Mia Farrow's Life in Photos

Mar. 15, 2025

Mia Farrow in September 2024.Photo:John Nacion/Getty

John Nacion/Getty

Mia Farrow’s Broadway costarPatti LuPoneonce said, “Not many people have had Mia’s life.”

Away from the screen and stage, Farrow is the mother to14 children, both biological and through adoption; one of her children is investigative journalistRonan Farrow. She has also made headlines for her high-profile marriage toFrank Sinatrain the ’60s and her infamous breakup withWoody Allenin the ’90s.

As Farrow celebrates her 80th birthday on Feb. 9, 2025, see her life in photos, from an accomplished acting career to motherhood and her humanitarian work across the globe.

01of 10Mia Farrow’s ChildhoodMia Farrow circa 1960.George Rinhart/Corbis via GettyMaria de Lourdes Villiers “Mia” Farrow was born on Feb. 9, 1945, in Los Angeles to director John Farrow and actress Maureen O’Sullivan. She was the third-oldest of seven kids, and her godparents wereOscar-winning director George Cukor and prolific gossip columnist Louella Parsons.In 1958, she made her first uncredited film appearance in her father’s 1959 adventureJohn Paul Jonesat age 13. The same year, her eldest brother Michael died in a plane crash while in the Marine Corps Reserve.The Farrows began struggling financially while Mia was in high school, and after her father’s death from a heart attack when she was 17, she began modeling and acting to support her family.

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Mia Farrow’s Childhood

Mia Farrow circa 1960.George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty

George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty

Maria de Lourdes Villiers “Mia” Farrow was born on Feb. 9, 1945, in Los Angeles to director John Farrow and actress Maureen O’Sullivan. She was the third-oldest of seven kids, and her godparents wereOscar-winning director George Cukor and prolific gossip columnist Louella Parsons.

In 1958, she made her first uncredited film appearance in her father’s 1959 adventureJohn Paul Jonesat age 13. The same year, her eldest brother Michael died in a plane crash while in the Marine Corps Reserve.

The Farrows began struggling financially while Mia was in high school, and after her father’s death from a heart attack when she was 17, she began modeling and acting to support her family.

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Mia Farrow’s Rise to Fame

CBS via Getty

Her first credited film appearance was in 1964’sGuns at BatasialongsideRichard Attenborough. Her breakthrough role came the same year as Allison MacKenzie in the successful soap operaPeyton Place. She left the series two years later and took a brief hiatus from acting aftermarryingFrank Sinatra in 1966.

In 2022, Mia told a Chicago localFoxaffiliate that “nobody had any idea that it would be anything more than a horror movie.” People later recognized directorRoman Polanskihad created a “perfect” horror flick.

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Mia Farrow’s Marriage to Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow in July 1966.Bettmann Archive

Bettmann Archive

A 19-year-old Mia met 50-year-old Frank Sinatra on the 20th Century Fox lot in 1964, while the crooner was filmingVon Ryan’s Express. Theyfell in loveimmediately and wed two years later at a Las Vegas hotel.

“In terms of what Frank would say, I shouldn’t have doneanymovies. He’s on the record saying, ‘I’m a pretty good provider. I can’t see why a woman would want to do anything else,’ " she toldVanity Fairin 2013. “That’s the way men thought, and you felt pretty guilty wanting something for yourself.”

She remained friends with Sinatra for the rest of his life, admitting that the pair “never really split up.”

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Other movies over the decade featuring Mia were the 1971 horrorSee No Evil(Blind Terror), the 1976 musical adaptation ofPeter Panand the 1978 mysteryDeath on the Nile, based on theAgatha Christienovel.

05of 10Mia Farrow’s Marriage to André PrevinAndré Previn and Mia Farrow with their daughter Lark in 1973.Reg Lancaster/Express/Hulton Archive/GettyShortly after her divorce from Sinatra, Mia began dating Oscar-winning composerAndré Previn, and the couple wed in 1970. They had three children together — Matthew, Sascha and Fletcher — and adopted three: Lark,Soon-Yiand Daisy.The pair divorced in 1979, but according to Mia in a 2024Instagrampost, they “remained the best of friends.” Previn died in February 2019 at age 89.

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Mia Farrow’s Marriage to André Previn

André Previn and Mia Farrow with their daughter Lark in 1973.Reg Lancaster/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty

Reg Lancaster/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty

Shortly after her divorce from Sinatra, Mia began dating Oscar-winning composerAndré Previn, and the couple wed in 1970. They had three children together — Matthew, Sascha and Fletcher — and adopted three: Lark,Soon-Yiand Daisy.

The pair divorced in 1979, but according to Mia in a 2024Instagrampost, they “remained the best of friends.” Previn died in February 2019 at age 89.

06of 10Mia Farrow’s Relationship with Woody AllenWoody Allen and Mia Farrow in October 1985.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via GettyMia began dating director and actor Woody Allen in 1980, and their 12-year relationship doubled as a fruitful creative partnership. She starred in 13 of Allen’s films, beginning with 1982’sA Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedyand ending with the 1992 comedy-dramaHusbands and Wives. They had one child together, Satchel Ronan, and adopted two, Moses and Dylan.They infamously split in 1992 after Allen’s affair with Mia’s adoptive daughter Soon-Yi was made public; he later married her. Miaaccused Allen of molesting their adoptive daughter Dylan, though he has repeatedly denied the allegations.“That’s the great regret of my life, that I wasn’t perceptive enough. It’s my fault,” Mia said in the2021 HBO docuseriesAllen v. Farrow. “I brought this guy into my family. There’s nothing I can do to take that away.”

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Mia Farrow’s Relationship with Woody Allen

Woody Allen and Mia Farrow in October 1985.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Mia began dating director and actor Woody Allen in 1980, and their 12-year relationship doubled as a fruitful creative partnership. She starred in 13 of Allen’s films, beginning with 1982’sA Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedyand ending with the 1992 comedy-dramaHusbands and Wives. They had one child together, Satchel Ronan, and adopted two, Moses and Dylan.

They infamously split in 1992 after Allen’s affair with Mia’s adoptive daughter Soon-Yi was made public; he later married her. Miaaccused Allen of molesting their adoptive daughter Dylan, though he has repeatedly denied the allegations.

“That’s the great regret of my life, that I wasn’t perceptive enough. It’s my fault,” Mia said in the2021 HBO docuseriesAllen v. Farrow. “I brought this guy into my family. There’s nothing I can do to take that away.”

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UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

Mia Farrow speaks at a rally in support of the people of Darfur in April 2007.Nancy Ostertag/Getty

Nancy Ostertag/Getty

“I think the saddest person in the world is the one who did nothing because they could only do a little. We can all find ways to reach out to those who are in need,” she said in a 2010 interview with theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

08of 10Mia Farrow’s Later On-Screen CareerMia Farrow in ‘The Omen’.Vince Valitutti/20th Century Fox/Kobal/ShutterstockShe continued acting into the 2000s, though less frequently. Her later film credits include the 2006 comedyThe Ex, a remake of the horrorThe Omenand her most recent movie, 2011’sDark Horse.“I don’t want to do movies anymore. I don’t want to act anymore,” she said in a 2010Big Thinkinterview, stating that she prefers her activist work.Mia made a brief return to the screen for the first time in 11 years inRyan Murphy’s Netflix horror seriesThe Watcher, portraying nosy and quirky neighbor Pearl Winslow.

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Mia Farrow’s Later On-Screen Career

Mia Farrow in ‘The Omen’.Vince Valitutti/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock

Vince Valitutti/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock

She continued acting into the 2000s, though less frequently. Her later film credits include the 2006 comedyThe Ex, a remake of the horrorThe Omenand her most recent movie, 2011’sDark Horse.

“I don’t want to do movies anymore. I don’t want to act anymore,” she said in a 2010Big Thinkinterview, stating that she prefers her activist work.

Mia made a brief return to the screen for the first time in 11 years inRyan Murphy’s Netflix horror seriesThe Watcher, portraying nosy and quirky neighbor Pearl Winslow.

09of 10Back on BroadwayMia Farrow ‘Love Letters’ curtain call in September 2014.D Dipasupil/GettyFifteen years since appearing on Broadway inWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Mia returned to her theater roots in 2014 with the playLove Letters. A decade later, she starred alongside longtime friend Patti LuPone in the Broadway production ofThe Roommate, which opened in September 2024.“It was perhaps a feeling of maybe, ‘Is this it? Or might there be one last adventure?'” she explained toCBS Newsof her decision to accept the part.

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Back on Broadway

Mia Farrow ‘Love Letters’ curtain call in September 2014.D Dipasupil/Getty

D Dipasupil/Getty

Fifteen years since appearing on Broadway inWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Mia returned to her theater roots in 2014 with the playLove Letters. A decade later, she starred alongside longtime friend Patti LuPone in the Broadway production ofThe Roommate, which opened in September 2024.

“It was perhaps a feeling of maybe, ‘Is this it? Or might there be one last adventure?'” she explained toCBS Newsof her decision to accept the part.

10of 10Mia Farrow as a GrandmotherMia Farrow with her daughter Minh and grandson Silas.; Mia Farrow and her grandchildren Coretta and Sawyer.Mia Farrow XAs of 2021, Mia has 16grandchildren. She proudly shows off her grandkids on social media withbackstage Broadway photos,close-up candidsandfun videos from afar.“Proud of my wonderful grandchildren,” she wrote in aNovember 2024 post.

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Mia Farrow as a Grandmother

Mia Farrow with her daughter Minh and grandson Silas.; Mia Farrow and her grandchildren Coretta and Sawyer.Mia Farrow X

Mia Farrow X

As of 2021, Mia has 16grandchildren. She proudly shows off her grandkids on social media withbackstage Broadway photos,close-up candidsandfun videos from afar.

“Proud of my wonderful grandchildren,” she wrote in aNovember 2024 post.

source: people.com