Linda Susan Agar is the first child of actress Shirley Temple and actor John Agar. She was born on January 30, 1948, in Santa Monica, California.
Her parents were two of Hollywood’s most talked-about people at the time. So naturally, Linda’s birth was a big news story. She did not ask for the spotlight. But she was born into it.
Most people know her through her mother. Shirley Temple was one of the biggest child stars America ever produced. During the Great Depression, her movies Bright Eyes, Curly Top, Heidi gave millions of people something to smile about.
But Linda grew up to be the opposite of famous. She chose a quiet life. No Hollywood career. No interviews. No social media.
She built a private family and stayed out of the news. And that, honestly, is what makes her story interesting.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Linda Susan Agar |
| Other Names | Susan Black, Susan Black Falaschi |
| Date of Birth | January 30, 1948 |
| Birthplace | Santa Monica, California |
| Age in 2026 | 78 years old |
| Mother | Shirley Temple |
| Father | John Agar |
| Stepfather | Charles Alden Black Sr. |
| Husband | Burton James Tidwell |
| Daughter | Teresa Caltabiano |
| Still Alive? | Yes believed to be alive as of 2026 |
| Net Worth | Not confirmed publicly |
Early Life: Growing Up Between Two Worlds
Linda’s parents got married in September 1945. Shirley Temple was just 17 years old at the time.
John Agar was 23. He had served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. After the war, he got into acting mostly because of his connection to Shirley.
They had Linda in 1948. That same year, John appeared in Fort Apache alongside John Wayne. Things looked good on the surface.
But behind closed doors, John Agar had a serious problem with alcohol. The marriage fell apart fast.
By December 1949, Shirley filed for divorce. She was awarded full custody of Linda. Linda was just two years old.
Shirley did not stay single for long. In 1950, she married Charles Alden Black Sr. a Navy intelligence officer with no connection to Hollywood. He was the stable, grounded person Shirley needed.
Linda was raised in this new family. She gained two half-siblings:
- Charles Alden Black Jr. born April 28, 1952
- Lori Black born April 9, 1954
The family lived in Atherton, California a quiet town in the San Francisco Bay Area. They had a home. They had dinner together every night. They lived like a normal family, despite Shirley being one of the most recognized faces on earth.
Linda Susan Agar’s Parents
Her Father John Agar
John Agar was born on January 31, 1921, in Chicago.
He had a promising start in Hollywood. After Fort Apache (1948) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), he looked like he could build a real career. But alcohol cost him everything.
He was fired from his studio contract in 1952 after a drunk driving arrest. After that, he mostly did low-budget science fiction and Western films. He was not a bad person just someone who could not control his addiction.
After divorcing Shirley, he remarried. He had a son, John G. Agar III, with his second wife.
John Agar died on April 7, 2002.
What Happened Between John Agar and Shirley Temple?
John’s alcoholism destroyed the marriage. He also reportedly had affairs.
Shirley filed for divorce in 1949. She got custody of Linda. The split was public and widely covered in the press.
Shirley later said that being a mother was the most important thing she ever did. She meant it.
How Old Was Shirley Temple When She Married John Agar?
Shirley was 17 years old when they married on September 19, 1945.
Her Mother Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928, also in Santa Monica.
By age 6, she was already a film star. By age 10, she was the biggest box office draw in America. Her films helped lift people’s spirits during the Great Depression.
After her film career slowed down, she did not disappear. She reinvented herself completely.
She became a U.S. diplomat:
- Ambassador to Ghana (1974–1976)
- Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1989–1992)
- Chief of Protocol of the United States (1976–1977)
Shirley Temple Black her married name after 1950 passed away on February 10, 2014, at age 85 in Woodside, California.
Did Shirley Temple Have a Child With Her First Husband?
Yes. Linda Susan Agar is the only child Shirley Temple had with John Agar.
Her two later children Charles Jr. and Lori came from her second marriage to Charles Alden Black.
What Was Shirley Temple’s IQ?
No verified IQ score for Shirley Temple exists on public record.
She was clearly smart she managed a diplomatic career after Hollywood, spoke at the United Nations, and received major honors including the Kennedy Center Honors and a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.
But there is no test result, no published number, no confirmed figure. Anyone claiming to know her exact IQ is guessing.
Linda Susan Agar’s Siblings
Charles Alden Black Jr. (Half-Brother)
Born in 1952. Grew up alongside Linda in Atherton.
He later studied Political Science at Santa Clara University. He went into real estate in Southern California. He keeps a low profile much like Linda.
In interviews, he remembered his mother warmly:
“She was wonderful and normal. We had dinner at the table every night all together.” Charles Alden Black Jr., Closer Weekly
Lori Black (Half-Sister)
Born in 1954. She took the most unexpected path of any of Shirley’s children.
Lori became the bassist for The Melvins an alternative rock band that heavily influenced the grunge movement. Kurt Cobain was a direct fan.
But Lori struggled with drug addiction. In 1991, she pleaded guilty to possession charges.
Shirley Temple did not give up on her. She helped Lori get into rehab. She stood by her through recovery.
Lori eventually got clean. She later worked as a freelance photographer.
John G. Agar III (Half Brother, Father’s Side)
Son of John Agar and his second wife, Loretta Barnett Combs.
Almost nothing is publicly known about him. He has always stayed out of the spotlight.
Linda and Lori: Two Sisters, Very Different Lives
Both grew up in the same house. Both had the same famous mother.
But they made completely opposite choices.
Linda stepped away from everything public. She raised her family quietly. She never chased fame. When she spoke about her mother, it was always with love never for attention.
Lori stepped into music, into the counterculture, into addiction, and eventually into recovery. Her life was loud where Linda’s was quiet.
Neither path was wrong. Both were human.
Was Linda Susan Agar Adopted by Charles Alden Black?
This question comes up a lot and no competitor article gives a real answer.
Historical records from the San Mateo County Historical Association list her as “Susan Black (formerly Linda Susan Agar)” in photos from 1967 and 1975. That name change strongly suggests she took her stepfather’s surname.
Whether Charles Alden Black Sr. formally and legally adopted her is not confirmed on any public record.
What is known:
- She was raised in the Black family home from age 2
- She used the name Susan Black for most of her adult life
- Shirley and Charles were married for 54 years
- Her IMDb page still lists her birth name as Linda Susan Agar
The adoption probably happened. But Linda never confirmed it publicly.
Linda Susan Agar’s Brief Acting Career
She did try acting briefly. Her IMDb page lists two roles on Shirley Temple’s Storybook (1958), the TV series her mother hosted. She played two different characters.
She also appeared in:
- The Bachelor Party (1957)
- Reform School Girl (1957)
These were small parts. She was a teenager. She did not pursue it further.
By the early 1960s, Linda had stepped away from any entertainment work. That was a conscious decision not a failure.
Personal Life: Husband and Children
Linda’s personal life is not a secret she is hiding. It is just a life she chose to keep to herself.
Her husband is Burton James Tidwell. No details about when they married, where, or the current status of the marriage have been made public.
Her daughter is Teresa Caltabiano. Teresa went on to have a child of her own making Linda a grandmother. Shirley Temple actually met this great-grandchild before she died in 2014. That moment was described in interviews as deeply meaningful for the whole family.
Linda herself said this about her relationship with her mother:
“Being a wife and mom is the greatest of her achievements. We were shopping and travel buddies. We went many places together. She was one of my very best friends.” Linda Susan Agar Closer Weekly, 2018
That quote tells you everything about who Linda is. She is not defined by Hollywood. She is defined by family.
Her Relationship With Shirley Temple
They were genuinely close. Not in a “famous mother and overlooked daughter” way. In a real friendship way.
They traveled together. They went shopping. They decorated homes together. Shirley involved herself deeply in family life not just as a mother, but as a companion.
Shirley understood better than anyone what it costs to grow up famous. She had lost her own childhood to Hollywood. She actively worked to make sure her children did not lose theirs.
Linda got that message. She held onto it her whole life.
Why She Chose Privacy
Shirley Temple knew what it felt like to have no privacy at all. Her entire childhood was owned by studios, press agents, and camera crews.
She made sure her children had something different. Real meals. Real conversations. Real space to become whoever they wanted to be.
Linda took that seriously. Every child of Shirley Temple eventually pulled back from the spotlight. Charles Jr. went into academia and real estate. Lori fought her way through addiction and found peace. Linda never entered the public arena in the first place.
It was not about fear. It was about choice.
Choosing a quiet life when you could have had fame takes more courage than most people realize.
FAQs
Is Linda Susan Agar still alive?
Yes. She is believed to be alive and living privately in California as of 2026. She is 78 years old. No death record exists.
How old is Linda Susan Agar?
She was born January 30, 1948. She is 78 years old in 2026.
Who is Linda Susan Agar’s husband?
Her husband is Burton James Tidwell. No details about their marriage are publicly available.
Does Linda Susan Agar have children?
Yes. She has a daughter named Teresa Caltabiano. Teresa also has a daughter making Linda a grandmother.
Is Linda Susan Agar on Wikipedia?
She does not have her own Wikipedia page. She is mentioned in articles about Shirley Temple and John Agar.
What is Linda Susan Agar’s net worth?
Unknown. Shirley Temple’s estate was $10–$30 million. Linda is a primary heir but no numbers have been confirmed.
What happened between John Agar and Shirley Temple?
John Agar struggled with alcoholism and reportedly had affairs. Shirley filed for divorce in 1949 and received custody of Linda.
How old was Shirley Temple when she married John Agar?
She was 17 years old. They married on September 19, 1945.
What was Shirley Temple’s IQ?
No verified IQ score has ever been made public. She was widely regarded as highly intelligent, but no official number exists.
Did Shirley Temple have a child with her first husband?
Yes. Linda Susan Agar is the only child born to Shirley Temple and John Agar.
Conclusion
I came into this research expecting a straightforward biography. What I found was more interesting than that.
Linda Susan Agar is not famous. She did not want to be. And yet her story keeps pulling people in because she had something most of us want: the freedom to choose who you are, regardless of where you came from.
She was born to two famous parents. She lived through a divorce at age two, a blended family, a brief acting experiment, and decades of public curiosity. And she handled all of it by simply refusing to perform for anyone.
I have read a lot of celebrity biographies over the years. Most of them are about people running toward the camera. Linda’s story is about someone who looked at the camera and calmly walked the other way.
In 2026, she is 78 years old. She is alive. She is private. And if you ask me, that is a life done right.
