In the 1960s, Sharon Tate was one of the most successful actresses in the world. But today she is remembered only as a victim of the Manson gang, but in connection with her husband, director Roman Polanski, who is again reminded of past sins. So what was she, Sharon Tate?
Sharon Tate was born in 1943 to a military family, Colonel Paul Tate. She was the oldest of three sisters, so she was not spoiled with attention, because of which the girl developed a feeling of chronic loneliness. In addition, the family of the future actress was constantly moving, and it was not easy to find friends in a new place every time - so Sharon preferred to be alone. If you wondered why there is so much melancholy and sadness in her eyes - this is an imprint from childhood.
After leaving school, Sharon planned to go to university and study as a psychiatrist, but her father was transferred once again, so the family moved to Italy. The girl instantly fell in love with the local atmosphere, saturated with joy and carelessness, and finally made friends with students from one of the American schools.
One day, Sharon decided to try her luck and act as an extra in a local film. During a lunch break, the girl met actor Richard Beymer, who for several hours convinced that the girl had real talent and was destined to become an actress. Sharon listened to Beymer's words and later starred in a musical program, and then appeared as part of an extra in the film Barabbas.
After that, Sharon tried to pass the casting in Rome, but when nothing came of it, she went to look for work in the cinema in the United States. There, the actress found her first agent and got a job on television, where she starred in commercials. Due to her too pretty appearance, Tate received only episodic roles, in particular, she played fatal seductresses in sitcoms.
Sharon Tate got her first significant role in 1965 in the British horror film The Eye of the Devil. The actress played Odile de Kerey there, a witch who lives with her brother in a French estate. The girl performed the role of a mystical creature so well that almost immediately after the end of filming, she was sent a letter with an invitation to star in another film. The proposal came from Roman Polanski himself.
The picture was called "Vampire's Ball" and was revolutionary in every sense, because along with mysticism, humor and excellent musical and costume accompaniment, it was distinguished by a number of scenes with erotic overtones. The actress played the role of Sarah Chagall, the daughter of an innkeeper in Transylvania, who falls in love with Alfred, a young assistant professor who came to Transylvania to study vampires. The role of Alfred was played by director Roman Polanski himself, although he had previously wanted to entrust this work to another actor. Windy Polasnsky simply could not resist the charm of the young Tate.
At the time of filming "Dance of the Vampires" Tate had already rejected a marriage proposal from Hollywood stylist Jay Serbring and cut off a short romance with French actor Phillip Forque. The girl really ran from love like fire, because all these romantic experiences distracted her from work. Polanski was the only one who could melt her cold heart. After completing filming in Italy and returning to London, Tate moved in with Polanski and began living in his apartment.
So Sharon Tate finally allowed herself to fall in love and, contrary to her own expectations, began to excel even more in the field of creativity. In 1967, the actress appeared in the drama Valley of the Dolls, where she played Jennifer North, one of the main characters, thanks to whom white boots and extreme bouffant hairstyles became fashionable throughout America. In 1968, Tate played the role of an unsuccessful spy named Freya Carlson in the comedy spy film The Wrecking Crew.
Tate's phone was literally bursting with calls, but she had to leave many directors unanswered, since it was in this year that Roman Polanski proposed to his beloved. In 1968, the couple got married in the capital of Great Britain, and then the couple went back to California. In winter, the actress discovered that she was pregnant.
According to personal confessions, Polanski felt like the happiest man on the planet and spoiled his wife like a real princess, but once he had to leave and go to London to discuss the details of a new picture. Sharon sincerely missed her husband and therefore often arranged receptions in order to cheer herself up a little. However, no one foresaw what a tragedy this would turn into.
On the evening of August 9, Sharon went to a restaurant with a group of friends and returned home at half past ten at night, citing the fact that she was very tired. On the same night, members of the Family sect organized by Charles Manson broke into the actress's house and brutally killed all the people there, including the pregnant actress herself.
Sharon begged to leave the life of an unborn child, but the sectarians did not heed the woman's pleas and inflicted 16 stab wounds on her, which caused her death. Friends who were with Sharon in the house also died from gunshot and stab wounds, and the word "Pig" (Pig) was painted on the front door in blood.
The words he heard threw the director into hysterics, which later affected his mental he alth. Sharon Tate's funeral took place on August 13 at Holy Cross Cemetery in Calvert City. Together with the actress, an unborn child was placed in the grave. For many years, Hollywood was seized with real paranoia: people began to tightly lock their doors and erect high fences around their estates. Polanski himself could not come to terms with the loss for a long time.
Soon the unrest subsided, and Sharon was not talked about exactly until the moment when the film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was released on the big screens in 2019, where one storyline is dedicated to the love story of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. Margot Robbie perfectly performed the role of the legendary actress, and most importantly, she focused on the character of Sharon, and not on the tragedy that happened to her. So now the world finally knows what a talented, caring and loving woman Sharon Tate was.