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Marilyn Granas, Shirley Temple’s First Stand-In, Dies at 98

Her family disclosed she died Oct. 21 after living with dementia.

Overview

  • The longtime Beverly Hills resident’s death was announced in late December, with nephew and film historian Arthur Grant confirming she had dementia.
  • Granas was hired as Temple’s first stand-in in the mid-1930s and worked on Baby, Take a Bow, Bright Eyes, Now and Forever, Curly Top and The Little Colonel.
  • She recalled standing just feet away during Temple’s famed staircase dance with Bill “Bojangles” Robinson in The Little Colonel.
  • After graduating from UCLA in 1951, she built a decades-long casting career that included roles at CBS and NBC, helping establish William Morris’ casting department and running her own Beverly Hills agency.
  • She largely avoided discussing her Temple years until midlife and, according to Grant, concealed her Jewish heritage out of concern about perceived prejudice from Temple’s mother.