Tate was born Jan. 24, 1943, in Dallas. Her father, Paul James Tate, was an Army officer, and she, her mother Doris and younger sisters Debra and Patti moved often for Paul’s military role. Tate was a pageant regular when she was young, winning Miss Richland in Washington when she was 16. She also dabbled in modeling, once appearing on the front page of Stars and Stripes, the United States military newspaper.
