Roman Polanski & Sharon Tate

Few figures in Hollywood's history have been as acclaimed and controversial as director Roman Polanski, whose legendary films would stand out if not for the fact that they're often eclipsed by the turbulent life he's led. The son of Polish parents, Polanski survived World War II despite having both parents transferred to concentration camps during the Holocaust, but his mother was killed at Auschwitz. Despite the terrible ordeal and the loss of his mother, Polanski would grow up to become one of Europe's best directors, and over the course of a career spanning about 50 years, his films have been nominated for too many awards to count. Given that background, Polanski would represent one of Hollywood's greatest success stories, but far from having a fairytale ending, more hardships would endure. In 1969, things were looking up for one of Hollywood's most marketable actresses. After appearing as a model in fashion magazines and having bit parts on shows during the early part of the decade, Sharon Tate was a star in the making. That summer, she was pregnant with her first child by director Roman Polanski, who had just recently become her husband, and a few months earlier, she had just finished filming The Thirteen Chairs, co-starring Orson Welles. Tragically, superstardom would never come.