Farrow, Mia (1945-…), is an American motion-picture actress known for her portrayals of frail but plucky heroines. However, Farrow’s personal life gained her more publicity than her film career. This publicity came from her short but turbulent marriage to Frank Sinatra from 1966 to 1968, her marriage to symphony conductor Andre Previn from 1970 to 1979, and her relations with actor-director Woody Allen.
Farrow’s relationship with Allen began in the early 1980’s. They had a son and adopted two children, though they lived apart. Farrow starred in a number of Allen films—A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1982), Zelig (1983), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Radio Days (1987), September (1987), Another Woman (1988), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), New York Stories (1989), Alice (1990), Shadows and Fog (1992), and Husbands and Wives (1992). In the early 1990’s, Farrow discovered that Allen was sexually involved with her adopted teenaged daughter Soon-Yi Previn. Allen sued Farrow for custody of their three children, accusing her of being an unfit mother. The charges and countercharges between the two made headlines. In 1993, the New York Supreme Court gave Farrow sole custody of her and Allen’s children. Allen married Previn in 1997.
Maria de Lourdes Villiers Farrow was born in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 1945. Her mother was actress Maureen O’Sullivan, and her father was film director John Farrow. She made her professional stage debut in 1963 in a New York City production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Farrow gained national attention as a star of the television soap opera “Peyton Place” from 1964 to 1966. She made her film debut in Guns at Batasi (1964). Her most notable movie role was the title character in the supernatural thriller Rosemary’s Baby (1968). Farrow wrote an autobiography, What Falls Away (1997). Farrow’s son Ronan Farrow became a notable journalist, lawyer, diplomat, and human rights activist.
