Temple — in her lifetime — a great-grandmother. Shirley Temple had the joy of meeting this great-grandchild before her passing in 2014.
This family tree, stretching from the height of Golden Age Hollywood to the present day, is one defined less by fame and more by resilience and the quiet transmission of values across generations.
Linda Susan Agar 2026 Updates
As of 2026, Linda Susan Agar is alive and continues to live a private life in California. She is 78 years old and remains entirely absent from social media platforms and public events. There have been no confirmed reports of any change in her health or circumstances, and her continued privacy appears to be an intentional and consistent personal choice rather than a product of circumstance.
She occasionally surfaces in historical documentaries or anniversary retrospectives connected to her mother’s legacy — appearances that are thoughtful and measured, focused on honoring Shirley Temple rather than drawing attention to herself. In those rare moments, she offers personal insights that no biography alone can provide, speaking from the authority of lived experience.
Her net worth remains undisclosed. She is understood to share in Shirley Temple’s estate, estimated to have been worth between $10 million and $30 million — wealth that Shirley herself rebuilt after losing much of her childhood earnings, through adult acting roles, business investments, and her diplomatic career.
In an era defined by social media, constant self-documentation, and the commodification of personal identity, Linda Susan Agar stands apart. She represents a generation that understood privacy as a default rather than a statement — and she has held to that understanding with remarkable consistency across nearly eight decades of life.
Her story is ultimately not one of absence, but of presence on her own terms. As the eldest daughter of Shirley Temple, she carries within her a living connection to one of the most significant figures in American entertainment history. And she carries it quietly, with grace — exactly as her mother would have wanted.
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