Actress and Sister of Mia Farrow Was 72

Tisa Farrow, the actress known for her roles in 1970s films like James Toback’s Fingers and William Richert’s Winter Kills, passed away at the age of 72. Her sister, Mia Farrow, announced the unexpected demise on Instagram on Wednesday, revealing that Tisa had seemingly passed away in her sleep.

“If there is a Heaven, undoubtedly my beautiful sister Tisa is being welcomed there,” Mia wrote. “She was the best of us — I have never met a more generous and loving person. She loved life & never complained. Ever.”

See the Instagram post below.

John Farrow, her brother, informed The Hollywood Reporter that his sister passed away in Rutland, Vermont.

Having made her onscreen debut in Homer (1970), where she portrayed the girlfriend of a high school student deeply affected by the Vietnam War, Tisa Farrow went on to star in low-budget horror films Zombie (1979), directed by Lucio Fulci, and Anthropophagus (1980).

In her most notable role, Tisa Farrow played a woman engaged in a kinky romance with a disturbed loner portrayed by Harvey Keitel in writer-director Toback’s Fingers (1978). She also appeared as a nurse in the black comedy thriller Winter Kills (1979) and had a walk-on part as a party guest in Woody Allen’s Manhattan (1979).

Born on July 22, 1951, as the youngest of seven kids to Irish actress Maureen O’Sullivan and Australian director John Farrow, Tisa Farrow decided to pursue an acting career after leaving school in the 11th grade. Her mother was best known as Jane in the 1930s Tarzan movies. Farrow initially worked as a waitress in New York before venturing into acting.

After Homer, Tisa appeared in And Hope to Die (1972) and had roles in films like Some Call It Loving (1973), Only God Knows (1974), Strange Shadows in an Empty Room (1976), and Search and Destroy (1979). She later became an ER nurse and married producer Terry Deane. Sadly, her son Jason, a U.S. Army member, passed away in Iraq in 2018.

Survived by Mia and John, Tisa is also remembered by sisters Prudence and Stephanie, daughter Bridget, and grandson Kylor. Tragically, her brothers Michael and Patrick died in a plane crash in 1958 and by suicide in 2009. Mia Farrow, known for her roles in Allen movies, Rosemary’s Baby and Peyton Place, is another surviving member of the Farrow family.