This Day in Indie History: Mia Farrow

The porcelain-like, golden-tressed actress Mia Farrow was born in Los Angeles on this day in 1945. Her father was Australian director John Farrow and her mother was actress Maureen O’Sullivan, who is best known for playing Jane to Johnny Weismuller’s Tarzan. But when the young Mia expressed an interest in acting, her father sent her to a European convent school. After his passing in 1963, the actress landed a role in an Off-Broadway production of The Importance of Being Earnest and her career soon took off. Her stint in the television hit “Peyton Place” led to screen time and her now famous character in Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby. While Farrow’s version of Daisy Buchanan in 1974’s The Great Gatsby was critically panned, she soon found herself the muse of director Woody Allen. Together they made seven films in 10 years, including Hannah and Her Sisters and Husbands and Wives.

Factoid: Mia Farrow’s romantic relationships have often been tabloid fodder, but her caring nature never gathers quite the same publicity coverage. In 1970 the actress and her then husband, conductor Andre Previn, gave birth to twin boys. Since then Mia’s brood has grown to 14 in number—10 of whom she has adopted from foreign countries.