A Brief Biography.
A Star who deserves her Star.
Famous designer Travilla, who created the clothes for 11 of Marilyn Monroe’s films, summed up the general reaction to Sharon when he said: “Sharon Tate is divine, a real find. She has everything Marilyn Monroe had –and more! She has the fascinating but thoroughly feminine strength of a Dietrich or a Garbo…a classically beautiful face…an exciting figure…and the kind of sex appeal and personality to become as glittering a star as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, or even Elizabeth Taylor!”
Sharon Marie Tate was born in Dallas, Texas, on January 24th, 1943. Her parents, Doris Gwen and Paul Tate were natives of the state but Sharon's early years were very nomadic. Her father, was a lieutenant-colonel in US Army intelligence, and Sharon and her two sisters, Patricia and Deborah, were army brats. Their education took place in many parts of the world and Sharon spoke several languages.
In 1963, Sharon's father was transferred to Los Angeles. Sharon had always dreamed of being a movie star and she was ready to grab the opportunity. With her huge brown eyes, finely sculpted cheekbones and enigmatic smile, she had no difficulty finding work in commercials and as an extra.
Sharon hadn't been in Hollywood long when Martin Ransohoff, the president of Filmways, a television and film production company, put her under contract and began to groom her for stardom. It had always been Ransohoff's ambition to discover an unknown and make her a star, and Sharon was earmarked as his Eliza Dolittle.
It might be expected that such a beautiful young actress would have been surrounded by men, but Sharon lacked confidence. She had been involved in a stormy relationship with a French actor, Philippe Forquet, but this ended when he reportedly beat her up so badly that she ended up in hospital.
In 1964, she met and fell in love with Hollywood hairstylist Jay Sebring. But Ransohoff had finally found a film role for Sharon, and soon she left for London to film Eye of the Devil (1966). Starring David Niven and Deborah Kerr, it was a tale of Satanic worship. Sharon's luminous beauty shone through. During her time in London, she was introduced to the talented young Polish director Roman Polanski.
It was the beginning of a love affair that was to end in tragedy. Sharon fell under Polanski's magnetic spell. He was her on-screen lover as well as her director, and soon he, became all things to her, her real-life lover and her mentor. Sharon broke off her relationship with Sebring, wishing to cause him, as little pain as possible. They remained friends, however, and Polanski also came to enjoy Sebring's company.
Jacqueline Susann's novel Valley of the Dolls had been one of the literary world's all-time bestsellers. In 1967, it was transformed to the screen with Sharon playing Jennifer North, the doomed sex symbol who commits suicide when she discovers that she has breast cancer. The film itself received poor reviews but Sharon's per- formance was praised.Sharon was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her role in "Valley of the Dolls".
In 1968, Sharon and Polanski were married in London, where they had first met. On their return to Hollywood they moved into a rented house at 10050 Cielo Drive, over- looking Bel Air. They were a popular couple on the young, trendy, Hollywood party circuit, flitting from one fashionable nightspot to another. It was the era of flower power and the young Polanskis revelled in it, dabbling in drugs, Indian mysticism and the hippie culture.
Sharon's next film The Wrecking Crew (1969), starred Dean Martin as Matt Helm, special agent. She was coached by Bruce Lee for her action scenes, and it also gave her an opportunity to show she could play light comedy. Once again she received the best reviews in the film, and the same year she was named runner-up to Lynn Redgrave as Star of Tomorrow.”Sharon Tate reveals a pleasant affinity to scatterbrain comedy and comes as close to walking away with this picture as she did in a radically different role in Valley of the Dolls”
Then, in order to gain more artistic control over her career, Sharon, at enormous expense, bought her contract from Filmways. Free to make her own choice of films, she flew to Europe for the filming of Twelve Plus One (1970). The reviews were disappointing, but Sharon had other things to console her: she was pregnant, and she returned to Hollywood full of hopes and plans. Polanski had to remain in Europe. He was working on the script of The Day of the Dolphin and was involved with the final details.
On the morning of 9 August 1969, the Polanskis' Housekeeper, Winifred Chapman arrived at their home to be met with a gruesome and macabre scene. Sharon had spent the previous evening with her friends Abigail Folger, Wojtek Fryowski and Jay Sebring. The entire group, plus a visitor to the guest house, who was not connected to the Polanskis, had been savagely murdered. The word 'pig' had been written on the door in Sharon’s blood.
Sharon and her unborn baby were laid to rest at the Holy Cross Memorial Park in Culver City, surrounded by the many friends whose lives Sharon had brightened with her presence.
Charles Manson was the cult leader of a hippy com- mune outside Los Angeles. A messiah to his followers, who obeyed his every command, he was a truly evil man. Four of his disciples, three of them girls, had been despatched, well armed with knives, guns and rope, on the night of 8 August to murder the occupants of the house on Cielo Drive. It was savage and gratuitous violence.
Details of the killings were revealed at the trial, but the motive remains unclear. The most popular theory was that Terry Melcher, a record producer and former resident of the house, reneged on an agreement to record some of Manson's songs, and Manson, unaware that Melcher no longer lived in Cielo Drive, ordered the murders as a means of revenge.
Charles Manson is now serving nine life sentences in San Quentin prison. His 'family', Patricia Krenwinkle, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins and Linda Kasabian, are also serving sentences at other penal institutes in California.
Susan Atkins, who gave graphic testimony about the events of that night in 1969, and Tex Watson recently applied for parole. It was denied, in no small amount due to the intervention of Sharon's sister Deborah, carrying on the work of both her late Mother Doris and sister Patricia. It can only be hoped for the sake of Sharon Tate's family and those of the other victims, that this will always be the case.
The final word perhaps should come from Sharon’s late mother , Doris, who battled more than anyone for the rights of victim’s families.”Sharon had hopes and dreams of a happy future with her family and a successful movie career. My daughter was a thoughtful, caring member of society until a crazy man decided for no reason that she shouldn’t be around anymore.”
It is sincerely hoped that this wonderful, talented young actress, taken so far before her time, should be honoured postumously in next year’s Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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