Jay Sebring

Thomas John Kummer (October 10, 1933 – August 9, 1969), known professionally as Jay Sebring, was an American celebrity hair stylist, and the founder of the hairstyling corporation Sebring International. Sebring was murdered by members of the Manson Family along with his ex-girlfriend Sharon Tate.

Jay Sebring
Sebring with Sharon Tate, 1966
Born
Thomas John Kummer

(1933-10-10)October 10, 1933
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
DiedAugust 9, 1969(1969-08-09) (aged 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of deathMultiple stab wounds
NationalityAmerican
Other namesThomas John Sebring
OccupationHair stylist
Spouse(s)
Bonnie Lee "Cami" Marple
​
​
(m. 1960; sep. 1963)​
Partner(s)Sharon Tate (1964–1966)

Early life

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Sebring was the son of an accountant, Bernard Kummer, and his wife, Margarette Gibb.[1] He grew up with one brother and two sisters in a middle-class home in Southfield, Michigan.

After graduating from Detroit Catholic Central in 1951, Sebring served in the Navy for four years, and during this time he fought in the Korean War. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he adopted the name 'Jay Sebring': Jay, after the first initial of his middle name, and Sebring after the famous Florida car race.

In Las Vegas, on October 10, 1960, Sebring married model Bonnie Lee Marple,[2] nicknamed Cami[3][4] – a union which ended unofficially in August 1963.

Career

In Los Angeles, he graduated from beauty school and promptly "invented a whole new way of cutting men's hair".[5] His innovations including shampooing men's hair before styling it, cutting their hair with scissors instead of clippers, and using blow dryers, which were popular in Europe but not well known in the United States.[5] He used hairspray in an era when Brylcreem was the accepted hair product for men.[6]

In Los Angeles, his modish salon and his style of cutting hair proved popular. He taught his methods to others who then opened Jay Sebring Salon franchises; his styling techniques were still being taught 40 years after his death.[5] In 1967 he opened the company Sebring International to franchise his salons and sell hair care products.

At a time when barbers charged $1 to $2 for a haircut, Sebring charged $50 and more.[7] His hairstyling clients included Warren Beatty and Steve McQueen. He flew to Las Vegas every three weeks to cut the hair of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.[5] At Kirk Douglas's request, Sebring did the hairstyling for the movie Spartacus. He later designed The Doors' Jim Morrison's free-flowing style.[8]

His business, Sebring International, was flourishing by the late 1960s, with profitable salons in West Hollywood, New York City and London. Sebring maintained a playboy lifestyle, with high-profile Hollywood personalities like Beatty among his closest associates. According to a Hollywood Reporter article published in 2019, Sebring used his salon to distribute drugs and was nicknamed "The Candyman" by his Hollywood clients.[9]

Sebring assisted with launching the film career of Bruce Lee, after meeting him at the International Karate Championships in Long Beach in 1964. He introduced Lee to his producer friend Bill Dozier, who started Lee's career with The Green Hornet.[10]

Although not seeking an acting career himself, Sebring made a cameo appearance in the December 1966 episode of the TV show Batman, playing a character based on himself called Mr. Oceanbring. Sebring also appeared in a 1967 episode of The Virginian titled "The Strange Quest of Claire Bingham", playing a frontier barber.[11] Sebring also appeared as himself on the January 28, 1963 episode of To Tell the Truth. He received three of four possible votes.[12]

Jay Sebring was one of the people profiled in the 1967 cult documentary, Mondo Hollywood. Bobby Beausoleil, a future member of the notorious Manson Family, was also seen in it.[13] Beausoleil was arrested for the murder of Gary Hinman two days before the Tate–LaBianca_murders that took Sebring's life.

Relationship with Sharon Tate

Sebring was introduced to Sharon Tate by journalist Joe Hyams in October 1964 and they began a relationship.[5] Sebring bought the former home of Paul Bern, husband of Jean Harlow, on Easton Drive in Benedict Canyon, then owned by Sally Forrest.

Tate went to London in early 1966 to work on The Fearless Vampire Killers with film director Roman Polanski. They began a relationship, and Tate ended her relationship with Sebring, who travelled to London to meet Polanski. He befriended Polanski, while remaining a friend to Tate. Polanski would later comment that despite Sebring's lifestyle, he was a very lonely person, who regarded Tate and Polanski as his family.

In the summer of 1968, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate introduced Sebring to Polanski's friend Wojciech Frykowski and his girlfriend, Folgers coffee heiress Abigail Folger, who had recently moved to Los Angeles from New York state. Folger later invested in Sebring's hair-care products for men.

In early May 1969, Sebring opened a new salon at 629 Commercial Street in San Francisco, and a champagne reception followed. Guests included Abigail Folger and her mother, Ines, as well as Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward.

Death on Cielo Drive
See also: Tate–LaBianca murders

On August 8, 1969, Sebring, Tate, Frykowski, and Folger went to El Coyote, a Mexican restaurant, together. After they returned to the Polanski residence on Cielo Drive, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Charles "Tex" Watson, members of the "Charles Manson Family", entered the home. After coercing the four occupants of the house into the living room, they ordered them to lie face down on the floor. Sebring protested and asked the intruders to consider Tate's advanced pregnancy. Watson then shot Sebring, and kicked him several times in the face as he lay dying, breaking his nose and eye socket. He was then stabbed seven times and died from blood loss caused by his stab wounds. The group then murdered Frykowski, Folger, and Tate.

On Wednesday, August 13, funerals for Tate and Sebring took place the same day; the funerals were scheduled several hours apart (first for Tate and then Sebring) to allow mutual friends to attend both.

Sebring was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Michigan. Steve McQueen gave the eulogy.[14]

Documentary

In 2020, a documentary film about the deceased stylist was released by Shout Factory.[15]

References
  1. California, Death Index, 1940–1997
  2. Nevada, Marriage Index, 1956–2005
  3. White, Carrie (2011). Upper Cut: Highlights of My Hollywood Life. Atria Books. p. 53. Jay Sebring.
  4. "Obituary: John A. Marple Sr". South Jersey Times. December 4, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  5. Tannen, Mary (August 18, 2002). "Message In A Shampoo Bottle". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  6. Eubanks, Bob; Hansen, Matthew Scott (2004). It's in the Book, Bob!. BenBella Books. p. 63. ISBN 1-932100-28-8.
  7. "Would you pay $50 for a haircut?". Star-News. August 3, 1963. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  8. Cosgrove, Jaclyn. "For families of Manson victims, 'We went from "Happy Days" to hell in one weekend'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-01-27.
  9. Siegel, Tatiana. "Manson Victim's Friend Posits Alternative Motive: "I Never Bought Into the Race War Theory"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  10. Hermenaut.com Archived 2010-10-20 at the Wayback Machine
  11. "The Virginian" The Strange Quest of Claire Bingham (TV Episode 1967) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb
  12. "To Tell the Truth". You Tube. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  13. Mondo Hollywood: Hollywood Laid Bare! (1967) - IMDb
  14. Dunne, Dominick (April 2001). "Murder Most Unforgettable". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  15. Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth (2020) - IMDb
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