Sharon Tate

A fairytale that ended in tragedy. The Hollywood star and pregnant wife of director Roman Polanski was murdered by Charles Manson's notorious 'Family' in the 60s. Born in Dallas in 1943, her mother, Doris Tate, would later recall how passers-by used to stop to gaze at her tremendous beauty, as a baby in her pram. Her father was in Army Intelligence, and the Tate family had to move quite frequently, all over the United States and Europe. The victor of many beauty pageants, she won a bit-part on a Pat Boone special in 1960, before the family moved to Italy. Back in the US, she hitchhiked part of the way to Hollywood, and became a regular on the TV show, 'The Beverly Hillbillies'. She also had small parts in films including 'The Americanization of Emily' (1964) and 'The Sandpiper' (1965). Her first real role, in 'Eye of the Devil' in 1965, opposite David Niven and Deborah Kerr, was filmed in London. There, she met the movie director Roman Polanski, after auditioning successfully for his horror spoof, 'The Fearless Vampire Killers', in 1967. They soon became a couple and were married in January 1968. Tate’s breakthrough came in 'Valley of the Dolls', the hit 1967 film based on the Jacqueline Susann novel. She followed this with 'Don’t Make Waves', which starred Tony Curtis. With Polanski achieving huge critical acclaim with 'Rosemary’s Baby' in 1968, the couple became increasingly famous, although Tate never sought to capitalise on the pairing through collaborations. Returning from filming '12 + 1' in Italy in 1969, Tate arrived at the couple's home in Bel Air, while her husband was in London. Eight-months pregnant, Tate, along with three other guests, was viciously murdered by members of apocalyptic fantasist, Charles Manson's, cult. Manson and four of his followers were convicted of what notoriously became known as ‘The Tate Murders’, and spawned the unsavoury and enduring Manson legacy.