Sharon Tate

At 26 years old, Sharon Tate has this physical status:

Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model.

She appeared in television shows before appearing in films and was often featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover girl.

Tate was hailed as one of Hollywood's most promising newcomers after receiving rave reviews for her comedic and dramatic acting debuts. She made her film debut in 1961 in Barabbas with Anthony Quinn.

Eye of the Devil, an occult-themed book, was the first sighting of the devil in 1966.

Jennifer North's most notable role in the 1967 cult classic film Valley of the Dolls received her a Golden Globe Award nomination.

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

She appeared in the film The Fearless Vampire Killers directed by her future husband Roman Polanski two years before her death. Tate and four others were murdered by members of the Manson family in the house she shared with her husband, director Roman Polanski, on August 9, 1969.

She was eight-and-a-half months pregnant with the couple's son at the time of her death.

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Life and career

Sharon Marie Tate was born in Dallas, Texas, on January 24, 1943, the eldest of three daughters of three daughters of Colonel Paul James Tate, a United States Army soldier, and his partner, Doris Gwendolyn (née Willett). The family is of English, Scottish, Swiss-French, and Swiss-German descent. Tate was crowned the "Miss Tiny Tot of Dallas Pageant" at six months of age, but her parents had no show business ambitions for their daughter. Paul Tate was promoted and transferred several times. Tate had lived in six cities by the age of 16, and it was difficult to maintain friendships. Her family characterized her as shy and lacking in self-confidence. Tate said as an adult, that people will misinterpret her shyness as aloofness before they knew her better.

Tate attended Chief Joseph Junior High School (now Chief Joseph Middle School) in Richland, Washington, from September 1955 to October 1959. She 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. Tate graduated from Vicenza American High School in 1961.

People praised Tate's beauty as she grew up; she began to beauty pageants, winning the coveted "Miss Richland" in Washington in 1959. She spoke of her desire to study psychology and also stated her intention to compete in the "Miss Washington" pageant in 1960, but her father received orders to be stationed in Italy before she could do either. Tate discovered she had become a local celebrity as a result of the publication of a snapshot of her in a swimsuit on the front page of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. She discovered a kinship with other students at the American school she attended in nearby Vicenza, realizing that their backgrounds and feelings of separation were similar to her own, and began to form lasting friendships for the first time in her life.

Tate and her friends became interested in the filming of Adventures of a Young Man, which was shot nearby with Paul Newman, Susan Strasberg, and Richard Beymer, and she obtained roles as extras in film extras. Beymer noticed Tate in the crowd and introduced himself, and the two dated during the film's making, with Beymer encouraging Tate to pursue a film career. Tate was hired by singer Pat Boone in 1960 and appeared alongside him in a television film The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, which was shot in Venice.

Tate was hired as an extra later that year, after Barabbas was being shot near Verona. Actor Jack Palance was enthralled by her appearance and demeanor, but her position was insufficient to assess her ability. He arranged a screen test for her in Rome, but it didn't result in any further work. Tate returned to the United States alone, claiming that she wanted to advance her studies but that she was struggling to find film jobs. Doris Tate, a mother who feared for her daughter's safety, suffered a nervous breakdown and her daughter was reluctant to return to Italy after a few months.

Tate returned to the United States in 1962, and Tate and Beatrice Gefsky, Richard Beymer's agent, were contacted in Los Angeles. Gefsky decided to represent her and found television and newspaper advertisements after her first meeting. He introduced her to Martin Ransohoff, the producer of Filmways, Inc., in 1963, who subsequently tied her to a seven-year deal. She had been considered for Billie Jo Bradley on CBS's sitcom Petticoat Junction, but Ransohoff said she lacked courage and that the role was given to Jeannine Riley. Ransohoff gave Tate small roles in Mister Ed and The Beverly Hillbillies to help her gain experience, but was reluctant to allow her to play a more prominent role. In a 1967 article in Playboy, Tate said, "Mr. Ransohoff didn't want the audience to see me until I was ready."

Tate met French actor Philippe Forquet and began a friendship with him in 1963. They became engaged, but their friendship was fraught, and they often disagreed. They were driven apart by career pressures, and they broke up in 1964, the first year.

She first met Jay Sebring, a former sailor who had established herself as a top hair stylist in Hollywood in 1964. Sebring's character had been particularly delicate, Tate later, but she refused to marry when he first proposed marriage. She said she would resign from acting as soon as she married, and at that point, she wanted to concentrate on her education.

For the film The Cincinnati Kid, Tate conducted a screen test for Sam Peckinpah opposite Steve McQueen in 1964. Ransohoff and Peckinpah decided that Tate's timidity and a lack of expertise would cause her to flounder in such a large part, and she was disqualified in favour of Weld on Tuesday. Ransohoff gave Tate walk-on roles in two motion pictures in which she was the producer: Emily and The Sandpiper, as she auditioned unsuccessfully for the role of Liesl in the film version of The Sound of Music. Ransohoff gave Tate her first major role in a motion picture in the film Eye of the Devil's late 1965 debut, costarring David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Donald Pleasence, and David Hemmings.

Tate and Sebring travelled to London to filming, where she met the Alexandrian Wiccan High Priest and High Priest Alex and Maxine Sanders. In the meantime, Ransohoff's promotion of Tate, he arranged the filming of All Eyes on Sharon Tate, which will be released simultaneously as Eye of the Devil. It featured an interview with Eye of the Devil director J. Lee Thompson, who expressed his initial skepticism about Tate's performance, "We even decided that if after the first two weeks Sharon was not quite making it," but later said Tate was "tremendously exciting."

Tate played Odile, a witch with no knowledge over a landowner played by Niven and his partner, Kerr. Tate's performance was considered vital to the film, even though she had less lines than the other cast members, and she was expected to set an ethereal tone. Niven referred to her as a "great find," and Kerr said that Tate would be a huge success with "a bit of luck." Tate reflected on her triumph in her first film as a result of learning about acting from watching Kerr at work. The bulk of the shooting took place in France, and Sebring returned to Los Angeles to fulfill his company responsibilities. Tate stayed in London after filming, where she immersed herself in the fashion industry and nightclubs. She met Roman Polanski around the time when she was in possession of a letter.

Tate and Polanski later admitted that neither of them had been impressed by the other when they first met. Polanski was planning The Fearless Vampire Killers, which was coproduced by Ransohoff, and had decided that he wanted Jill St. John to lead the female lead. Ransohoff maintained that Polanski cast Tate, and after speaking with her, Polanski decided she'd be a good match if she wore a red wig during filming. Tate's fluent Italian made it possible to communicate with the local crew members in Italy for filming. In an interview, Polanski, a perfectionist, had no patience with the inexperienced Tate, and said that one scene needed 70 takes before he was satisfied. Polanski also played one of the main characters, a guileless young man who is fascinated by Tate's story, and sparks a love with her. Polanski praised her performances and her confidence as filming progressed. After filming ended, they began a relationship, and Tate moved to Polanski's London flat. Jay Sebring travelled to London, where he argued against Polanski. Although friends later said he was devastated, Polanski befriended Polanski and remained Tate's closest confidant. Sebring was a lonely and lonely person who regarded Tate and himself as his family, according to Polanski later.

After leaving Polanski in London, Tate returned to the United States to film Don't Make Waves with Tony Curtis. Tate played Malibu, and the film was supposed to cash in on beach movie fame at the time, as well as the music of such artists as the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean. The character of Tate, who was dubbed "Malibu, Queen of the Surf," in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer advertisements, was less than a bikini for the majority of the film. She began sarcastically referring to herself as "sexy little me" after being dissatisfied with the film. Tate appeared in a big newspaper campaign for Coppertone sunscreens before the film's release. Tate was portrayed as confident to a reporter, "It's a bad movie" before adding, "Sometimes I say things I shouldn't." "I guess I'm too outspoken."

Polanski returned to the United States and was hired by Paramount Pictures' director, Robert Evans, to produce and write the screenplay for Rosemary's Baby, which was based on Ira Levin's book of the same name. Later, Polanski confessed that he wanted Tate to appear in the film and hoped that someone would suggest her, as it was inappropriate to do so by himself. Tate was not suggested by the producers, and Mia Farrow was cast. Tate was photographed by Esquire, and the resulting photographs and Tate's film received a lot of attention. "This is the year that Sharon Tate lives," a March 1967 article about Tate in Playboy began. "This is the year that Sharon Tate appears" and includes six nude or partially nude photos taken by Roman Polanski during filming of The Fearless Vampire Killers. Tate was hopeful: Eye of the Devil and The Fearless Vampire Killers were both set to be released.

She had been shot to appear in the film version of Valley of the Dolls, which had been directed by Robert Coveney. The film version, one of the all-time bestsellers, was widely awaited and awaited, and although Tate acknowledged that such a prominent role would advance her career, she told Polanski that she did not like either the book or the script. The other leads, Patty Duke, Barbara Parkins, and Judy Garland, were all portrayed. Susan Hayward was fired a few weeks after she was fired, but she was able to replace Garland a few weeks later. Director Mark Robson was highly critical of the three main actresses, but Duke, who supervised the bulk of his critique at Tate, was critical of the three principal actresses. Robson was "continually treated [Tate] as an imbecile," the Duke later said, and she was certainly not attracted and alert to this treatment." "That's a wonderful girl you're living with," Polanski later told Robson. Few actresses have this vulnerability. She has a bright future.

Tate expressed a love for her character, Jennifer North, an aspiring actress admired only for her body in interviews during film. Tate was seen similarly by several publications, and Look published an unfavorable review about the three lead actresses, describing Tate as "an hopelessly stupid and vain starlet" in a journal. After the film's completion, Tate, Duke, and Parkins formed a close friendship that continued. Tate confessed to Parkins that she was "madly in love" with Polanski during the shooting of Valley of the Dolls. In the New York Sunday News, Tate said, "Yes, there's no doubt that Roman is the man in my life." Tate embraced the film with ferociousness. She had often expressed her admiration for Lee Grant, with whom she had appeared in numerous dramatic scenes. Tate was quoted as saying, "I learned a lot about acting in [Valley of the Dolls], particularly in my scenes with Lee Grant.... She knows what acting is all about and everything she does, from her little demeancing to giving her lines, is pure professionalism."

Tate was asked by a journalist to comment on her nude scene, and she replied, "Nothing has been said about her nude story."

An edited version of The Fearless Vampire Killers was released, and Polanski expressed dissatisfaction with Ransohoff's film's "butchering." It was described as a "witless travesty" by Newsweek, and it was not profitable. Tate's results were largely ignored in journals, and when she was mentioned, it was usually in connection with her nude scenes. Eye of the Devil was announced shortly after, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer attempted to pique interest in Tate by teasing her as "one of the screen's most exciting new characters." The film struggled to find an audience, and the majority of critiques were indifferent, neither praiseing nor condemning it. Tate's "chillingly stunning but expressionless display" was one of the few highlights, according to the New York Times.

To publicize the film, the All Eyes on Sharon Tate documentary was used. Its 14 minutes featured a number of scenes from Tate filming Eye of the Devil, dancing in nightclubs, and sightseeing around London, as well as a short interview with the artist. "I don't fool myself," she said when asked about her acting aspirations. I can't imagine myself doing Shakespeare." In other interviews, she discussed her aspirations for a career in comedy, and she expressed her desire to be "a light comedienne in the Carole Lombard style." She discussed the type of contemporary actress she wanted to imitate and revealed that Faye Dunaway and Catherine Deneuve were two of her influences in particular. "I'd like to be an American Catherine Deneuve," the former actress said of her. She plays beautiful, sensitive, deep parts with a little bit of intelligence behind them."

Valley of the Dolls opened earlier this year to almost all negative feedback. "All a really considerat admirer of movies can do is laugh at it and turn away," Bosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times. According to Newsweek, "the film has no more sense of its own stupidity than a village idiot stumbling in manure," but a later story read: "Astoundingly photogenic, infinitely curvaceous, Sharon Tate is one of the most smashing young things to ever strike Hollywood." "In several publications, including The Saturday Review, "ten years ago,... Parkins, Duke, and Tate may have more likely been playing the hat check girls than movie-queens"; they are entirely lacking in style, prestige, or charm, according to the writer. "Sharon Tate emerges as the film's most sympathetic character," the Hollywood Reporter said. "Wharon Tate appears as the film's most sympathetic figure"... William H. Daniels' photographic caress of her faultless smile and her huge absorbent eyes is shocking." Tate was praised by Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times as "the most insult and appalling vulgarity ever born" in one scene, the actress continued to say that "I would be unable to take her any more seriously as a sex symbol than Raquel Welch."

Tate and Polanski both returned to London in late 1967 and were regular features in newspaper and magazine columns. She was described as untraditional and modern, and she was quoted as saying that couples should live together before marrying. They were married in Chelsea, London, on January 20, 1968, with a lot of buzz. When Tate was dressed in a white minidress, Polanski was dressed in "edwardian finery." The pair converted Eaton Square in Belgravia, London, into Polanski's mews home.

"The imperfect couple," photographer Peter Evans described them as. They were the Douglas Fairbanks/Mary Pickford of our day... "British, nomadic, skilled, and very shocking." Tate reportedly wanted a traditional marriage, but Polanski remained devoted to her infidelity, referring to her as "Sharon's big hang-up." He told her that she had promised not to change him. Tate accepted his circumstances, though she told people that she wished that his circumstances would change. "We have a good deal," Tate told Tate. Roman lies to me, and I pretend to believe him."

Tate begged Tate to leave Martin Ransohoff's association, but the actress began to put less emphasis on her work when Polanski told her that he wanted to marry "a hippie, not a housewife." The couple returned to Los Angeles and quickly became part of a social group made up of some of the best young actors in film history, including Warren Beatty, Jacqueline Bisset, Leslie Caron, Joan Collins, Mia Farrow, Mia Farrow, Jane Fonda, Laurence Harvey, Martha Paynet, and Peter Sellers; filmmaker Terry Melcher and his partner Candice Bergen; and singers including Yul Brynner, Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda and Danny Kaye Jay Sebring was one of the couple's most devoted companions. Wojciech Frykowski, who Polanski had known since his youth in Poland, and Frykowski's girlfriend Abigail Folger were among Polanski's friends, the coffee heiress. Tate and Polanski stayed in Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles for a few months before deciding to lease Patty Duke's home on Summit Ridge Drive in Beverly Hills during the latter part of 1968. The Polanski house was often brimming with strangers, and Tate regarded the casual atmosphere as part of the times' "liberated spirit," adding that she was unconcerned with who entered her house, and that she did not care who came into her household as her motto was "live and let live." Leslie Caron, her close friend, said the Polanskis were overly trusting, "to the point of irresponsibility," and that she had been alarmed by it.

Tate began working on The Wrecking Crew, an accident-prone spy who also had a romantic interest for actor Dean Martin. Bruce Lee taught martial arts to her own stunts and was taught martial arts by Bruce Lee. The film was a hit and received acclaim from many commentators, with many commentators applauding her comedic performance. "The only good thing is Sharon Tate, a tall, really great-looking girl," New York Times critic Vincent Canby wrote about the film. Martin said he planned to make another "Matt Helm" film and that he wanted Tate to reprise her role.

Tate was regarded as a promising newcomer at the time. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as "Actress" in Valley of the Dolls, and she came in fourth, behind Mia Farrow, Judy Geeson, and Katharine Houghton for a "Golden Laurel" award as the year's "Most Promising Newcomer" award. In the Motion Picture Herald's poll for "The Star of Tomorrow," in which box-office drawing power was the primary criterion, she came in second place. These findings revealed that her career was beginning to develop, and she negotiated a $150,000 refundable deposit for her next film.

She became pregnant about the end of 1968, and Polanski and her husband moved to 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, on February 15, 1969. Terry Melcher and Candice Bergen had previously lived in the home. Tate and Polanski had visited it many times, and Tate was delighted to learn that it was available, referring to it as her "love house." The Polanskis remained popular hosts for their large group of friends at their new home, although some of them were still worried about the enigmatic people who continued to turn up at their parties. Tate was inspired by the positive reviews she received for her comedic appearances and picked The Thirteen Chairs (1969) for her next project, mainly for the opportunity to co-star with Orson Welles. Polanski went to Italy in March 1969 to film The Day of the Dolphin.

Frykowski and Folger renamed the Cielo Drive home, which was formerly owned by Frykowski and Folger. Tate joined Polanski in London after completing The Thirteen Chairs. She posed in their apartment for photographer Terry O'Neill for casual domestic scenes such as opening baby gifts, and for the British magazine Queen, she completed a series of glamor photographs. She moved from London to Los Angeles on July 20, 1969, aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 (by this ship from Southampton, England to New York). Polanski had planned to return on August 12 in time for the birth, but he had requested Frykowski and Folger to stay in the house with Tate until his return.

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