Woody Allen’s Relationship With Soon-Yi Previn
HBOWoody Allen, Mia Farrow, and their family. Soon-Yi stands next to her mother.
Woody Allen was long known as the beloved actor-director of films like Annie Hall and Manhattan. But he became the face of a 1990s scandal when it emerged that Allen had started a romantic relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of his romantic partner, the actress Mia Farrow.
Allen had known Soon-Yi since she was 10 years old. But their relationship changed when she started college. In December 1991, Allen, 56, met up with Previn, 21, to watch a movie. They ended the evening with a kiss.
Farrow claims that she and Allen were still together at the time; Allen has claimed that their relationship was all but over. In any case, it reached an explosive end in January 1992, when Farrow went to Allen’s apartment to wait for their son to complete a psychotherapy appointment. As she waited, Farrow came across nude photos that Allen had taken of Previn.
dpa picture alliance/Alamy Stock PhotoWoody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn are married to this day. They have two adopted daughters.
Acrimony between Allen and Farrow bubbled behind the scenes for months. Then, in August 1992, Allen and Previn went public with their relationship. Around the same time, Farrow accused Allen of inappropriately touching their seven-year-old adopted daughter, Dylan, at Farrow’s Connecticut home.
Dylan has stood by her accusation to this day. However, the Connecticut State Police and New York State child welfare both cleared Allen of wrongdoing (although a judge later ruled that Allen had been “aggressively affectionate” with Dylan and denied his custody request).
At that point, the Farrow-Allen family split evenly into two camps. The division endures to this day — as does Allen and Previn’s relationship. The two married in 1997 and have two adopted daughters together.
