-
01
Sharon Tate’s unborn son was to be named Paul Richard Polanski, after her father. Her tombstone bears both Paul’s name and her own.
-
02
The Malibu Barbie doll was modeled after Sharon Tate’s character in the 1967 film Don’t Make Waves.
-
03
During high school, Tate was a cheerleader, baton twirler, and star basketball player. She also portrayed Juliet in a school production of Romeo and Juliet and was voted Homecoming Queen and Senior Prom Queen.
-
04
The last book Sharon Tate read was Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles, which she urged Roman Polanski to adapt. Polanski’s 1979 film Tess is dedicated For Sharon.
-
05
Sharon Tate developed close friendships with her Valley of the Dolls co-stars Patty Duke and Barbara Parkins, who served as her maid of honor at her 1968 wedding to Roman Polanski.
-
06
The character Freya Carlson played by Tate in The Wrecking Crew 1968 inspired the character Felicity Shagwell in the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
-
07
The house at 10050 Cielo Drive, where Tate and Polanski lived, was demolished in 1994 and replaced with an Italian-style mansion; the street address was also changed.
-
08
Sharon Tate’s preferred lip product was Vaseline, which she kept small jars of in her car.
-
09
Tate was fluent in Italian.
-
10
Tate disliked wearing shoes and often went barefoot; in restaurants with a no shoes, no service policy, she wrapped rubber bands around her feet to simulate sandals.
-
11
During the filming of Rosemary’s Baby, Tate became close friends with Victoria Vetri. On the night of the murders, Tate invited Vetri to her home, but Vetri declined due to illness.
-
12
Tate auditioned for the role of Liesl von Trapp in the 1965 film The Sound of Music, but the part went to Charmian Carr.
-
13
Sharon Tate is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
-
14
At the time of her death, Tate was eight and a half months pregnant, expecting her son two weeks later.
-
15
Tate had large brown eyes and a bright smile. At the time of her death, she was often mentioned as one of Hollywood’s most beautiful actresses.
-
16
Trent Reznor, who recorded Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral at the house in 1994 before demolition, reportedly took the Pig door from the property to his Louisiana studio.
-
17
Friend Christopher Jones was devastated by Tate’s murder, suffering a nervous breakdown that led him to abandon his acting career.
-
18
Tate was a distant cousin of actors Bo Brinkman, Dakota Brinkman, Dennis Quaid, and Randy Quaid.
-
19
In 1959, Tate won five beauty pageants: Miss Frontier Days, Miss Richland, Miss Tri-Cities, Miss Water Follies, and Miss Auto-Rama.
-
20
As a teenager, Tate had a crush on David Niven, her future co-star in Eye of the Devil, and once declared she would marry him.
-
21
A newsstand in the documentary Woodstock 1970 shows a newspaper headline about the investigation into Tate’s murder.
-
22
E!’s 2003 list of the 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment ranked Sharon Tate’s murder at number nine.
-
23
Tate accepted a role in the 1969 film 12+1 solely for the opportunity to work with Orson Welles.
-
24
Friends described Tate as kind; Mia Farrow called her as sweet and pure a human being as I have ever known, and Patty Duke recalled her as a gentle, gentle creature.
-
25
Tate’s first pageant win was Miss Tiny Tot at six months old.
-
26
Tate was originally cast as Billie Jo on Petticoat Junction but left the show on advice from her manager Martin Ransohoff, who deemed it insufficient for her career.
-
27
Tate was allergic to strong perfumes but enjoyed using a scented body soap called Mink & Pearls.
-
28
Tate received introducing billing internationally for Eye of the Devil 1966 and domestically for Don’t Make Waves 1967, both produced by her mentor Martin Ransohoff.
-
29
David Niven and Deborah Kerr, her co-stars in Eye of the Devil, praised Tate’s acting and predicted a great future for her.
-
30
Tate was originally cast as Christian Rudd in The Cincinnati Kid 1965 but was replaced by Tuesday Weld after director Norman Jewison replaced Sam Peckinpah.
-
31
E!’s Most Shocking Hollywood Murders ranked Tate’s murder as number one.
-
32
Roman Polanski briefly considered casting Tate as the lead in Rosemary’s Baby.
-
33
Tate’s friends included Mia Farrow, Patty Duke, Barbara Parkins, Dean Martin, and Bruce Lee.
-
34
Tate drove a 1967 red Ferrari with license plate VMP659.
-
35
Tate was a distant cousin of Bo Brinkman, Dakota Brinkman, Dennis Quaid, and Randy Quaid.
-
36
Margot Robbie portrayed Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
-
37
A 1965 Daily Variety article announced Tate would star in Tarzan and the Valley of Gold, but the role went to Nancy Kovack.
-
38
Tate and friend Joanna Pettet were often described as look-alikes.
-
39
Sharon Tate was born at 5:47 pm CST on a Sunday.
