68 Facts About Sharon Tate

1.

Sharon Marie Tate Polanski was an American actress and model.

2.

Sharon Tate made her film debut in 1961 as an extra in Barabbas with Anthony Quinn.

3.

Sharon Tate next appeared in the horror film Eye of the Devil.

4.

Sharon Tate's last completed film, 12+1, was released posthumously in 1969.

5.

Sharon Marie Tate was born on January 24,1943, in Dallas, Texas, the eldest of three daughters to Colonel Paul James Tate, a United States Army officer, and his wife, Doris Gwendolyn.

6.

At six months of age, Sharon Tate won the "Miss Tiny Tot of Dallas Pageant", but her parents had no show business ambitions for their daughter.

7.

Sharon Tate's family described her as shy and lacking in self-confidence.

8.

Sharon Tate attended South Shaver Elementary in Pasadena, Texas through 1955, Chief Joseph Junior High School from September 1955 to June 1958, and Columbia High School in Richland, Washington, from September 1958 to October 1959.

9.

Sharon Tate attended Irvin High School in El Paso, Texas, from late fall 1959 to April 1960; and Vicenza American High School in Vicenza, Italy, from April 1960 to June 1961.

10.

Sharon Tate spoke of her ambition to study psychiatry and stated her intention to compete in the "Miss Washington" pageant in 1960; however, before she could do either, her father received orders to be stationed in Italy.

11.

Sharon Tate discovered a kinship with other students at the American school she attended in nearby Vicenza, recognizing that their backgrounds and feelings of separation were similar to her own, and, for the first time in her life, began to form lasting friendships.

12.

In 1960, Sharon Tate was employed by the singer Pat Boone and appeared with him in an episode of the television series The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom which was filmed in Venice.

13.

Later that year, when Barabbas was being filmed near Verona, Sharon Tate was hired as an extra.

14.

Sharon Tate arranged a screen test for her in Rome, but this did not lead to further work.

15.

Sharon Tate returned to the United States alone, saying that she wanted to further her studies, but tried to find film work.

16.

The family returned to the United States in 1962 and Sharon Tate moved to Los Angeles, where she contacted Richard Beymer's agent, Harold Gefsky.

17.

Sharon Tate was considered for the role of Billie Jo Bradley on CBS's sitcom Petticoat Junction, but Ransohoff believed that she lacked confidence and the role was given to Jeannine Riley.

18.

Sharon Tate later said that Sebring's nature was especially gentle but, when he proposed marriage, she declined.

19.

Sharon Tate said that she would retire from acting as soon as she married and, at that time, she intended to focus on her career.

20.

In 1964, Sharon Tate made a screen test for Sam Peckinpah opposite Steve McQueen for the film The Cincinnati Kid.

21.

Sharon Tate continued to gain experience with minor television appearances and, after she auditioned unsuccessfully for the role of Liesl in the film version of The Sound of Music, Ransohoff gave Tate walk-on roles in two motion pictures in which he was the producer: The Americanization of Emily and The Sandpiper.

22.

Sharon Tate and Sebring traveled to London to prepare for filming, where she met the Alexandrian Wiccan High Priest and High Priestess Alex and Maxine Sanders.

23.

Meanwhile, as part of Ransohoff's promotion of Tate, he arranged the production of a short documentary called All Eyes on Sharon Tate, to be released at the same time as Eye of the Devil.

24.

Sharon Tate played Odile, a witch who exerts a mysterious power over a landowner, played by Niven, and his wife, played by Kerr.

25.

Niven described her as a "great discovery", and Kerr said that, with "a reasonable amount of luck", Sharon Tate would be a great success.

26.

In interviews, Sharon Tate commented on her good fortune in working with such professionals in her first film and said that she had learned a lot about acting simply by watching Kerr at work.

27.

Sharon Tate traveled to Italy for filming, where Tate's fluent Italian proved useful in communicating with the local crew members.

28.

Sharon Tate returned to the United States to film Don't Make Waves with Tony Curtis, leaving Polanski in London.

29.

Sharon Tate was optimistic: Eye of the Devil and The Fearless Vampire Killers were each due for release.

30.

Sharon Tate had been signed to play a major role in the film version of Valley of the Dolls.

31.

One of the all-time bestsellers, the film version was highly publicized and anticipated, and, while Sharon Tate acknowledged that such a prominent role should further her career, she confided to Polanski that she did not like either the book or the script.

32.

In interviews during production, Sharon Tate expressed an affinity for her character, Jennifer North, an aspiring actress admired only for her body.

33.

Some magazines commented that Sharon Tate was viewed similarly and Look published an unfavorable article about the three lead actresses, describing Sharon Tate as "a hopelessly stupid and vain starlet".

34.

Sharon Tate frequently commented on her admiration for Lee Grant, with whom she had played several dramatic scenes.

35.

Sharon Tate knows what acting is all about and everything she does, from little mannerisms to delivering her lines, is pure professionalism.

36.

Sharon Tate's performance was largely ignored in reviews and, when she was mentioned, it was usually in relation to her nude scenes.

37.

The All Eyes on Sharon Tate documentary was used to publicize the film.

38.

Sharon Tate discussed the type of contemporary actress she wanted to emulate and explained that there were two in particular that she was influenced by: Faye Dunaway and Catherine Deneuve.

39.

Sharon Tate plays beautiful, sensitive, deep parts with a little bit of intelligence behind them.

40.

Sharon Tate was depicted as being untraditional and modern, and was quoted as saying that couples should live together before marrying.

41.

Polanski was dressed in "Edwardian finery" while Sharon Tate was attired in a white minidress.

42.

Sharon Tate reminded her that she had promised not to change him.

43.

Sharon Tate accepted his conditions, though she confided to friends that she hoped that he would change.

44.

The Polanski house was often full of strangers, and Sharon Tate regarded the casual atmosphere as part of the "free spirit" of the times, saying that she did not mind who came into her home as her motto was "live and let live".

45.

Sharon Tate performed her own stunts and was taught martial arts by Bruce Lee.

46.

Around this time, Sharon Tate was feted as a promising newcomer.

47.

Sharon Tate was runner-up to Lynn Redgrave in the Motion Picture Heralds poll for "The Star of Tomorrow", in which box-office drawing power was the main criterion.

48.

Sharon Tate became pregnant near the end of 1968, and she and Polanski moved to 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles on February 15,1969.

49.

Sharon Tate was encouraged by the positive reviews of her comedic performances and chose the comedy The Thirteen Chairs as her next project, largely for the opportunity to co-star with Orson Welles.

50.

Sharon Tate posed in their apartment for photographer Terry O'Neill in casual domestic scenes such as opening baby gifts, and she completed a series of glamor photographs for the British magazine Queen.

51.

Sharon Tate returned from London to Los Angeles on July 20,1969, on the Queen Elizabeth 2.

52.

Shortly after midnight, Sharon Tate, Sebring, Frykowski and Folger were murdered by members of the Manson Family cult.

53.

Inside the house, the bodies of Sharon Tate and Sebring were found in the living room; a long rope tied around each of their necks connected them.

54.

The coroner's report for Sharon Tate noted that she had been stabbed 16 times and that "five of the wounds were in and of themselves fatal".

55.

Sharon Tate told police that he had no involvement in the murders and did not know anything that could help the investigation, and he was released.

56.

Sharon Tate was widely criticized for the photoshoot, but he argued that he wanted to know who was responsible and was willing to shock the magazine's readers in the hope that someone would come forward with information.

57.

Some published photographs of Sharon Tate were alleged to be taken at a Satanic ritual, but were in fact production photographs from Eye of the Devil.

58.

Sharon Tate contacted Tate's mother, Doris, who said that she was sure she could do better, and the two mounted a publicity campaign, collecting over 350,000 signatures supporting the denial of parole.

59.

Doris Sharon Tate became a vocal advocate for victims' rights and, in discussing her daughter's murder and meeting other crime victims, assumed the role of counselor, using her profile to encourage public discussion and criticism of the corrections system.

60.

When she died later that year, her youngest daughter, Patricia Gay Sharon Tate, known as Patti, continued her work.

61.

Sharon Tate contributed to the 1993 foundation of the Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau, a nonprofit organization that aims to influence crime legislation throughout the United States and to give greater rights and protection to victims of violent crime.

62.

Colonel Paul Sharon Tate preferred not to make public comments; however, he was a constant presence during the murder trial and, in the following years, attended parole hearings with his wife and wrote letters to authorities in which he strongly opposed any suggestion of parole.

63.

Sharon Tate remained in Los Angeles until the killers were arrested.

64.

Sharon Tate had a habit of nail biting and going barefoot in public.

65.

The art and fashion-based presentation showcased images of Sharon Tate's never-before-revealed wardrobe by designers such as Christian Dior, Thea Porter, Ossie Clark and Yves Saint Laurent.

66.

Sharon Tate has been portrayed by multiple actresses in the decades since her death, mostly in projects that either reference, or are explicitly about, the Manson Family and the murders of 1969.

67.

In music, Sharon Tate has been mentioned in the opening lines of "It's Too Late" by The Jim Carroll Band and the song "Leaving It Up to You" by artist John Cale.

68.

Sharon Tate is referenced by name in the poem "In the Hills of Benedict Canyon" by musician Lana Del Rey from her poetry collection Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass.