LOS ANGELES — John Agar, the Air Force sergeant who married Shirley Temple and became an actor, mostly in Westerns and war movies, until alcoholism damaged both his marriage and his career, died Sunday. He was 81.
Agar was serving as a physical training instructor at March Field at Riverside, Calif., in 1945 when a friend arranged for him to escort Temple to a Hollywood party given by her boss, David O. Selznick.
A romance ensued between Agar, who was 24, and the 16-year-old child star. Against her mother's wishes, the pair became engaged. Their Selznick-produced wedding was attended by Hollywood celebrities and California Governor Earl Warren.
The pair appeared together in two films, "Fort Apache" and "Adventure in Baltimore."
Temple gave birth to a daughter, Susan, in 1948 but troubled by Agar's drinking and many flirtations, Temple filed for divorce in 1949.
Agar continued acting in Westerns such as "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" and "Along the Great Divide," and war movies "Sands of Iwo Jima" and "Breakthrough."
His divorce from Temple and his alcoholism, which led to arrests for drunken driving, lowered his star appeal.
Agar eventually joined Alcoholics Anonymous. "Yes, I drank too much, and I drank at the wrong time," he admitted in 1987. "Heck, I drank no more than John Wayne or Ward Bond or Spencer Tracy or Alan Ladd or Robert Walker. But it got me into a lot more trouble."
He later made quickie movies with titles such as "Revenge of the Creature," and "Tarantula."
His last major film was the 1976 remake of "King Kong." He later sold insurance and real estate.