After an opera career in London and throughout Britain beginning in 1869, Temple joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1877. There, he created most of the bass-baritone roles in the Savoy Operas, as follows: Sir Marmaduke in "The Sorcerer" (1877), Dick Deadeye in "H.M.S. Pinafore" (1878), the Pirate King in the London production of "The Pirates of Penzance" (1880), Colonel Calverley in "Patience" (1881), Arac in "Princess Ida" (1884), the title character in "The Mikado", Sir Roderic in "Ruddigore" and Sergeant Meryll in "The Yeomen of the Guard" (1888). He also played the baritone roles of Strephon in the original production of "Iolanthe" (1882), and Giuseppe in the New York production of "The Gondoliers" (1890).