Sharon Tate's Real Name: Sharon Marie Tate

Quick answer: Sharon Tate's full name was Sharon Marie Tate. She was born on January 24, 1943, in Dallas, Texas, and acted under her real name. A model and actress best known for Valley of the Dolls (1967), she married director Roman Polanski in 1968. On August 9, 1969, she was murdered in Los Angeles by followers of Charles Manson. She was 26 and more than eight months pregnant (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

Britannica's quick facts give her name in full as Sharon Marie Tate. The Library of Congress name authority, filed as "Tate, Sharon, 1943-1969," cites "b. Sharon Marie Tate, January 24, 1943 in Dallas, Texas." It also records her death in the Beverly Hills area of Los Angeles.

Britannica says she was the eldest of three children of Paul James Tate, a U.S. Army officer, and Doris (Willett) Tate. Her family moved often, and by 16 she had lived in six cities. In 1962 her father was posted to Verona, Italy, and she attended an American high school in Vicenza, where she was prom queen and homecoming queen. While working as an extra in Italian films, she met actor Richard Beymer, who encouraged her to act and introduced her to his agent, Hal Gefsky.

Career highlights

Back in the U.S. in 1963, Tate landed commercials and extra work and a recurring role on The Beverly Hillbillies. Her film career began with Eye of the Devil (1966). While filming The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), she met Polanski, and they married in England in 1968. Her role in Don't Make Waves (1967) led to her breakthrough as a starlet in Valley of the Dolls, adapted from Jacqueline Susann's best seller. She also appeared with Dean Martin in The Wrecking Crew (1968).

On the night of August 8–9, 1969, Manson sent four followers to the house Tate and Polanski were renting on Cielo Drive. Polanski was in Europe. Tate, her unborn son, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, Abigail Folger, and Steven Parent were killed. Manson and the killers were convicted and sentenced to death in 1971. Their sentences were commuted to life when California abolished capital punishment in 1972, and their parole requests were repeatedly denied. Tate is buried with her son, named Paul Richard Polanski on the tombstone, at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Her mother, Doris Tate, became a victims' rights advocate. Her groups helped pass California's 1982 Victims' Bill of Rights, which allows victims' families to make statements in court.

Name notes for searchers

Sharon is her first name, Marie her middle name, and Tate her birth surname. She kept Tate professionally after marrying Polanski. Britannica says her Don't Make Waves character, Malibu, is said to have inspired Mattel's Malibu Barbie.