“Everything that's realistic has some sort of ugliness in it. Even a flower is ugly when it wilts, a bird when it seeks its prey, the ocean when it becomes violent.”—Sharon Tate.
“My whole life has been decided by fate. I think something more powerful than we are decides our fates for us. I know one thing—I've never planned anything that ever happened to me.”—Sharon Tate.
Sharon Tate was just 26 years old when she became a victim of the Manson family murders. Her death, along with those of the four others, helped to bring to light the need for more rights and protection for victims of crime. But she was so much more than a victim.
She was a wife, soon-to-be mother, daughter, friend, actress. A natural beauty, she was kind and warm-hearted according to those who knew her well. She was living her best life when it was abruptly cut short, but we’re here to talk about what she brought to those short years she lived. Here are 37 tragic facts about Sharon Tate’s short life and deeply disturbing death.
37. On the Road Again
Tate’s father was in the military, which meant her family was always on the move. While living in Italy because of his posting, she caught the acting bug after being cast as an extra in a number of movies.
When she eventually moved to California—namely Hollywood—she was managed a few more jobs as an extra before she really caught her big break in The Beverly Hillbillies, where she starred as Janet Trego, a bank secretary.
36. Any Takers?
The home where Tate was murdered was being rented by the actress and husband Polanski at the time. It actually no longer exists, having been demolished in 1994. You wouldn’t even find 10050 Cielo Drive on a map anywhere because the street address was completely changed after a new house was built on the land.
Due to its location, the new mansion was priced to sell at $12.5 million but there were no takers. Even after reducing the price by almost five million dollars, there’s been no interest on the property.
35. Where in the World is Sharon Tate?
Since her family moved around so much, she really didn’t have the chance to maintain any friendships. I mean, it’s not like the internet was around in her day and she could keep up with those she met through social media! She attended various high schools as a result, having moved six times to various cities by the time she was 16 years old.
She graduated from Vicenza American High School in 1961 while the family was still in Italy, and just a year later they ended up back in the US.
34. Extra, Extra!
While in Italy, she and her friends discovered that a film named Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man starring the likes of Richard Beymer, Paul Newman, and Susan Strasberg was being filmed nearby.
They managed to get themselves parts as extras on the film, and Tate even caught the attention of one of the actors. Beymer and Tate dated throughout filming, with Beymer suggesting to Tate that she look into a career in acting.
33. Natural Born Beauty
There’s no doubt that Tate was a stunning woman, with her big brown eyes and winning smile. But did you know that she won a beauty contest before she was even a year old? It would be just the first of many in her short life, which is no surprise considering she was thought of as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood.
32. Queen of the Pageants
She actually won five different beauty pageants in 1959 alone! They included Miss Frontier Days, Miss Richland, Miss Tri-Cities, Miss Water Follies, and Miss Auto-Rama. Think about it this way, that’s one win almost every two months that year.
31. She Just Didn’t See It
Despite all of the recognition for her beauty, both in pageants and in Hollywood, it seems she was fairly down-to-earth and didn’t see all the fuss. “Sexiness is all in the eye of the beholder,” she once said. “I think it should be. Absolutely. My sex appeal, whatever it might be, isn't obvious . . . at least to me.”
30. Beauty in Vulnerability
It seems as though Playboy definitely saw her sex appeal, as she was invited to appear in it in a 1967 issue. Six photos of her taken by Roman Polanski during the filming of The Fearless Vampire Killers appeared in the magazine. And yes, she is completely nude in some of them—it is Playboy, after all.
But it seems as though she didn’t mind being naked for the film, saying “I don't see any difference between being stark naked or fully dressed—if it's part of the job and it's done with meaning and intention. I honestly don't understand the big fuss made over nudity and sex in films. It's silly.”
29. A Gentle Soul
When she was young, Tate’s parents described her as shy and not having a lot of confidence in herself. Later, as an adult, Tate confirmed her shyness, saying that people often mistook that shyness for aloofness. That changed, she said, once people actually got to know her. And those who did know her? Well, they would tell of how kind and warm she was.
28. A Renaissance Woman
She was well-loved throughout her entire life. She essentially did it all in high school, as she played on the basketball team, was a cheerleader and baton twirler, starred as Juliet in the school’s rendition of Romeo and Juliet, and—there’s really no surprise here—she was voted as Homecoming Queen and Senior Prom Queen.
Oh, we should also mention that she served on Student Council. When did she find the time to do it all?
27. The Simplest of Lip Kits
If someone had ever been lucky enough to sit in her car, they would have noticed something interesting: small jars of Vaseline. Apparently, it was her favorite thing to wear on her lips! Similarly, she often said no to makeup, preferring to go au naturel.
26. Just Can’t Stomach It
Maybe the reason why she loved Vaseline so much was because it’s unscented. She had a hard time with perfumes, even lighter versions, but she did use the soap Milk & Pearls, despite it having a scent. Oh, and before you start searching for Milk & Pearls—well, you can’t. It’s no longer sold.
25. No Glitz or Glam
She was a nail biter. Because of that she generally didn’t wear rings since that would have cause for people to look at her hands and potentially see the evidence of said nail-biting. In fact, she wasn’t a fan of jewellery in general.
24. Take it Outside
Something else she tried to hide? Her smoking habit. At least, she tried hiding it from husband Polanski. He thought of smoking as being nasty.
23. There’s Nothing Like a Good Burger
If there was one food she loved, it was a good burger. She especially loved burgers from a place called Dolores’ Diner, according to one of her sisters, Debra, and she always made sure to go there first when she returned from Europe.
“Sharon absolutely adored the hamburgers at Delores' Diner and she would order it laden with chili and the chili would drip down her arms.”
22. The Life They Led
While filming The Fearless Vampire Killers, she met director Roman Polanski, who would later become her husband. Because of her high-profile marriage, she spent a lot of time traveling, partying and networking with people in the movie business.
21. It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times
Tate’s marriage to Polanski wasn’t an easy one, nor was it the traditional one she had been hoping for. He was known to be promiscuous and the two fought a lot. Tate had actually been engaged once before, to Philippe Forquet, a French actor. Their relationship ended because they too often fought.
20. In the Beginning, He Didn’t Like Her
Her relationship with Polanski may have never come to fruition if it weren’t for the filming of The Fearless Vampire Killers. Originally, Polanski wasn’t that impressed with Tate, instead wanting to cast a different actress, red-headed Jill St. John. Martin Ransohoff, a director with Filmsway, Inc., had signed Tate to a seven-year contract and essentially insisted that Polanski cast her instead.
Polanski agreed, but only if Tate wore a red wig for the film. He didn’t go easy on her during filming, either. There’s a story how he made the young Tate redo one particular scene 70 times just to get it to his standards! By the end of filming, the pair became close, with Tate even moving into his apartment in London.
19. In Her Likeness
A couple of characters that she played eventually went on to inspire both a film character and a pretty familiar doll! Felicity Shagwell from 1999’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was based off of Freya Carlson, her character in 1968’s The Wrecking Crew.
Likewise, her character from the 1967 film Don’t Make Waves actually inspired Malibu Barbie! Yes, that Barbie!
18. Big Names of the Day
Her acting career may have been short-lived, but she co-starred alongside some pretty famous names of the time. She worked with Patty Duke and Susan Hayward in Valley of the Dolls, Tony Curtis in Don’t Make Waves and Dean Martin in The Wrecking Crew.
17. Let’s Have Her Consult Instead
Polanski had wanted Tate to be the star of Rosemary’s Baby, which he directed and wrote the screenplay for—but didn’t want to suggest her for the role due to their relationship. He waited for someone else to do so, but it never came.
Instead, Mia Farrow was cast in the lead role. Tate actually did help with bits of the film, though. One scene in particular she helped with is when Farrow’s character becomes pregnant. Esquire constantly took photos of Tate on set, since she was there so frequently, which helped garner interest in both the film and the actress herself.
16. It Was Close
Tate had a near-death experience while filming Don’t Make Waves. She was wearing a parachute during a stunt that saw her jump from a plane into a pool, but the parachute deployed at the wrong time. She did end up in the pool, but the parachute covered all of it, which trapped her inside.
15. Taylor’s Green Is Showing
One person who reportedly wouldn’t work with Tate? Elizabeth Taylor. Tate was set to have a walk-on role in the film The Sandpiper, but Taylor put to kibosh on that quickly. Rumor has it that Taylor wasn’t a fan of having a pretty, young actress on set, even despite the small role Tate would have had.
14. Can’t Please Everybody
Considering the actors she starred alongside, a few of the films she made were not largely well-received. Her specific role in Eye of the Devil had mixed reviews while the film itself was considered much of a failure, The Wrecking Crew also was considered a commercial let-down, and while Valley of the Dolls saw success, it drew a lot of negative reviews.
It did, however, gain a cult following in the years after Tate’s death.
13. It’s an Honor Just to Be Here
Despite some failures, which, lets face it, can happen to the best of actors, she also found some successes. Tate garnered herself a Golden Globe nomination for Valley of the Dolls, though she ultimately didn’t win for “New Star of the Year” in the actress category.
What’s ironic about her nomination for this movie is the fact that she didn’t like the script or the book on which it was based.
12. Five Lives, Cut Too Short
Tate’s life took a sad, cruel twist when she became one of five people murdered by three of Charles Manson’s followers. Tate, along with Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowski , Steve Parent, and Jay Sebring were killed on the night of August 9, 1969.
11. Friends Until the Very End
Tate had actually dated Sebring for two years and broke off the relationship after he proposed to her. During their time together, he even taught her how to cut hair. They remained close friends after their relationship ended, and sadly wound up dying together.
Sebring had been a former sailor and wound up cutting hair for Hollywood’s elite. Tate wasn’t ready to marry at the time he proposed, mainly because she said she would retire from Hollywood once she did marry.
10. Her Life in Film
Early in 2018, filming began on an independent film called The Haunting of Sharon Tate, starring Hilary Duff, who said that Tate “was an amazing woman and it was a true honor.”
On the other hand, one of Tate’s sisters made it known how unhappy she is at even just the thought of the film, calling it “tasteless” in an interview with People magazine. Debra was only 16 years old at the time of the murder. “It's classless how everyone is rushing to release something for the 50th anniversary of this horrific event.”
9. The Manson Family Convictions
Manson was the leader of a cult, usually referred to as the Manson family. He and four followers, along with two other people, were charged and convicted of Tate’s murder, along with those of her guests that night. At the time, the death penalty was still a thing in California, and they were all sentenced to death in 1971.
Just the following year, though, the state abolished the death penalty which meant the death sentences were commuted to life in prison for the seven people convicted of the crimes. One of the seven died in prison in 2009 and Manson himself died in prison in November 2017. The rest remain in jail despite multiple attempts at parole requests.
8. A Father’s Heartbreak
During those parole hearings, Tate’s father was always campaigning against those convicted, even saying of Manson “that man should never, never, never be turned out into society.” He even made sure to write letters to the officials involved in the parole cases, going so far as to detail how he had to wash his daughter’s blood from the home she died in.
7. Doorway to a Destroyed Home
One of the murderers used Tate’s own blood to write the word "pig" on the front door. Rumor has it that Trent Reznor actually took the door before the house was demolished, using it for his own Louisiana music studio. Reznor had recorded his 1994 album The Downward Spiral inside the house.
6. Wrong Place, Wrong Time
As if the deaths of those five people weren’t sad enough, the reason behind the house being chosen makes it even worse. Manson decided to go after the people in that house because he had been trying to get a record deal from a producer who had been living there prior to Tate and Polanski taking up residence there. The record deal didn’t work out and it seems Manson held grudges.
5. The Dedication
Polanski directed the 1979 film Tess, based on the novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. That was the last novel Tate was reading before her death, and she suggested to Polanski that it would be great as a film. The dedication for the film states “For Sharon.”
4. One Small Step for Man, One Last Get Together With Family
Just weeks before her death, Tate was with her family watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon, making it one of the last times they would be together. Tate’s mother, Doris, had brought her daughter a gift that day—a wooden rocking chair that she herself had used when bringing up Tate and her two sisters.
3. Mother and Son, Forever Together
When Tate was buried, the tombstone reflected that of herself and her unborn son. He was to be named after her father—Paul Richard Polanski. At the time of her death, she was already eight and a half months pregnant.
2. Father Knows Best
It was Tate’s father who was tasked with the awful job of cleaning the house his own daughter was murdered in once the police investigation was completed. Not only that, but he also tried to find the culprits behind the murders.
Because of his more than two decades of work with US Army intelligence, he was well-equipped to go after leads into the case while going undercover as a hippie, though a prosecutor said his leads never really panned out.
1. Lasting Legacy
After her daughter’s death, Tate’s mother fought tirelessly for the rights and protection of people affected by crime. Even US President George H.W. Bush recognized Doris Tate in 1992 for her work, though she would die later that year because of a brain tumor. Patti Tate, Sharon’s youngest sister, took up the fight after that, helping to found the Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau in 1993, which was recognized as a non-profit organization in 1995 under the name Doris Tate Crime Victims Foundation.
Sadly, she too would pass away from breast cancer in 2000, which left the middle sister, Debra, to continue the work. The Tate sisters’ father, Paul, never made public comments regarding his eldest daughter’s death but was always there during the trial and subsequent parole hearings.
“Sharon's real legacy lies not in her movies or in her television work,” said Tate’s biographer, Greg King. “The very fact that, today, victims or their families in California are able to sit before those convicted of a crime and have a voice in the sentencing at trials or at parole hearings, is largely due to the work of Doris [and Patti] Tate.”