Temple was raised in Texas. He was the 1982 Baseball MVP at Rollins College, and graduated in 1985.
Though he was too small for the big leagues, he continued with his love for baseball, snagging roles as a minor league bullpen catcher for the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. In 1986, he was the scout for the New York Mets, and would later go on to serve as Assistant Director of Minor League Operations and Scouting for the Astros until 1993.
In 2002, Temple was let go from a movie contract, because he dismissed symptoms of a serious illness. A near-death experience landed him at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, where he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and a forty percent chance of survival. He stayed in the hospital for eight months, for chemotherapy treatment. He is a leukemia survivor.
In 2009, Temple was involved in a charity event for breast cancer called Bowling for Boobies.
Temple appeared in an episode of CSI: Miami as Billy Chadwick, a local loner in a grizzly bear murder case. In 2010, he appeared in an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles as Mr. Loobertz, and in 2011 he appeared in an episode of Criminal Minds, in which he played a former Fisherman turned part-time deliveryman called Bill Thomas.
In 2015 Temple received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Annual Gulf Coast Film and Video Festival. The award is given to a distinguished actor recognized for his continuing work in the industry of film and video
Temple has had several film roles in the horror genre, appearing in Rob Zombie's horror film, The Devils Rejects as Adam Banjo, portraying Sheriff Winston in the prequel to the remake of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and as Noel Kluggs in Rob Zombie's slasher film, Halloween. Temple played Marv in Trailer Park of Terror, and Pete in the thriller/horror film House. In 2016 he starred in Rob Zombie Slasher film 31 as Psycho-Head.
