Sharon Tate: Beyond Manson Murders
On August 8 – 9, 1969, actress Sharon Tate and four other persons were murdered in what is known as the famous Manson Murders. Every year, the actress who was pregnant at the time of her murder is remembered based on the tragic story of her death.
It would seem that years after this incident, Sharon remains defined by this tragedy and no one ever seeks to explore her true identity. There’s was more to Sharon Tate and as this date reminds thousands of a chilling story, it should honor the memory of a beautiful woman with a short-lived but exciting career.
Who was Sharon Tate?
Sharon was born on January 24, 1943, in Dallas, Texas. Her father was an army officer, which made Sharon’s childhood rich in travels. Sharon Tate and her sister Debra Tate moved regularly to different cities anytime their father was transferred. This was typical for military kids and made it hard for the siblings to keep up with friends. According to Sharon’s sister in an interview, “The only thing that you really have is each other.”
Sharon had always been a stunning beauty. At the young age of 6 months old, she fell naturally into the beauty queen and modeling career when she won the contest title for, ‘Miss Tiny Toy of Dallas’.
During her teenage years, she modeled for fashion magazines and contested in more beauty pageants. She was named ‘Miss Richland’ of Richland, Washington when she was 16. However, her reign as Miss Richland was cut short when her father was transferred to Italy.
It was there that Sharon worked as an extra on film sets and her love for acting grew. As her beauty continued to garner attention, the model plunged into an acting career. She performed minor roles in sitcoms such as Mister Ed, and The Beverly Hillbillies. She was a victim of rape at 17 and identified her rapist as a soldier, but she kept this incident a secret until her death. It was brought to light by her surviving husband.
Sharon’s career involved her role in 6 notable films including; Eye of the Devil, The Fearless Vampire Hunters, The Wrecking Crew and Valley of the Dolls. The film Valley of the Dolls was the highlight of Sharon’s career and even earned her a nomination for The New Star of the Year Golden Globe in 1968.
Her personal life didn’t lack for lovers with popular names in the mid-1960s identified as ex-lovers of the star. They were Philippe Forquet and Jay Sebring. She married Roman Polanski in 1968 before her 25thbirthday and also maintained a close friendship with ex-lover Jay Sebring. Her sister Debra described her as beautiful inside and outside.
Sharon Tate was eight and a half months pregnant with her first child and son of Roman Polanski when she was brutally murdered by members of the Manson family cult in her home. She was killed with four others; Jay Sebring, Woytek Frykowski, Abigail Folger, and Parent Steven all of whom were visiting. Her husband was away in Europe working on a film.
Read more from I On The Scene: HERE.
