Sharon Marie Tate was born January 24th 1943, one day before the first wedding anniversary of her parents, Colonel Paul and Doris Tate. She was the first child of this union between Doris Willett and Paul Tate. As she grew, fate handed her an embarrassment of riches, beauty and grace beyond her years and a sweet and even disposition. Doris Tate, years later would remember strangers stopping in their tracks to gaze at the infant. By the time Sharon was six months old she had won her first beauty contest- Miss Tiny Tot of Dallas Texas.

Due to Colonel Paul Tate's position in Army Intelligence the family had to move quite frequently all over the United States and Europe. Sharon learned to make friends fast, and to hold on to the friends she made, even when separated by distance. In this way she learned the true value of friendship early in her life. This would also be where Sharon would develop her strong sense of family. Many times in the first ten years of her life her parents would be her sole companions. All that would change in 1952. Sharon's first baby sister, Debra, was born, followed five years later by Patti.

As Sharon entered her teens she began-along with

ning various beauty pageant such as Miss Richland and Miss Autorama-to work as a model. In the spring of 1960 Sharon appeared on the cover of Stars and Stripes, an American military newspaper. She wore a bathing suit, cowboy hat and boots and sat atop a missile. It was this small taste of fame that set her eyes on Hollywood at a young age. One day while out walking, Sharon was approached by a choreographer for a Pat Boone special. He wanted Sharon to make a small appearance on the special. She would be serenaded by Boone. Sharon was anxious to do it and her parents relented with the proviso that a guard be placed outside her hotel door overnight. This was done and Sharon was able to make the appearance.

Colonel Tate would be reassigned to Italy in 1962 and Sharon would begin attending Vincenza American High School. There, classmate Sheila Plank Boyle remembered, "Sharon was involved in pretty much everything that we all were doing". Sheila would remember Sharon as a star on the cheerleading squad making her routines look "like magic" , and that Sharon was "very reticent to share anything that featured her or made her stand out."

Italy would end up laying the ground work for Sharon's career in Hollywood. While living there she met Richard Beymer on the set of Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man. Beymer encouraged her to pursue her interest in acting and modeling and gave her the card of his agent Hal Gefsky. Sharon would say later "Richard told me I should be in pictures and I believed him." Also while in Italy Sharon and some of her friends from school were extras in a movie being filmed there, Barrabas. Again, Sharon made a great impression on the stars of the film, Anthony Quinn and Jack Palance. Doris Tate would say later, whenever there was a production in Italy the studios would call and try to get

p laying the ground work for Sharon's career in Hollywood. While living there she met Richard Beymer on the set of Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man. Beymer encouraged her to pursue her interest in acting and modeling and gave her the card of his agent Hal Gefsky. Sharon would say later "Richard told me I should be in pictures and I believed him." Also while in Italy Sharon and some of her friends from school were extras in a movie being filmed there, Barrabas. Again, Sharon made a great impression on the stars of the film, Anthony Quinn and Jack Palance. Doris Tate would say later, whenever there was a production in Italy the studios would call and try to get