Soon-Yi Previn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Soon-Yi Previn
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Previn in 2009
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| Born |
Oh Soon-hee
c. October 8, 1970 Seoul, South Korea
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Drew University, Columbia University |
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Notable credit(s)
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| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
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| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
오순희
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| RR | O Sunhui |
| MR | O Sunhŭi |
Soon-Yi Previn (born Oh Soon-hee around October 8, 1970) is the adopted daughter of actress Mia Farrow and musician André Previn. She is married to filmmaker Woody Allen, and they have two adopted children together.
Soon-Yi Previn and Woody Allen have stated that their romantic relationship began in 1991, when Previn was 21 years old. This was a few years after Allen's long-term relationship with her mother, Mia Farrow, had ended. Their relationship became major news in 1992.
Contents
Early Life and Adoption
Soon-Yi Previn was born in South Korea with the name Oh Soon-hee. In 1976, she was found in Seoul and placed in a local children's home. Because her parents could not be found, she was moved to St. Paul's Orphanage. A court in Seoul created a legal birth document for her, listing her birthday as October 8, 1970. However, a bone scan done when she was adopted suggested she was between five and seven years old. Previn has said that she spent time living on the streets as a young child.
In 1978, actress Mia Farrow and her husband at the time, musician André Previn, adopted Soon-Yi. They brought her to the United States. At that time, families were usually only allowed to adopt two children from other countries. The Previns had already adopted two infants from Vietnam. To adopt Soon-Yi, they needed special permission. U.S. Representative Michael Harrington helped pass a special law that allowed Soon-Yi to immigrate to the U.S.
Soon after the adoption, Farrow wrote to her friend Nancy Sinatra that Soon-Yi was learning English, reading, writing, and playing the piano. Farrow later mentioned that Soon-Yi had some learning difficulties when she was adopted.
Mia Farrow and André Previn's marriage ended in 1979. The next year, Farrow began a relationship with filmmaker Woody Allen. Allen later became the adoptive father to two of Farrow's other children, Dylan and Moses. Farrow and Allen also had a biological son, Ronan Farrow, born in 1987.
Education and Career
Soon-Yi Previn went to the Marymount School of New York and graduated in 1991. She then attended Drew University in New Jersey. After graduating from Drew, she earned a master's degree in special education from Columbia University.
As a teenager, Previn had a small, uncredited role in Woody Allen's movie Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), which starred her mother. She also appeared as an extra in the film Scenes from a Mall (1991) and was featured in the documentary Wild Man Blues (1997).
In 1992, Previn said that she had a difficult relationship with her mother, Mia Farrow. Her brother, Moses Farrow, later made similar statements in 2018.
Relationship with Woody Allen
Previn has said that Woody Allen was not a father figure to her when she was growing up. A court investigation later found that they rarely spoke to each other before 1990. According to Previn, their friendship began after she was injured playing soccer in 11th grade. Allen offered to drive her to school, and they started attending New York Knicks basketball games together.
Their romantic relationship began in late 1991, after Previn had started college and turned 21. In January 1992, Mia Farrow discovered their relationship when she found private photos of Previn that Allen had taken. Farrow said this discovery was the reason she ended her own relationship with Allen. However, Previn and Allen have said that Allen and Farrow were no longer a couple at that time.
Allen first called his relationship with Previn a "fling" that grew into something more serious. On August 17, 1992, Allen made a public statement that he was in love with Previn. Previn said she was surprised, as they had not said those words to each other before.
When the relationship became public, it created a media sensation. The news was very controversial, partly because of other serious disagreements happening within the family at the same time.
Personal Life
Previn and Allen were married in Venice, Italy, on December 22, 1997. At the time, she was 27 and he was 62. They have adopted two daughters. Friends have said that Previn has focused on being a wife and a stay-at-home mother. The family lives in Manhattan's Upper East Side.
As of 2021, Previn did not have a relationship with her mother, Mia Farrow.
See also
In Spanish: Soon-Yi Previn para niños
