Arte - Too Young to Die Series 1 (2012) Part 4 Sharon Tate

Brilliant. Gifted. Legendary. Whether taken by murder, drugs, or suicide, the names of these late stars live on forever. Their achievements rendered them iconic and aided in defining their legacy, even while off-screen demons haunted them. Too Young to Die grants viewers a chance to go beyond the myth and get a glimpse into the private lives and personas of those who were simply too young to die. Despite their success and early fame, the lives of these noted celebrities Heath Ledger, dead at 28 of prescription drug intoxication; John Belushi, dead at 33 of a speedball overdose; Kurt Cobain, 27 years old when he shot himself in the head; and Sharon Tate, 26 and pregnant when she was killed in the grisly Charles Manson cult murders ended in tragedy. In this riveting series, explore how the gap between actual life and public reporting helped to create these contemporary legends. “Too Young to Die” portrays the individuals behind the myth.

Part 4 Sharon Tate

Quiet and secluded, far way from the loud hustle and bustle of Los Angeles in the middle of the Beverly Hills Canyons, lies the estate of the actress Sharon Tate. She's expecting a child and this is where she wants to raise it with her husband Roman Polanski. Sharon is eight months pregnant and misses Roman, who is still in Europe finishing up a film. She will never see him again. On 9 August 1969, 26-year-old Sharon and her unborn child are killed by 16 stab wounds. The murderers Satanists led by the self-appointed guru Charles Manson. The heinous murders of Sharon Tate, her child and her friends not only shocked the entire Hollywood community but they also abruptly ended the carefree “sixties”. Hence the film is not only an intimate portrait of the actress Sharon Tate, who grew up in a sheltered environment, but it also sheds light on the zeitgeist of that hippie era. Film clips from Sharon Tate's movies as well as interviews with contemporaries such as Roman Polanski, fellow actors and directors, and especially Sharon's sister Debra Ann Tate paint a very personal portrait of this 60s icon.

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Episode One Shown Here