How much of a reference for American culture is Sharon Tate?
Posted by FirefighterPale6832@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 193 comments
I watched Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and loved Margot Robbie's performance, and I asked myself: "How idolized is Sharon Tate in the United States?" I myself didn't watch it at that time, but given the tragedy that occurred, even though I didn't know the person, and wasn't from the same time, watching several documentaries and references, in addition to finding her pretty, I found her a great actress and woman, who, the victim of a brutal murder in her last moments, tried to defend her son, while she was expecting a baby.
MTHiker59937@reddit
Barely anything. She was a blip.
xx-rapunzel-xx@reddit
i think marilyn monroe is more of a reference than sharon tate.
livelongprospurr@reddit
We lived in SoCal at the time, and I was in high school; I remember hearing about it on my Top 40 radio station the morning after.
Sharon Tate was not that famous until this gruesome event; I don't know if she is now, but she was for quite a while because of Manson. Also her connection with Roman Polanski who AFAIK still can't enter the US for sex crimes against a minor.
Personally, I liked the book Valley of the Dolls and saw the movie with her in it, but she wasn't really the star. Barbara Parkins was the star, who was very well known from a TV soap, called Peyton Place, which had been a huge hit.
ArcadiaNoakes@reddit
I'm almost 50 years old, and all I know about her is that Charles Manson's people murdered her.
That's it.
And this is not something I really think about, so if you randomly asked me on the street about her, I think I would recognize the name, but not remember why its recognizable.
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
Depends on what age group you're talking to. I'm in my mid 30s and know her for basically nothing except her death, sadly. Older people would presumably be more likely to remember her for her acting.
OldBat001@reddit
Not really. She made schlocky films that not many people saw, except The Valley of the Dolls, and Patty Duke was the real star of that.
No, Sharon Tate is famous mostly for being murdered by the Manson Family.
AdmiralAkbar1@reddit
Also for being Roman Polanski's wife.
tangouniform2020@reddit
Who knows, he might not have become a pedophile.
BellaFromSwitzerland@reddit
Let’s not put it on Sharon Tate
9for9@reddit
It's not just that the Manson family murdered his 8 months pregnant wife. He was in a concentration camp as a child and I think all his family died there too.
BellaFromSwitzerland@reddit
Are we really finding excuses for Roman Polanski being a pedofile?
« Look at her picture, she looks much more mature than 13 » said his current wife. No, not ok
As a parent to a teenager myself, certainly not ok
9for9@reddit
No excuses just looking at how miserable and shitty life is.
BellaFromSwitzerland@reddit
For victims
(Hot in the news over here in Europe is a young Belgian gynecology student who has been found guilty of rape but was not convicted « because he’s young and talented ». He will go on to practice gynecology. Yay to us women /s)
mofugly13@reddit
Affluenza
siandresi@reddit
That is crazy!
down42roads@reddit
I don't think its about finding excuses, rather looking at cycles of abuse and trauma
WealthTop3428@reddit
So that made him want to @$$ rape a little girl? No, he’s a pervert who wallows in being a pervert. He’s made several statements to that fact including “doesn’t everyone want to f**k young girls?”. Look it up.
Ceorl_Lounge@reddit
No, it's never on her, that's 125% on the Manson Gang l.
Mega_Dragonzord@reddit
He was constantly fucking around on her. He was a scum bag in the 60’s as well as today.
Melodic_Pattern175@reddit
He was already a pos. Brought strangers home and wanted her to have sex with them, tried to make her abort the baby, then dumped her when she wouldn’t.
kakallas@reddit
I would say at this point even that knowledge is niche.
People 55 and over might know her decently well as Polanski’s murdered wife who was an actress.
I’d guess once upon a time in Hollywood gave her recognition a boost for sure.
harlemjd@reddit
I’d drop the age a bit (at least for those of us in our 40s who didn’t completely tune out everything adults said), but yeah, very age-dependent.
CommandAlternative10@reddit
Precocious 45 year old here. I didn’t know what she looked like until I was an adult with the internet, but I absolutely knew Sharon Tate was Polanski’s pregnant wife murdered by Charles Manson when I was a kid in the 1980s.
FAITH2016@reddit
Me too, same age. I first remember seeing her when I watched Valley of the Dolls. I was probably a teenager.
Quix66@reddit
In 58 and was three when she was murdered. No idea of her or her murder until at least my teensZ
Carlpanzram1916@reddit
Yeah my overall synopsis is that more than half of people who watched ‘Once upon a time’ were learning who she was for the first time.
SimpleAd1604@reddit
That’s what I know of her, too. I wonder what would have become of her, had she lived. She was very beautiful and not a terrible actress, I think. Who knows?
Carlpanzram1916@reddit
And more importantly, married to the biggest directors in Hollywood.
OldBat001@reddit
He wasn't big at the time of her death.
Carlpanzram1916@reddit
I think he was? He lived in a Hollywood mansion.
OldBat001@reddit
That doesn't mean much. Anyone can rent a Hollywood mansion.
Carlpanzram1916@reddit
Rosemary’s baby came out in 68. I think that’s probably his most iconic film. Killings were in 69. I don’t believe the house was rented.
Ceorl_Lounge@reddit
Rosemary's Baby came out the year before the murders. They were absolutely Hollywood's up and coming couple.
MontanaPurpleMtns@reddit
She acted mostly in grade b movies. I’m not a movie person, so she wasn’t in my consciousness until the bodies were discovered.
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
Hmm. Interesting. TIL, thanks 👍🏻
UnfairHoneydew6690@reddit
I’m pretty sure she popped up on a few tv shows like The Beverly Hillbillies too but it was always small parts.
I remember my parents pointing her out to me when I was a kid and telling me about her murder.
RoboticBirdLaw@reddit
This. I'm 30, and I honestly had never heard of her.
Headwallrepeat@reddit
I'm 60 and only remember her death.
Jorost@reddit
Probably not many, though. She was a minor actress who was in one relatively big film, but not as the star. And even that was almost sixty years ago!
jfellrath@reddit
Agreed here. I'm in my mid-50s, and I couldn't tell you one movie she was in. But I know her name because of the Manson murders.
HorseFeathersFur@reddit
Older person here. She was not known much for her acting, most people didn’t know who she was until she was brutally murdered, may she test in peace.
lithomangcc@reddit
I am twice your age and can't name a film she was in if she was murdered I'd have probably never heard of her.
Carlpanzram1916@reddit
Counter argument: she was a rising actress married to one of the most influential directors in Hollywood. Had she not been murdered, you might have actually known her for her eventual acting career.
Carlpanzram1916@reddit
She wasn’t like, a blockbuster actress. She was on her way up and may well have become iconic, especially since she was with an influential director, but if you polled even people old enough to remember the killings, I doubt a majority of them could name a film she was in.
arbitraryupvoteforu@reddit
I'm almost 60 and only know her because her death is famous.
Ace_of_Sevens@reddit
The movie is kind of a commentary on that & downs a lot of time building a narrative about who she was & her film career before subverting her death.
wiyanna@reddit
I had never heard of her until a few years ago when I was watching some crime show. I still don’t know what her claim to fame was besides being killed by a notorious gang. I’m actually surprised I knew who you were talking about.
JustSomeGuy556@reddit
I mean, she died in 1969... 56 years ago. So unless you are close to 70, you probably don't really remember her.
She's mostly famous for being a (fairly) famous person murdered by a really infamous group, and helped along by the movie.
I don't think she's "idolized" at all at this point.
obsidian_butterfly@reddit
Not idolized at all. She's barely even a recognizable name anymore unless you're like 30+. If you do know of her it's that she got murdered. So she's not one really, other than being a really well known murder victim. Manson, on the other hand, everybody knows.
Remarkable_Inchworm@reddit
Idolized? Not much.
A name people know in connection with the Manson murders? Absolutely.
xialateek@reddit
I’m 40 and I know her name but the only fact I know about her is that she was murdered by the Manson cult when she was pregnant. I couldn’t pick her out of a lineup.
Prestigious-Fan3122@reddit
I'm 62. If I had never read the book about the Charles Manson's family" killing spree when I was in eighth grade, I never would have heard of her. But, I was a kid when she was at the pinnacle of her career.
pocapractica@reddit
She was a minor actress who married up.
Illustrious_Hotel527@reddit
dignifiedhowl@reddit
She’s seen primarily as a Manson victim (in a very general way, without reference to her bravery), which is a shame.
Hufflepuffknitter80@reddit
I’ve never heard of her, but celebrities and true crime (which I’ve gathered from the comments that that is who this is) aren’t an area of interest for me. I’m mid 40s.
EmploymentEmpty5871@reddit
She is more famous for being killed by Manson vs her acting. Not how you want to earn fame and glory.
tcspears@reddit
She's mostly famous for being murdered by the Manson Family. I wouldn't say she's much of a reference for American Culture, as she never really had much of a career.
I will say the events that took place definitely changed things in Hollywood, where they were sort of living in a gilded bubble, and that was a pretty rough wakeup call.
DudeThatAbides@reddit
Not even sure I understand the question. Reference for what? Senseless murder?
VanillaPossible45@reddit
zero besides that night
CupcakesAreTasty@reddit
It’s generational. I’m in my 40s and know who she was, because of what happened to her.
I’m not sure how many people you get than me know. I’ve had to explain to people who Manson was, so it seems that level of familiarity is drawing off.
No-Donkey-4117@reddit
She had a small recurring part (appearing in 15 episodes) on "The Beverly Hillbillies," a popular and long-running sitcom in the 1960s (number 1 for its first two seasons). She was a secretary for Mr. Drysdale and Jane Hathaway (his executive assistant) and would occasionally get a line or two.
I watched the show in reruns for years without realizing it was her, until after the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" movie came out.
Dry-Sky1614@reddit
Unless you're old enough to remember her being in movies, most people would only know her as Roman Polanski's wife and/or a victim of the Manson family.
Bluemonogi@reddit
I'm 50 and don't know who Sharon Tate is.
Remarkable_Table_279@reddit
Who?
Subject_Stand_7901@reddit
Reference for American culture? Woof...that's a big net we're casting.
I'm 34 and fairly well read. I'd wager that most of my peer group doesn't know who she is. She and her popularity just existed at a time before we were alive. I know about her because my parents had a Rolling Stone (the magazine, not the band) compendium and I used to read it as a kid and there were quite a few articles about her and her murder.
The Manson family also piques my morbid curiosity, so naturally, you end up reading about her when reading about them.
clearly_not_an_alt@reddit
I think most people only really know her from the murder. Obviously, if you lived through that time period, things may be different, but she never really broke through as an A-list actress, though she was likely on the cusp of doing so.
CosmoCosma@reddit
Grew up on, among other things, Doctor Who. I learned about Sharon Tate very early in my life.
Zizi_Tennenbaum@reddit
Enough that when Meghan wore this shirt on Mad Men everyone thought she was going to get murdered.
Adorable_Dust3799@reddit
I've heard the name....
onetimequestion66@reddit
Tbh this is I think the first time I’ve heard of her
FluffySoftFox@reddit
Literally never heard of her
Jorost@reddit
Sharon Tate was a relatively minor actress when she was killed. Perhaps she would have gone on to larger fame, no one can say. But as it is, she would be entirely unknown today if not for her connection to the Manson family. She is certainly not idolized. Most people probably wouldn't even know who she was without context.
Steamsagoodham@reddit
Was she the one killed by the Charles Manson family? I’ve definitely heard the name and know she was an actress, that’s about it though.
jfreebs@reddit
I dont know who she is.
Effective_Fix_2633@reddit
I only knew who she was when I learned about the Manson family. Then connected the dots to the movies I had seen her in.
pinata1138@reddit
duchess_of_nothing@reddit
I'm 54, a fan of Old Hollywood gossip and I only know her as a Manson victim and Roman Polanskis wife.
BlueRFR3100@reddit
If you mention her name without context, most people will think it sounds familiar, but they can't place it. When you provide the context of her being murdered by the Manson family, then people will say, "Oh yeah. I know who she is."
Hotsauce4ever@reddit
I’m in my 50s and don’t know who she is.
SnowblindAlbino@reddit
I'd say few people under 70 have any idea who she is at all; those who do would associate her with Manson. Her films are forgotten as is her story, for the most part. I'm a historian and over decades of work with college students I can't recall any who would have likely known her, even when I've used clips from her films or assigned readings that covered the Manson murders. Famous as a victim among older folks, unkown by younger ones.
I saw Once Upon A Time with some people in their 20s...the film buffs knew Tate, the others not only failed to recognize her, they did not know who Manson was either. ("Is that supposed to be Marilyn Manson???")
Silly-Resist8306@reddit
I was 18 when that happened. I really wasn’t too aware of her, but every time I see her photo I’m struck how beautiful she was and how insane the Manson had to be. There is no way any of those women should be turned loose.
Kipsydaisy@reddit
Judging by Reddit, you’d think she was on our currency. It’s pretty much 100% the Manson connection.
messibessi22@reddit
lol what part of Reddit are you hanging out in? I had to google her lol
Mushrooming247@reddit
She is an old-timey little-known “actress” who was married to a pedophile director who isn’t allowed in our country.
I know he originally intended to cast his girlfriend in Rosemary’s Baby, (the world’s most boring shitty “horror” film,) but the studio did not let him cast her, so no one has ever seen her act, and no one knows how she got famous, except that she married a pedophile and was then murdered.
She isn’t seen as “famous” anymore than the victim of the black Dahlia murder would be. she was not famous as an actress if she ever did act, but I can’t actually think of anything she did professionally.
sharkycharming@reddit
I (F, 51) doubt I would know who she is if she hadn't been murdered by the Manson family. I've seen Valley of the Dolls, but I can't imagine her name would have resonated if she hadn't been Polanski's murdered pregnant wife. Then again, I guess if she had lived, she could have been in good movies and/or tv shows, and I would know her on the same level as people like Lynn Redgrave and Sharon Gless, who were born within a couple of months of Sharon Tate.
messibessi22@reddit
I’m 28 and I had to google who she was… I’ve heard of the Manson murders but not enough to know she was part of it
IsawitinCroc@reddit
I don't think much people really know about her unless you were from that era and even then she wasn't like Clint Eastwood or Dustin Hoffman levels of fame.
SkiingAway@reddit
I pretty much only know of her because my favorite album was recorded at that house.
jvc1011@reddit
Not idolized. But certainly in Los Angeles, she’s a reference point. Her murder changed the way people thought about the city. According to my father, who was a child at the time, that’s when folks started locking their doors.
We haven’t forgotten those murders. It’s definitely my only association with her. Can’t speak to whether she is even known at all in other cities.
ColossusOfChoads@reddit
I'm old enough to remember the Nightstalker in the 80s. People were doublelocking everything.
jvc1011@reddit
That scared me so badly. My parents at that point banned me from watching TV news except MacNeil Lehrer.
SimpleAd1604@reddit
Yeah, I’ve heard that these murders essentially put an end to the 60’s.
ColossusOfChoads@reddit
It was already starting to sour a little bit. But yeah, that and Altamont (the west coast answer to Woodstock that ended very badly) were the two events that everyone cites.
I guess the third would be the end of the wartime draft, which is what caused the mass demonstrations to dry up pretty fast, but that was the early 70s.
rjtnrva@reddit
Yep, I think Altamont has always been considered as the end of the flower power era.
Carlpanzram1916@reddit
Culturally, it probably closed the book on the flower era.
Silly_Somewhere1791@reddit
People were already wary of hippie communes, and them one of them did what they did.
benkatejackwin@reddit
Wow. You really think that the Manson murders are only known within L.A.? It's probably one of the most famous American crime stories of all time.
jvc1011@reddit
I really didn’t say that at all. I was speaking specifically of Sharon Tate by name, rather than “the Manson murders,” for one thing.
I also said that I can’t speak to how well her name is known outside Los Angeles, particularly today. That doesn’t mean I think she’s unknown outside of Los Angeles. It means I literally have no idea how many people outside of Los Angeles have Sharon Tate as a reference point. I particularly don’t have any idea how known she is to younger people in other places.
FirefighterPale6832@reddit (OP)
Exactly
cottoncandymandy@reddit
She isn't. She's only known now because of the crime. Her slimy former husband is more known.
gadget850@reddit
Not idolized, but I have seen her work and think she could have been really good.
jquailJ36@reddit
Unfortunately (because it's a tragic way to be remembered) she is exponentially more famous for being a Manson Family victim than as an actress. She had very few acting credits and none of them were breakout-star roles.
And doubling down on the unfortunateness her husband, who was already better known than her, is kind of equally known as a famous director and for not being able to enter the US without getting arrested for skipping town after being convicted of sexually assaulting a thirteen-year-old girl. He was nominated for an Oscar and unable to attend the ceremony because the courts refused to say he wouldn't be arrested as soon as he got off the plane. Given what we know these days about Hollywood it's not surprising he got a standing ovation in absentia. (I do think Harrison Ford, who was presenting, had some Thoughts, though, based on his tone when he just said 'The Academy congratulates Roman Polanski and accepts this award on his behalf' and walks off the stage with the envelope. Like, there is NO 'he couldn't be here tonight' pretense. They never even had the statuette out.)
revengeappendage@reddit
You’re really sugar coating it.
He drugged and raped a child, then plead guilty, then was too chickenshit to face the consequences and fled the country.
He is a fugitive from justice, and he will be arrested if he comes back to the US. (He’s been in France, because he’s a French citizen, and France will not extradite French citizens).
Hollywood openly supports him. It’s disgusting.
Quix66@reddit
I'd always just heard of it as sex. Never knew about the drugging. At one point the media had her portraying it as minor and without opposition from her. Wow!
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
Even without the drugs, its still rape
Quix66@reddit
I agree. What part of that don't you understand. I said that how it was portrayed, even by her, in the 70s or 80s. I'm saying I never heard about the drugging part. Which is why I didn't say tape, because even without the drugs it was tape. So the question isn't whether or not it was rape, but the inclusion of the drugs. How can you not understand that?
You're so insistent on educating me about rape and making me wrong that you're not open to understanding that my comment was about TIL I learned that drugs were involved, and that the SEXual act perpetrated on net involved a drugging. You know, as in SEXual assault!
mothertuna@reddit
Even without the drugging, there is no “sex” between an adult and a minor. It is sexual assault or rape.
Quix66@reddit
I didn't say it was consensual. I said only sex as opposed to being drugged too. Though it was evident but I guess not.
ThatArtNerd@reddit
Kate Blanchett named her son after him 🤢
Appropriate-Fold-485@reddit
Never heard of this person.
MissMarchpane@reddit
I'm in my early 30s, and I know her because she was in the movie The Fearless Vampire Killers that inspired Tanz der Vampir, the musical. Also, you know. Her murder. That's really all I know about her, though.
DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit
She wasn't much of a star, but Polanski was a famous director and the Manson murders were so wild that it became a very famous thing. So its pretty well known to my generation, but millennials it has faded and younger generation moreso. Its about on the same level as the Jim Jones cult murder suicides in guyana. People from older generations remember it pretty clearly but it is fading as time moves on
Asaneth@reddit
I'm 65, and Sharon Tate is a cultural touchstone. Even though I was only 10 at the time of the murders, I knew about them, and a few years later read books about them. I've always followed updates on the case and the perpetrators, plus the families of the victims.
starcityguy@reddit
I don’t get the impression she is idolized. She died before I was born. But I learned the story and learned who she was so she’s definitely famous considering how long ago that was. It’s so sensational and involved so many famous people. I would say the story is bigger than she is.
Sweet_Cinnabonn@reddit
Virtually unknown.
brieflifetime@reddit
I'm gonna say somewhere between 0-1% but that decreases every day
mustang6172@reddit
Who?
Sleepygirl57@reddit
That was the strangest movie!
mmaalex@reddit
Probably most Americans under 50 did not understand the back story to that movie...
gdubh@reddit
Nominal.
Careless-Ability-748@reddit
I'm 50 and I had to Google her to refresh my memory.
CosmosInSummer@reddit
Who?
Semi-Pros-and-Cons@reddit
I'm vaguely aware of the name and the one-sentence summary version of her story, but if you threw 5 different photos of people on a table and asked me to identify her, I don't know that I'd be able to do it.
Quix66@reddit
My age, GenX, probably not much at all. Were most likely to know of her as a victim of Charles Manson than know how work. The oldest of us would've been about five years old at the time of her death.
Apocalyptic0n3@reddit
Depends on age group. I'm in my 30's and I only know of her due to her murder and role in that film. I have a sister who is 10 years younger and I suspect if I asked her, she might know the name but I suspect not.
ColossusOfChoads@reddit
I was visiting home (L.A. area suburb) when that movie was in the theaters, and I went to see it with my dad. It was a massive nostalgia trip for my dad. "Everything looked exactly like that!" The audience was mostly full of his fellow boomers, who were born-and-raised in those parts or who moved there when they were young, as my dad did.
[spoiler]At the end when the two protagonists slaughtered the Manson Family killers[/spoiler] it was like the audience had been transported to an alternative, better timeline. For a few minutes, it felt like one of the worst things that had ever happened in those parts had been magically undone. The capper was when she called up DiCaprio's character the morning after, having heard about the ruckus, and invited him to hang out and meet Polanski.
Forsaken_Distance777@reddit
Not idolized but certainly known.
InevitableCup5909@reddit
I think most people who are young enough to not be around at the time would actually struggle to know who you’re talking about without some kind of reference. She, unfortunately, is known almost entirely for her death.
WinterBourne25@reddit
I’m in my 50s. I’ve never seen any of her movies. I just know her name from the notoriety of the murders. In my mind she was a Hollywood background person.
SlamClick@reddit
I've never heard her referenced once outside of the crime.
shelwood46@reddit
Same and I am 60. I read Helter Skelter as a kid. I'm not sure I ever saw any of her movies, unless by accident.
Darryl_Lict@reddit
Yeah, I'm old as fuck and read Helter Skelter. I think I knew that she was Roman Polanski's wife and I grew up in the San Fernando Valley so I was well aware of the Manson Family.
SimpleAd1604@reddit
Well aware of The Family before or after the murders? (Curious).
Darryl_Lict@reddit
After of course. It's not like I was a member of The Beach Boys.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Learn_Not_to_Love
LeResist@reddit
That would make sense because she was murdered when you were still a child. Your parents might have seen her stuff.
Numerous-Rock-9735@reddit
That was a long time ago, and Sharon Tate was what was called a "starlet" back then. Not good enough or famous enough to earn the term "star". Her movie work was for the most part underwhelming, she wasn't particularly well known, and most likely never would have had much success. Her most memorable event was the vicious, tragic murder she suffered. If I remember correctly, she was stabbed many, many times. The poor girl should never have had to suffer the horror of such an end. I was so glad when I heard that Manson had died; that b@stard will burn in h3ll forever.
RingGiver@reddit
If I hear the name, the first thing that comes to mind is Charles Manson. There is no other context when I hear about her.
Carlpanzram1916@reddit
I’m not sure if idolized is the correct word. She was still an actress in her ascendency. She hasn’t quite hit the stratosphere yet. So I don’t think she’s idolized the way someone like Selina is. If you’re old enough to actually remember the Manson killings, you’ll know who Sharon Tate was. If you’re interested in true crime you’ll also know who she is because she’s a significant figure in American true crime. But I imagine by the time that film came out, a majority of people watching ‘Once upon a time’ we’re learning who Sharon Tate was for the first time.
lendmeflight@reddit
She is most famous for being murdered. I woudk imagine that only people interested in Charles Manson even know who she is.
Head_Razzmatazz7174@reddit
I was 6 when the Manson Murders happened. My mother talked about her a little bit, and the only impression I got from it was that some crazy people had killed a lot of a people at a party of some sort. It wasn't until years later, when I read the book Helter Skelter, that I finally learned who she was and the entire horrific story of that day.
PossibilityOk782@reddit
I think the general population just remember her as notable victim of a famous murderous cult, if she survived her career would likely have been largely forgotten outside movie weirdos
Electrical_Feature12@reddit
This is 100% Ai. Can’t blame them. Pretty smart if you want to understand people
Electrical_Feature12@reddit
Huge, but before most of this Generation was old enough, but always wondered what that was about, sans internet.
The ‘Hollywood’ movie was fascinating though. Showing the camp, fabled house and changing the story.
yozaner1324@reddit
I've never heard of her.
AdelleDeWitt@reddit
I'm mid forties and I know her for her murder. I think that someone in like their twenties or younger wouldn't even recognize her name, though.
Entronico@reddit
Not much. Even amongst my dad's generation (baby boomers) she's more known for being Roman Polanski's wife and the Manson murder victim. She didn't live long enough to make her mark. If Lauren Bacall or some other actress of here stature had been killed that would have been different.
IrianJaya@reddit
She was an up and coming star who had one big movie and was married to a famous director. So presumably she had a promising career ahead of her, but she was not a household name, until after her murder unfortunately.
tangouniform2020@reddit
The song Helter Skelter has a different meaning for me. That was a weird as shit summer for me. Moon landing, Tate-Lobianca murders, Dad rotating back to the states, new school, first time in three years going to school with civilians, Woodstock. All in a month.
Comfortable-Study-69@reddit
I had never heard of her until this post.
LeResist@reddit
I think it totally depends on age. I'm 25. You could show me a pic of her and I wouldn't recognize her. If you showed a pic to my parents (who are in their 60s) they probably would recognize her. From my understanding, she was a regular actress in her time but her murder made her infamous
jvc1011@reddit
They might not. She died in 1969. They’d have to have been born in 1951 to even have been adults when she died. I bet your parents are a good decade younger, so they’d have been around 8-10 years old.
LeResist@reddit
Bio dad born in 1950 and my mom is born in 1955
jvc1011@reddit
So only mom is in her 60s… maybe, if her birthday is before April. By the end of the year, your parents will be in their 70s. And your mom was still a kid when ST died.
LeResist@reddit
I'm not saying they watched their movies but if they saw a pic they'd recognize her. Never seen a movie with James dean in it yet I'd still recognize his face. That's the only point I was trying to make. They'd recognize her. I wouldn't
jvc1011@reddit
Oh, I get that. I was just assuming they were both in their 60s, in which case they probably wouldn’t because she wasn’t that well-known (nothing like James Dean) and they’d have been too young. Time flies… for real.
_Bon_Vivant_@reddit
She was just another pretty face. Got more famous being murdered than she ever was as an actress.
rando439@reddit
I once worked with someone who went to high school with her. She said that she was very nice to everyone.
Eubank31@reddit
I'm 22, only heard about her from the buzz around OUATIH when it came out. I imagine if you asked my parents or grand parents, they would know much more
SunShine365-@reddit
Sharon’s major claim to fame was the notoriety of the people who murdered her, unfortunately. So she’s known mostly as a Manson family victim. She deserved better.
cheaganvegan@reddit
I know her through an alkaline trio song.
hedcannon@reddit
As shown in the movie, she was a beautiful B-movie actress whose life was cruelly cut short. If the Mason maniacs had not killed her, we probably wouldn't remember who she is -- just as we don't remember the other people killed that night.
"It's too late
To fall in love with Sharon Tate, but
It's too soon,
To ask me for the words I want carved on my tomb."
It's Too Late, The Jim Carroll Band
Chemical-Mix-6206@reddit
I'm 60 & only know her name because of the murder. AFAIK I've never seen anything she was in.
EntildaDesigns@reddit
Who's Sharon Tate?
GamerGramps62@reddit
None at all
Silly_Somewhere1791@reddit
These days really only known to true crime aficionados, people who are into the ‘60s, and people who saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (fewer than you’d think). For a minute she was a symbol of the end of the 60s, but I think we’ve mostly set aside things associated with Polanski.
cfcblue26@reddit
I'm 35 and I've seen all her movies and own quite a few books about her. I recently got to leave flowers at her grave for the first time. These comments are upsetting; I guess I'm an outlier.
xtremesmok@reddit
When I was a freshman in college like 7 years ago I thought I would make a drink for my friends. I told them it was called a Sharon Tate. They looked at me like wtf is that. Turns out I meant a Shirley Temple. Typically a Shirley Temple does not have any alcohol in it, but being a college student I put a bunch of vodka in mine. And ever since then me and my friends called a Shirley Temple with vodka in it a Sharon Tate.
I didn’t really know who Sharon Tate was in that moment but I had read Helter Skelter a few years before so I guess her name was floating in my subconscious.
SimpleAd1604@reddit
That’s wild.
Roadshell@reddit
I don't think she was really that famous at the time, her star was only just starting to rise when it was all cut short.
SimpleAd1604@reddit
Yeah. I feel like she had a lot of potential.
44035@reddit
She's well-known, but it's sad.
DontBuyAHorse@reddit
She was a B-movie actor and sadly was most famous for being murdered. The impact on the cultural Zeitgeist was mostly Manson and she was simply the most notable victim.
MysteryBelle_NC@reddit
I first heard of her in reference to her murder. It actually happened before I was born but I found the case fascinating after I read an article about sometime in the 80s. Since then I've read about and watched docs on it as well as seen a couple of her movies. I don't know how far her career could have gone obviously but she was an absolutely beautiful woman who seemed genuinely like a good person. She certainly deserved better as did all of the family's victims.
Callaine@reddit
I was an adult at the time and I had never heard of Sharon Tate until it happened. No one I saw idolized her at any point.
FirefighterPale6832@reddit (OP)
How old were you in 1969?
Fantastic-Spend4859@reddit
She was a blip in Hollywood. No one idolized her. She had one notable movie. She attained fame by dying.
Defiant-Giraffe@reddit
Mostly because of her murder.
Its often thought of as both the end of the "golden age" of Hollywood and overnight turned the country's opinion of the "hippy" counterculture from being a bunch of harmless peace-and-love goofballs to being a dark and dangerous substrate of cultists.
Current_Poster@reddit
Outside of her murder, I don't know anything about Sharon Tate. I've never seen one of her films.
spareribs78@reddit
Outside of true crime shows on Charles Manson I know nothing of her
professorfunkenpunk@reddit
To the extent that she is known, it is as a victim of the Manson Family, and frankly among younger people, most probably don't even know that. WE'll never know what she could have been, but her career was mostly bit parts. But for her death, she wouldn't be remembered at all
eyetracker@reddit
I hear her referenced sometimes when people talk about her husband and his umm later activities.
PrimaryHighlight5617@reddit
Unfortunately I don't know who this person is.
RetreadRoadRocket@reddit
I know Sharon Tate as the actress murdered by the Manson family cult, I don't think I've ever seen a movie she was in
Jujubeee73@reddit
As a millennial, I really only know about her because of her death, though I do know she was an actress. There’s not many actors/actresses from that time period I could name TBH. I wouldn’t say she’s idolized at all, except by older baby boomers possibly.
Grouchy-Bluejay-4092@reddit
Older boomer here, only know of her because she was murdered.
Rhubarb_and_bouys@reddit
She's more famous now than when alive.
TsundereLoliDragon@reddit
Most younger people probably still don't realize she was a real person even after watching the movie.
HVAC_instructor@reddit
I'm 63, I know her for the crime. Not sure that I've ever seen one of her films
NPHighview@reddit
I'm in my 60's, and never heard of her until I read "Helter Skelter".
Now, we happen to live fairly close to Spahn Ranch. Wierd.
OceanPoet87@reddit
I am in my 30s but don't know who she is.
CelebrationInitial76@reddit
The vast majority of people under 45 would not recognize her name.
OrdinarySubstance491@reddit
I don't think she's really idolized at all, at least not by anyone under the age of 60. Most people over the age of 35 would probably know who she is, though, especially if they have any interest in Hollywood or true crime.