Mia Farrow
María de Lourdes Villiers Farrow was born on February 9, in 1945. Known professionally as Mia Farrow, she is an American actress and activist. She was raised a Roman Catholic and "had 13 years of convent education with nuns". When she was nine, she contracted polio during an outbreak in Los Angeles reportedly affecting 500 people. Farrow is known for her roles in such films as Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Great Gatsby (1974) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).
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Engagement in Cultural Diplomacy
Humanitarian Causes
She has traveled to Darfur several times. Her third trip was in 2007, with a film crew engaged in making the documentary Darfur: On Our Watch. Later in 2007, Farrow offered to "trade her freedom" for the freedom of a humanitarian worker for the Sudan Liberation Army who was being treated in a UN hospital while under threat of arrest. She wanted to be taken captive in exchange for his being allowed to leave the country. In 2009, Farrow narrated a documentary, As We Forgive, relating to the struggle of many of the survivors of the Rwandan Genocide to forgive those who murdered family and friends. Mia Farrow has been, since 2000, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a high profile advocate for children’s rights. She has worked extensively to fight polio, a disease she survived as a child. Farrow testified in the trial against former Liberian President Charles Taylor in August 2010.
Philanthropic Donations
Mia Farrow has supported the following charities: Aid Still Required, ENOUGH Project, Free The Children, Fund4Darfur, Heifer International, Somaly Mam Foundation, UNICEF, Voices Against Violence. She also supports the following causes: AIDS & HIV, Children, Disaster Relief, Health, Human Rights, Hunger, Peace, Poverty, Rape/Sexual Abuse, Refugees, Slavery & Human Trafficking, Weapons Reduction, Women.
Notable Actions
To show "solidarity with the people of Darfur", Farrow began a water-only fast on April 27. Farrow's goal was to fast for three weeks, but she called a halt after twelve days on the advice of her doctor. In 2008, Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world.
Further Information
Videos: In the Central African Republic with Mia Farrow Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow urges more help for the world's most vulnerable children
