5 former child stars who entered politics

Temple was best known for her starring roles in "The Little Colonel" and "Curly Top" in 1935, "Poor Little Rich Girl" in 1936," "Heidi" in 1937, and "The Little Princess" in 1939.

At the height of her success, 6-year-old Temple was earning $50,000 per film — about $1.1 million in today's currency when adjusted for inflation.

Temple ran for Congress in a special election in California's 11th congressional district after Rep. J. Arthur Younger's death in 1967, using her married name Shirley Temple Black. After her defeat, President Richard Nixon appointed her as a delegate to the United Nations in 1969.

She went on to shatter glass ceilings when President Gerald Ford appointed her as the first woman to serve as US ambassador to Ghana in 1974 and the first woman chief of protocol at the State Department in 1976.

"Shirley was one of several candidates, and I thought she would make an excellent member of the House of Representatives," Ford said at her chief of protocol swearing-in ceremony. "But fate didn't turn it out that way, so you went the diplomatic route in your efforts to come to Washington. You have been so successful in the latter, it's probably better that you didn't win it before."

Temple died in 2014 at the age of 85.

James was known for her portrayal of Jackie Erwin on "The Stu Erwin Show" from 1950 to 1955. She also played Zelda Gilroy in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" and the 1962 movie "Zelda."

Kuehl, a UCLA alum, served in the California State Assembly from 1994 to 2000, then served as a state senator from 2000 to 2008. She joined the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in District 3 in 2014 and became its chair in 2017.

"No gay or lesbian person had ever won even a primary for California for the State Legislature," she said in a 2013 interview with the Television Academy Foundation. "The thing that actually made it easy was 'Zelda Gilroy.' Everybody already liked 'Zelda.' They liked her a lot. And once you realize your third grade teacher, the nurse that saved your life in the hospital, or your aunt are gay, you change your mind about stuff. 'Zelda' helped people feel they were electing a gay person who they already knew and liked."

Gilbert began acting in commercials in the 1960s before landing her breakout role. As a child actor, she also appeared in the TV movies "The Miracle Worker" (1979) and "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1980).

She has continued acting in TV movies such as "Tenure" in 2017 and "Hometown Christmas" in 2018.

Gilbert suffered two spinal injuries in 2012 following a fall on "Dancing with the Stars" and a balcony collapse. She was left with two herniated discs in her spine that required several surgeries, forcing her to withdraw from her campaign to represent Michigan's 8th district.

"My doctors said there's no way for me to continue to deal with the incredibly rigorous demands of a congressional campaign without continuing to do harm to my body," she told People magazine in 2016.

Dash got her start in showbusiness on "The Cosby Show" in 1985 and went on to appear in episodes of "St. Elsewhere" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

More recently, she has appeared in the 2016 movie "Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens," the TV series "Finding Love in Quarantine" in 2020, and "Corsicana" in 2022.

Dash, who ran as a Republican to represent California's 44th congressional district, withdrew from the race.

"At this point, I believe that the overall bitterness surrounding our political process, participating in the rigors of campaigning, and holding elected office would be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of my family," she said in a statement to CNN. "I would never want to betray the personal and spiritual principles I believe in most: that my God and my family come first."

Savage reprised his role in the "Boy Meets World" spinoff, "Girl Meets World," from 2014 to 2017.

He also recently appeared in the 2020 Hallmark movie "Love, Lights, Hanukkah!"

Savage is running to represent California's 30th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.

"I'm running for Congress because it's time to restore faith in government by offering reasonable, innovative and compassionate solutions to our country's most pressing issues," Savage wrote on Instagram.

He previously ran for West Hollywood City Council in 2022, The Huffington Post reported.