In August 1969, actress Sharon Tate was gaining fame as a Hollywood star, happily married to director Roman Polanski, and eight-and-a-half months pregnant — when she was brutally murdered by the Manson Family.
Silver Screen Collection/Getty ImagesSharon Tate dreamed of becoming Hollywood’s next big thing. For a few short years before her murder at the hands of the Manson Family in August 1969, she actually was.
To this day, actress Sharon Tate remains best remembered for her ghastly murder at the hands of the Manson Family in 1969. But though the horrific end to her story casts a long shadow, she was also a rising star and a widely-beloved friend, wife, and mother-to-be before her tragic demise.
The wife of renowned director Roman Polanski, the beautiful actress was establishing herself as a promising young talent in Hollywood. From television to small film parts to a breakthrough role in 1967’s Valley of the Dolls, she was on the upswing at the time of her death inside her Los Angeles home on August 9, 1969.
That night, Tate found herself at the center of the infamous Manson Family murders. Three members of Charles Manson’s cult entered her home at 10050 Cielo Drive and viciously beat, stabbed, and shot Tate, her unborn son, three of her friends, and a young man who just happened to be on the property at the time.
This grisly event signaled the end of an era in American history and left a macabre, lasting mark on the nation’s collective psyche. But long before the murder of Sharon Tate, she lived a largely charmed, sometimes tumultuous life that made her sudden end all the more tragic.
The Brutal Death Of Sharon Tate At The Hands Of The Manson Family
Sharon Tate was just 26 years old when she was murdered on August 9, 1969. That night, Manson Family cult members Charles “Tex” Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian drove from the group’s residence at Spahn Ranch to Tate’s sleepy house on Cielo Drive on the orders of their leader, Charles Manson.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesSharon Tate’s death at the hands of the Manson Family made Charles Manson one of the most infamous criminals in American history.
As prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi recalled in Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders, Tex Watson testified at his 1971 trial, “[Manson] said to kill everybody in the house as gruesome as I could. I believe he said something about movie stars living there.”
The Manson Family members carried out their assignment precisely. They viciously murdered Sharon Tate, her unborn child, and three of Tate’s friends: Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, and Wojciech Frykowski. They also killed 18-year-old Steven Parent, a friend of the home’s caretaker who just happened to be on the property.
According to Susan Atkins’ testimony, Frykowski was sleeping on the living room couch when the cult members entered the house on Cielo Drive. Frykowski awoke to see Watson in front of him and asked what he was doing there, to which he received the most ominous answer imaginable:
“I am the Devil and I’m here to do the Devil’s business.”
Public DomainCharles “Tex” Watson was initially sentenced to death for his role in Sharon Tate’s murder, but that was later commuted to life in prison, and he remains incarcerated to this day.
The killers then got to work. Sebring was stabbed seven times and shot once. Folger was stabbed 28 times, while her boyfriend, Frykowski, was shot twice, bludgeoned in the head 13 times, and stabbed an astonishing 51 times.
Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant at the time, suffered an equally grisly death. She was stabbed 16 times and then hanged with a nylon rope over a rafter, with Sebring’s lifeless body dangling from the other end. An autopsy found that she was still alive at the time she was strung up, though she soon bled out from her knife wounds.
Terry Oneill/Iconic Images/Getty ImagesSharon Tate was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when she was stabbed to death.
Before her murder, Tate reportedly offered herself up as a hostage if her killers would let her live long enough to give birth to her child — but her unborn baby ultimately died with her.
After Sharon Tate was dead, Atkins wrote “PIG” on the front door of the house in the young actress’s blood. Then, the Manson Family members fled the scene.
The crime shocked the nation, particularly due to the celebrity status of the victims. So, who was Sharon Tate? And how did she come to be the subject of one of history’s most notorious murders?
Sharon Tate’s Early Life And Search For Stardom
Sharon Marie Tate was born in Dallas on Jan. 24, 1943, and she had star power from a young age. At just six months old, she was crowned Miss Tiny Tot of Dallas, and she won a second pageant as a teenager. However, it wasn’t until her father was stationed in Verona, Italy, in 1960 that she became interested in acting.
Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man starring Richard Beymer was being filmed in Verona, and Tate and her new friends were cast as extras. Tate even attracted the attention of Beymer, and they began dating. In fact, it was Beymer who first encouraged Tate to pursue a career in film.
During this time, Tate also appeared on the cover of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes and in an episode of The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom television show that was shot in Venice. She landed a job as an extra once again for the film Barabbas, and she made up her mind that she wanted to be an actress.
Public DomainWhile living in Italy due to her father’s career in the military, Sharon Tate appeared as an extra in the film Barabbas starring Anthony Quinn.
As fate would have it, Sharon Tate’s father was transferred to San Pedro, California, just outside of Los Angeles, in 1962. “I was shy and bashful when I reached Hollywood,” Sharon Tate later recalled to interviewer Robert Musel, as reported by E! News in 2019. “I only had just enough money to get by and I hitchhiked a ride on a truck to the office of an agent whose name I had.”
That agent was the same man who represented Richard Beymer, and he agreed to work with Tate, too. The following year, she signed a contract with Filmways, Inc.
Public DomainOne of Sharon Tate’s first roles was a small part in The Beverly Hillbillies. She’s pictured here on the left wearing a black wig.
Her big break almost came in 1963 when she was considered for a role in Petticoat Junction, but producers thought she needed more time to hone her craft. It wasn’t until 1965 that she landed a major part in the movie Eye of the Devil, and filmmakers saw major potential in the young actress’s performance.
In a 1966 interview, Tate recalled her “very strenuous” path to her first big role, as reported by E! News. “For approximately three years, I’ve had no personal life, I guess you could call it. I’ve done nothing but study from 8 o’clock in the morning till about 6:30 at night. Then on three evenings out of every week I went to a night class, too. I had acting classes, voice, singing, body building — everything, absolutely everything.”
This hard work paid off, and after her appearance in Eye of the Devil, she landed a role that would change her life forever — but not in the way she expected.
How A ‘Fairy Tale’ Life Turned Into A Tragedy
Sharon Tate met director Roman Polanski when she was cast in his 1967 film The Fearless Vampire Killers. The Holocaust-surviving, multicultural auteur had just experienced huge success with his first English-language film, Repulsion. He also had a reputation for being a playboy.
Public DomainSharon Tate starred in Roman Polanski’s 1967 horror comedy The Fearless Vampire Killers, and their love affair began during the film’s production.
Polanski had already been married before, and he wasn’t keen on jumping into another relationship just yet. In an interview with the Los Angeles Police Department following Tate’s murder, Polanski recalled the beginning of their relationship: “I thought she was quite pretty, but I wasn’t at that time very impressed… then I met her again. I took her out. We talked a lot… At that time I was really swinging. All I was interested in was to f—k a girl and move on.”
Nonetheless, he pursued Sharon Tate vigorously during the production of The Fearless Vampire Killers and photographed her half-nude for a Playboy shoot. Tate had been dating hairstylist Jay Sebring since 1964, but she ultimately ended things and told him she had fallen in love with Polanski. She and Polanski moved in together shortly after filming wrapped.
Santi Visalli/Getty ImagesSharon Tate visits Roman Polanski in New York while he works on the set of Rosemary’s Baby. August 15, 1967.
At the same time, Polanski was still stuck in his ways; the relationship wasn’t monogamous, at least not on his part. Tate was aware of his dalliances but still stood by him.
“I said, ‘You know how I am; I screw around,'” Polanski later told the L.A.P.D. “And she said, ‘I don’t want to change you.’ She was ready to do everything, just to be with me,” he said. “She was a f—king angel. She was a unique character who I’ll never meet again in my life.”
Despite Polanski’s hang-ups, he and Sharon Tate wed in January 1968, and she was pregnant by the end of the year. Whispers that she was using the baby as a means to prevent her marriage from collapsing swept through Hollywood. Friends of hers claimed that she waited to tell Polanski the news until it was too late for an abortion.
Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Getty ImagesWhile Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate reportedly had a tumultuous relationship, the director later called their marriage “the only time of true happiness” he’d experienced.
“I guess I kind of live in a fairy tale world,” Tate was once quoted as saying. “We have a good arrangement; Roman lies and I pretend to believe him.”
In February 1969, the couple moved into 10050 Cielo Drive, which they rented from talent manager Rudy Altobelli. The house was situated near Benedict Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, overlooking Beverly Hills and Bel Air. William Garretson, the property’s caretaker, lived in the property’s guest house.
georgie56/FlickrThe house at 10050 Cielo Drive where Sharon Tate was killed.
The previous tenant, music producer Terry Melcher, was acquainted with none other than Charles Manson. The cult leader had unsuccessfully tried to sign a record contract with Melcher, and he’d even visited the house.
Sharon Tate called 10050 Cielo Drive her “love house,” and she was excited to spend the end of her pregnancy there. But first, she had to travel to Europe to film The Thirteen Chairs during the spring of 1969. At the same time, Polanski was in London working on The Day of the Dolphin. While they were gone, Folger and Frykowski moved into the house. Tate returned to Los Angeles on July 20, 1969, and Polanski asked Folger and Frykowski to stay at Cielo Drive with his wife until he was able to return on August 12.
Unfortunately, the Manson Family got there first.
Why Did Charles Manson’s Cult Target Sharon Tate?
Before forming his cult in 1967, 32-year-old Manson had spent most of his life in prison for crimes like armed robbery and auto theft. Upon his release, he started gathering followers in San Francisco. The cult ultimately moved to Spahn Ranch, and Manson began preaching his “Helter Skelter” theory of an apocalyptic race war to his followers.
It remains unclear whether Charles Manson purposely set out to kill Sharon Tate and her friends on August 9, 1969. Some people believe that he thought Melcher may have still been living at the house. Others think he targeted 10050 Cielo Drive symbolically, as it represented his rejection from the music industry.
PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy Stock PhotoSharon Tate’s body being removed from the crime scene at 10050 Cielo Drive.
However, during the Manson Family trial, Tex Watson suggested that Manson knew Melcher was no longer living there. What’s more, Susan Atkins testified that the cult “wanted to do a crime that would shock the world, that the world would have to stand up and take notice.”
And the world certainly did take notice.
The housekeeper at Cielo Drive had walked in on the grisly scene on the morning of August 9 and immediately called 911. After an initial investigation, the police had contacted Polanski’s friend and manager William Tennant, as Polanski was still in London working on The Day of the Dolphin. Tennant was in the middle of playing tennis when he got the news. He’s the one who identified Tate, Frykowski, Folger, and Sebring. He had no clue who 18-year-old Parent was.
Archive Photos/Getty ImagesSharon Tate’s murder was later described as the moment “the Sixties ended” by writer Joan Didion.
“Roman, there’s been a disaster in a house… Your house,” Tennant told Polanski over the phone. “Sharon is dead, and Voytek and Gibby and Jay.”
Polanski wasn’t sure what to make of the call. He suspected an accident — a fire, perhaps. He couldn’t have imagined that he’d be getting news of his wife’s murder.
The Aftermath Of The Tate-LaBianca Murders
Los Angeles Public LibraryCharles Manson awaiting the verdict of his trial. March 28, 1971.
Word of the tragedy spread quickly around Hollywood even before the headlines were printed in papers across the country. As reported by Town & Country in 2019, Neile Adams McQueen, the wife of actor Steve McQueen, stated that she and Steve were supposed to meet Jay Sebring at Cielo Drive the night of the murders, but they didn’t go because they had an argument. “He was still sound asleep when the calls started coming in that Saturday morning,” she remembered. “Finally, Steve’s assistant said, ‘You have to wake him up. Something terrible has happened.'”
Actress and model Viviane Ventura, a good friend of both Tate and Polanski, recalled, “There wasn’t the instant news there is today. I was in London and got a call in the middle of the night telling me this terrible tragedy had happened. I couldn’t even talk through the crying.”
The night after killing Sharon Tate, the Manson Family also murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. At first, the two crimes went unsolved, which only added to the public’s interest — and Hollywood’s anxieties.
Rumors spread that the unknown killers were targeting celebrities. Some stars purchased guns and installed security cameras to protect themselves, and others even temporarily left their homes to seek refuge at hotels.
Polanski was harassed with interrogations about his marital problems and why he was away from his pregnant wife at the time of her murder. He controversially allowed LIFE magazine to photograph the crime scene, leading many to question his character.
Julian Wasser/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty ImagesPolanski sitting on the bloodied porch outside his home just after Sharon Tate’s death. He came under scrutiny for agreeing to do this LIFE magazine shoot. The word “PIG” can still be seen scrawled on the door in his wife’s blood.
The funeral for Sharon Tate and her son, Paul Richard Polanski, was held on August 13 at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. The following week, Polanski held a press conference about the murders. As detailed in Helter Skelter, Polanski called Tate “beautiful” and a “good person,” and he said, “The last few years I spent with her were the only time of true happiness in my life.”
Inside The Arrest And Prosecution Of The Manson Family
Two months after the murders, several members of the Manson Family were arrested at Spahn Ranch for unrelated crimes. While behind bars, Susan Atkins began boasting about her role in Sharon Tate’s murder. Word spread, the police began investigating further, and by the end of the year, everyone involved had been arrested.
IllaZilla/Wikimedia CommonsThe Tate family grave in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
While Manson (who likely never killed anyone himself), Atkins, Watson, Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten — who had no role in Tate’s murder but took part in the LaBianca killings the following night — were initially all sentenced to death for their crimes, California’s laws were in flux. A moratorium on the death penalty in 1972 saw all of their sentences converted to life in prison instead.
Charles Manson died behind bars in November 2017.
Public DomainCharles Manson’s 1971 booking photo for San Quentin State Prison, California. He died in prison 46 years later.
While it’s been more than half a century since the horrific events on Cielo Drive, the death of Sharon Tate still lingers in the American psyche. The murders didn’t merely mark the death of five individuals — they were an undeniable curtain call on a period of innocent Americana that would never return.
Who was Sharon Tate?
Sharon Tate was the wife of director Roman Polanski and an up-and-coming actress who had appeared in films like Valley of the Dolls and The Fearless Vampire Killers.
Why was Sharon Tate murdered?
While it’s still unclear exactly why Charles Manson targeted Sharon Tate — or if he intended to specifically kill her at all — the cult leader ordered his followers to murder everyone at 10050 Cielo Drive in August 1969, likely to incite a race war as part of his “Helter Skelter” prophecy.
How did Sharon Tate die?
Sharon Tate was stabbed to death by members of the Manson Family and then hanged from a rafter by a rope as she bled out. Her unborn son died with her.
Who killed Sharon Tate?
Manson Family members Susan Atkins, Tex Watson, and Patricia Krenwinkel were directly responsible for her death, though Charles Manson himself ordered the murders.
How many people died with Sharon Tate?
Five people, plus Sharon Tate’s unborn child, were killed at 10050 Cielo Drive on August 9, 1969. Tate’s friends Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, and Wojciech Frykowski were murdered along with 18-year-old Steven Parent, who was visiting the house’s groundskeeper when the Manson Family arrived on the property.
Where was Sharon Tate’s husband, Roman Polanski, during the murders?
Roman Polanski was in London working on his film The Day of the Dolphin when his wife was killed. He had planned to return to the United States three days after the murders.
Why did the Manson Family target Sharon Tate?
It’s believed that Charles Manson ordered the attack at 10050 Cielo Drive because the house had previously been leased by Terry Melcher, a music producer who had rejected Manson’s attempts to sign a record deal.
What happened to Sharon Tate’s baby?
Sharon Tate was eight months pregnant at the time she was killed, and though she begged her murderers to let her live until her son, Paul Richard Polanski, was born, the unborn infant did not survive the attack.
After learning about the murder of Sharon Tate and her brief career in Hollywood, read about Manson follower Squeaky Fromme. Then, go inside the story of William Desmond Taylor and the “crime of passion” that shocked early Hollywood.
