Sharon Tate
Holy Cross Cemetery
Sharon Tate, an actress and
wife of director Roman Polanski, is probably best known as one of the murder victims of the
followers of Charles Manson.
The daughter of a military man, Tate traveled around the world
as a child. She graduated from high school in Italy -- where she was voted Homecoming
Queen -- and appeared in an extra in several Italian films before coming to Hollywood
in the early 1960s. Her first big break came when she was cast as a bank secretary
in "The Beverly Hillbillies," and appeared in 15 episodes of the television
comedy from 1963 to 1965.
Tate was originally cast in the role of Billie Jo Bradley
in the television series "Petticoat Junction," but she was dropped after it was
discovered that she had posed nude in Playboy magazine.
After uncredited bit parts in several films, including
"The Wheeler Dealers" (1963), "The Americanization of Emily" (1964) and
"The Sandpiper" (1965), Tate appeared in "The Fearless Vampire Killers" (1967),
written and directed by Polanksi. Tate had her biggest screen role later
that year in the filmed version of Jacqueline Susann's best-selling trashy
novel, "Valley of the Dolls" (1967), and she was nominated for a Golden Globe
award as Most Promising Female Newcomer.
Tate and Polanski were married in early 1968, and Tate next
appeared in "The Wrecking Crew" (1969), a spy spoof starring Dean Martin
and Elke Sommer.
On Aug. 9, 1969, Tate, who was eight-months pregnant, and
several houseguests were brutally murdered in her Los Angeles home by followers
of Charles Manson. Tate had been stabbed 16 times, and a nylon cord was
tied around her neck. After the murder, Tate's mother, Doris Tate, became
an outspoken advocate for the rights of crime victims, and helped pass a
law to give victims and the relatives of victims the right to speak at
trials and parole hearings. The Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau is named
in her honor. After Doris Tate's death in 1992, her daughter, Patricia Tate,
continued her work until her death in 2000.
Tate is buried with her unborn baby, Paul Richard Polanski,
who was killed at the same time; her mother, Doris Gwendolyn Tate (1924 - 1992);
and her sister, Patricia Gay Tate (1957 - 2000).
Tate was born Jan. 24, 1943, in Dallas, TX. She died Aug. 9,
1969, in Los Angeles, CA.
1943 - 1969
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