Soon-Yi Previn was adopted by actress Mia Farrow and musician André Previn in 1978. Soon-Yi is from Seoul, South Korea and was placed temporarily in Maria’s House as an abandoned child. When they never found out who her parents were and where she is from, she was then transferred to St. Paul’s Orphanage where she got adopted.

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Soon-Yi is known for being the wife to filmmaker Woody Allen. The marriage between Soon-Yi and Woody sparked controversy and made national news in 1992. This is not the first time Woody has been in the middle of some controversy. Many co-stars of Woody's have mentioned their regrets working with him in the past. Woody has tried to tell his side of the story in his memoir "Apropos of Nothing" to clear his name since he seems to be someone no wants to work with, including loved actress Drew Barrymore.

Related: Woody Allen's Memoir Finds A New Publishing Home

How Soon-Yi's Adoption Changed Her Life

The biggest challenge Mia and Andre faced to adopt Soon-Yi was getting the bills passed to allow her to immigrate to the United States. At the time of Soon-Yi's adoption, the law was that there is only two visas per family for international adoption. However, this did not stop Mia from getting Soon-Yi to the United States, so she can be adopted.

Mia took it upon herself to seek help from her friends Rose and William Styro. They asked the United States Representative Michael Harrington to sponsor a private bill so Soon-Yi can be adopted to the United States. The bill known as HR 1552 became a Private Law 95-37 n May 15, 1978. This allowed Soon-Yi to immigrate into the United States. Not long after Mia and her husband at the time Andre adopted Soon-Yi and brought her to the United States.

The Truth About Soon-Yi’s Disability

When Soon-Yi made it to the United States, she did not know any known language. She had to learn to speak English and was diagnosed with a learning disability. Shortly after the adoption Soon-Yi began to learn English and how to read and write. Soon-Yi was learning activities such as how to play piano and ride a horse and was even learning how to dance ballet. Soon-Yi has never really spoken out much to the public regarding her learning disability and transition when coming to a new country and being a new member of a family.

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It would not be easy for any adoptive child but Soon-Yi was also becoming a daughter of celebrity parents which added challenges on its own without meaning to. Soon-Yi also did not have many adoptive children of celebrity parents to look up to and have someone to lean on because at the time adoption was not something many couples did. Whereas in today's society adoption is more common.

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In 1991, Soon-Yi Previn graduated from Marymount School of New York. She worked during the summer as a salesgirl at Bergdorf Goodman to afford to go to post-secondary. In 1991, Soon-Yi began her freshman year at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. After graduating from Drew University, she went on to attend Columbia University. At Columbia, she went on to earn a master’s degree in Special Education, where she also learned a lot about her learning disability.

Soon-Yi’s Controversial Relationship With Woody Allen

When Soon-Yi’s adoptive parents Mia and Andre got divorced, Mia went on to date Woody for 10 years. Soon-Yi made uncredited appearances in Woody’s 1996 film Hannah and Her Sisters, film that starred Mia as one of the main characters. She also appeared as an extra in Paul Mazursky's film Scenes from a Mall in 1991 starring alongside Woody. Soon-Yi starred alongside Woody again in the documentary Wild Man Blues. What shocked fans was when Soon-Yi came out to say that her adoptive mother Mia had become physically abusive towards her in 1992. Years later in 2018, Soon-Yi’s brother Moses claimed that he was also physically abused by Mia as well.

Soon after Mia and Woody broke up, Soon-Yi began dating Woody and have been together since 1997 when she was only 21 years old. Soon-Yi's net worth did however skyrocket since she had married Woody Allen And has raised their children together. Soon-Yi even defended her man against her adoptive mother Mia Farrow when she accused him of sexually m*lesting their child Dylan (who is no stranger to controversy) in August 1992.

No matter what people may think of Soon-Yi Previn and Woody Allen's relationship, it is important to remember that they are happy and despite the age gap, have lived many years happily married. It has also become very common for celebrities couples these days to have an age gaps between them.

Next: Woody Allen's Memoir Released Despite Being Dumped Amid Controversy