Aged two, she made her film debut in a short documentary Unusual Occupations: Film Tot Holiday (1947). įarrow grew up in Beverly Hills, California, where she occasionally put on performances with "toy daggers and fake blood" for passing celebrity tour buses. Her father's family was originally from England. Her eldest brother, Michael Farrow, died in a plane crash in 1958, at age 19 Patrick, a sculptor, committed suicide in 2009. įarrow was born in Los Angeles, California, the third child and eldest daughter of Australian film director John Farrow (John Villiers Farrow) and Irish actress Maureen O'Sullivan, and one of seven children, with older brothers Michael Damien (1939–1958), Patrick (1942–2009), younger brother John Charles (born 1946) and younger sisters Prudence and actresses Stephanie and Tisa. In 2008, Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world. She is involved in humanitarian activities in Darfur, Chad, and the Central African Republic. Farrow is known for her extensive work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Her later film roles include Widows' Peak (1994), The Omen (2006), Be Kind Rewind (2008), Dark Horse (2011) and Luc Besson's Arthur series (2006–2010).įarrow has appeared in more than 50 films and won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe award, received seven additional Golden Globe nominations, three BAFTA nominations and a best actress award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. She went on to appear in films such as John and Mary (1969), Follow Me! (1972), The Great Gatsby (1974) and Death on the Nile (1978).įarrow was in a relationship with actor-director Woody Allen from 1979 to 1992 and appeared in thirteen of his fourteen films over that period, including Zelig (1983), Broadway Danny Rose (1984), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Radio Days (1987), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Alice (1990) and Husbands and Wives (1992). An early film role, as Rosemary in Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby (1968), saw her nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for Best Actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera Peyton Place and gained further recognition for her subsequent short-lived marriage to Frank Sinatra. María de Lourdes " Mia" Villiers Farrow (born February 9, 1945) is an American actress, activist and former fashion model.