Soon-Yi Previn

Soon-Yi Previn (/ˈprɛvɪn/; born c. 8 October 1970) is the adopted daughter of actress Mia Farrow and musician André Previn, and the wife of filmmaker Woody Allen. Soon-Yi is notable for her relationship with Allen, who was her mother's boyfriend for over 10 years. Soon-Yi Previn's relationship with Allen became national news in 1992.

Early life and education

Soon-Yi Previn (original name Oh Soon Hee) was born in South Korea. She was found in Seoul, South Korea, on February 12, 1976 as an abandoned child. She was placed temporarily in the care of Maria's House, a local institution for abandoned children, while an effort was made to identify and locate her parents and relatives. When this search failed, she was transferred to the care of St. Paul's Orphanage. The Seoul Family Court established a Family Census Register (legal birth document) on her behalf on December 28, 1976 with a presumptive birth date of October 8, 1970. Previn states that as a young child, she wandered the streets of Seoul starving and living out of trash cans.

Prior to Soon-Yi's adoption, U.S. law only allowed two visas per family for international adoption. Actress Mia Farrow requested that her friends Rose and William Styron ask Massachusetts Congressman Michael Harrington to sponsor a bill to change this law. In 1977, the law was changed. In 1978, Soon-Yi was adopted by Farrow and her then-husband, André Previn, and relocated to the United States. Just after the adoption, Mia Farrow wrote to Nancy Sinatra about Soon-Yi, stating: "Now she speaks English and is learning to read, write, play piano, dance ballet & ride a horse". Later, Farrow asserted that at the time of the adoption, Soon-Yi spoke no known language and had learning disabilities. Rose Styron is Soon-Yi's godmother.

In 1979, Farrow ended her marriage to André Previn and began a long-term relationship with Woody Allen. Allen later adopted two of Farrow's adopted children: Dylan Farrow (also known as Eliza) and Moses Farrow. Mia Farrow also gave birth to Ronan Farrow in 1987.

Soon-Yi Previn attended Marymount School of New York and Rider University. She graduated from Drew University and earned a Master's Degree in Special Education from Columbia University.

During her teens, Previn made an uncredited appearance in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), which starred Mia Farrow and was directed by Allen. Previn appeared as an extra in Paul Mazursky's 1991 film Scenes from a Mall, which starred Allen. Previn also appeared alongside Allen in the documentary Wild Man Blues (1997).

In 1992, Previn stated that Mia Farrow had physically abused her. Previn's brother, Moses Farrow, has stated that he, too, was physically abused by Mia Farrow.

Relationship with Woody Allen

Previn has stated that Woody Allen "was never any kind of father figure [to her]," and added that she "never had any dealings with him" during her childhood. The findings of the judicial investigation carried out during the custody trial between Woody Allen and Mia Farrow determined that previous to 1990 they rarely even spoke to each other. According to Previn, her first friendly interaction with Allen took place when she was injured playing soccer during 11th grade and Allen offered to transport her to school. Following her injury, Previn began attending New York Knicks basketball games with Allen.

In January 1992, Farrow found nude photographs of Previn in Allen's home. Allen, then 56, told Farrow that he had taken the photos the day before, approximately two weeks after he and Previn had first engaged in sexual intercourse. A judicial investigation concluded that Woody Allen and Soon Yi started their sexual relationship in December 1991. Farrow contends that she broke off her relationship with Allen in 1992 following her discovery of the affair; Previn and Allen dispute this assertion, claiming that Allen and Farrow were no longer dating at the time that Farrow discovered the nude photos of Previn. Previn was a college student at the time her relationship with Allen began. Allen described his relationship with Previn as a "fling" that developed into a more significant relationship. Allen has called his role in their adult relationship after their marriage in 1997 'paternal'. Allen issued a statement on August 17, 1992 saying that he was in love with Previn.

Previn's relationship with Allen became public and "erupted into tabloid headlines and late-night monologues in August 1992." As of 2018, Previn remained estranged from Farrow.

Previn married Allen in Venice on December 22, 1997. They have adopted two children together: Bechet Dumaine Allen and Manzie Tio Allen. The family resides in Manhattan's Upper East Side.