Sharon Tate Age, Death, Husband, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More

Bio
Full Name	Sharon Marie Tate Polanski
Profession	American Actress and Model
Famous Role	Jennifer North in the 1967 cult classic film, Valley of the Dolls
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet inches- 5’ 6”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 50 kg in pounds- 110 lbs
Figure Measurements (approx.)	32-26-32
Eye Color	Hazel Brown
Hair Color	Light Ash Blonde
Personal Life
Date of Birth	January 24, 1943
Birth Place	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Date of Death	August 9, 1969
Place of Death	Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Age (at the time of death)	26 Years
Death Cause	Murder by stabbing
Resting Place	Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, U.S.
Zodiac sign	Aquarius
Signature
Nationality	American
Hometown	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
School	• From September 1955 to June 1958- Chief Joseph Junior High School (now Chief Joseph Middle School) • From September 1958 to October 1959- Columbia High School (now Richland High School), Richland, Washington, United States • From late fall 1959 to April 1960- Irvin High School, El Paso, Texas, United States • From April to June 1960- Vicenza American High School, Vicenza, Italy
College	Did not attend
Educational Qualification	Graduated from Vicenza American High School in 1961
Debut	Film: Eye of the Devil (British Film, 1966) TV: Mister Ed (1963)
Family	Father- Paul James Tate (Colonel; United States Army) Mother- Doris Gwendolyn Brother- None Sisters- Debra Tate and Patricia Tate (both younger)
Religion	Christianity (Catholic)
Ethnicity/Race	White American
Hobbies	Listening to Music (especially Jazz and Classical Chamber), Cooking
Favorites
Restaurant(s)	• Delores Diner, Los Angeles • El Coyote Cafe, Los Angeles
Food	Blue Corn Tortillas
Subject	Psychiatry
Attire(s)	Antique Camisoles, Tailored Clothes, Jeans and Pedal Pushers
Bath Product	Milk and Pearls
Skin Care Product(s)	Erno Lazlo, Vaseline
Color	Ecrue (Creamy White)
Jewelry	big hoop earrings and thin Love Beads (made of tiny glass bead called Bugle Beads), a Cartier watch with a black reptile band
Music Band	The Beatles
Flower	Yellow Roses
Cigarette Brand	Tareyton Cigarettes
Holiday Destination(s)	The Italian Rivera, The French Rivera, The French Alps
Boys, Affairs and More
Sexual Orientation	Straight
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Married
Affairs/Boyfriends	• Steve McQueen (American Actor) • Richard Beymer, American Actor (1961-1963) • Philippe Forquet, French Actor (1963-1964) • Jay Sebring, American Businessman (1964-1967) • Roman Polanski, Polish Film Director (1966-1969)
Husband/Spouse	Roman Polanski, Polish Film Director
Marriage Date	January 20, 1968 in Chelsea, London
Children	None
Style Quotient
Car(s) Collection	Red Ferrari, The Bentley, Rolls Royce
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	$1 million (at the time of death)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sharon Tate

• Did Sharon Tate smoke?: Yes
  

  Sharon Tate Smoking

• Did Sharon Tate drink alcohol?: Yes
  

  Sharon Tate with a Glass of Wine

• She was born a day before the first wedding anniversary of her parents Colonel Paul James and Doris Tate.
  

  Sharon Tate Childhood Photo

• By the time Tate was 6-months old she had won her first beauty contest- Miss Tiny Tot of Dallas Texas.
  

  Sharon Tate Childhood Photo

• Being a United States Army officer, her father was promoted and transferred several times due to which, Tate faced difficulties in making friends; as, by the age of 16, she had lived in six different cities.
  

  Sharon Tate in her High School

• In her teenage, Tate was described by his family as shy and lacking in self-confidence.
  

  Sharon Tate in her Childhood

• While growing up, Tate was started getting noticed by the people for her beauty, and, on the recommendation of some of her family and friends, she started participating in beauty pageants and won the title of “Miss Richland” in Washington in 1959.
  

  Sharon Tate after winning Miss Richland Beauty Pageant in 1959

• While still in her teenage, Tate desired to study Psychiatry and also wanted to compete in the “Miss Washington” pageant in 1960. However, she couldn’t do either as her father was transferred to Italy, and she was relocated to the city of Verona in Italy.
  

  Different Shades of Sharon Tate

• While in Italy, Tate had become a local celebrity after she was featured in a swimsuit on the cover of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.

• It was there in Italy that she had begun to form lasting friendships while attending the American school in nearby Vicenza; after knowing that there were other students who had similar backgrounds and feelings of separation just like her. 

• While studying in Italy’s American school, Tate and friends obtained parts as film extras during the filming of the 1962 American adventure film Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man.

• During the filming of Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man, Richard Beymer (an American actor and filmmaker), noticed Tate in the crowd and after introducing himself to Tate, the duo started dating each other. It was Beymer who had encouraged Tate to pursue a film career.
  

  Sharon Tate With Richard Beymer

• Thereafter, Pat Boone (an American singer and composer) employed Tate in 1960, and the duo appeared in an episode of the television series ‘The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom,’ which was filmed in Venice.

• In the same year, Tate made a small appearance in the 1961 religious epic film ‘Barabbas.’ Although her role was small, it had impressed the actor Jack Palance who went on to arrange a screen test for her, but Tate decided to return the United States alone on the pretext of further studies. However, after her return to the United States, she started trying to find film work.
  

• Soon after her return to the United States, Tate’s father suffered a nervous breakdown, and Tate had to return to Italy again.

• In 1962, Tate and her family returned to the United States and in search of work, she moved to Los Angeles where she met Richard Beymer’s agent, Harold Gefsky, who promised her to secure work for her in television and magazine advertisements.
  

  Sharon Tate Featured in an Advertisement

• In 1963, Tate met a French actor Philippe Forquet and started dating him. They also got engaged but frequent quarrels and career pressures drove them apart and they broke up in 1964.
  

  Sharon Tate and Philippe Forquet

• After her break up with Philippe Forquet, Tate met a popular hairstylist in Hollywood at that time- Jay Sebring. However, when he proposed to her, she declined.
  

  Sharon Tate With Jay Sebring in Italy in 1965

• After experiencing several unsuccessful screen tests, Tate finally got her first major role in the 1966 British film ‘Eye of the Devil.’ Tate’s role in the film earned laurels for her.
  

  Sharon Tate in Eye of the Devil

• After the filming of ‘Eye of the Devil,’ Tate remained in London where she became a regular face in the fashion world and nightclubs.
  

  Sharon Tate and Barbara Bouchet at Playboy Club London in 1966

• Around this time, Tate met Roman Polanski. Later, in an interview, both agreed that neither of them had impressed each other in their first meeting.

• Thereafter, Polanski took her in his 1967 horror comedy film The Fearless Vampire Killers. In an interview, Polanski revealed that initially, he was not confident over Tate’s skills, as one scene had required 70 takes before his satisfaction, but as the filming of The Fearless Vampire Killers progressed, he became impressed with Tate’s performance. Soon, they began a relationship.
  

• After the filming of The Fearless Vampire Killers, Tate moved into Polanski’s London apartment.

• Thereafter, she did an American film ‘Don’t Make Waves’ in 1967. In the film, she was mostly seen in a bikini. She was so disappointed with her portrayal in the film that she began referring to herself sarcastically as-
  

  “sexy little me”

• In 1967, she was signed to play a major role in the film version of Valley of the Dolls. When asked on her nude scene in the film, Tate replied,
  

  I have no qualms about it at all. 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. On TV, the children can watch people murdering each other, which is a very unnatural thing, but they can’t watch two people in the very natural process of making love. Now, really, that doesn’t make any sense, does it?”

  

  Sharon Tate in Valley of the Dolls

• In 1967, Tate and Polanski returned to London where they got married to each other January 20, 1968, in Chelsea, London.
  

  Sharon Tate on her Wedding Day

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

  Sharon Tate in front of the house 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles

• In March 1969, Tate moved to Italy for the filming of the comedy film ‘Twelve Plus One.”
  

  Sharon Tate in Italy filming Twelve Plus One

• On July 20, 1969, Tate returned to Los Angeles alone, traveling on Queen Elizabeth 2.

• On August 8, 1969, Sharon Tate had dinner at her favorite restaurant, El Coyote Cafe, with Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, and Abigail Folger. After the dinner, she returned to her home at 10:30 p.m. Shortly after midnight, they were murdered by members of Charles Manson’s “family.” All of the victims had been stabbed numerous times. Reportedly, Tate had been stabbed sixteen times, and that “five of the wounds were in and of themselves fatal.”
  

  Sharon Tate Murder News

• When Tate was killed, she was pregnant, and her due date was just two weeks later.
  

  Sharon Tate during her pregnancy

• Since her murder, Sharon Tate has been portrayed by many actresses in various films like by Katie Cassidy in the 2016 horror film Wolves at the Door, by Rachel Roberts in the seventh season of American Horror Story, by Margot Robbie in Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and more.

• Tate was touted as one of Hollywood’s most promising newcomers and was even called “New Marilyn Monroe” by some European papers.

• In her leisure time, Tate loved to cook.
  

  Sharon Tate in the Kitchen

• Sharon Tate also loved to ride a bicycle in her leisure time.
  

  Sharon Tate loved cycling