Tisa Farrow, Actress and Sister of Mia Farrow, Dies at 72

Tisa Farrow, the actress who appeared in such 1970s films as James Toback’s and William Richert’s , has died, her sister announced. She was 72. She died unexpectedly on Wednesday, “apparently in her sleep,” Mia Farrow on Instagram. “If there is a Heaven, undoubtedly my beautiful sister Tisa is being welcomed there,” she wrote.

“She was the best of us — I have never met a more generous and loving person. She loved life & never complained. Ever.” Tisa Farrow made her onscreen debut in (1970), portraying the girlfriend of a high school student (Don Scardino) deeply affected by the Vietnam War, and she also starred in the low budget horror films (1979), directed by Lucio Fulci, and (1980).

In her most prominent role, Farrow played a woman who has a kinky romance with a disturbed loner ( ) in writer director Toback’s (1978). She then showed up as a nurse in the black comedy thriller (1979). Farrow also had a walk on part as a party guest in ’s (1979). The youngest of seven kids, Theresa Magdalena Farrow was born in Los Angeles on July 22, 1951.

Her mother was Irish actress Maureen O’Sullivan, best known as Jane in the 1930s Tarzan movies, and Australian director John Farrow ( , ). She quit school while in the 11th grade and went on to work as a waitress in New York before deciding to pursue an acting career. “I have no advantages,” Farrow in 1970.

“I spent a long time going around town trying out for commercials, and I didn’t get one. I would always run into some career woman who disliked me right away because she didn’t like my sister Mia.” After , she appeared in the French Italian Canadian crime drama (1972), starring . Her credits also included (1973), (1974), (1976) and (1979) and the telefilms and .

Farrow, who was a nurse for 27 years, her sister said, was married to producer Terry Deane. A son she had with him, Jason, was a member of the U.S. Army when he died in Iraq in 2018. In addition to Mia, survivors include her siblings, Prudence (the subject of the 1968 Beatles song “Dear Prudence”), Stephanie and John; daughter Bridget; and grandson Kylor.

Her two other brothers, Michael and Patrick, died in a plane crash in 1958 and by suicide in 2009, respectively. Mia Farrow, of course, starred in several Allen movies and in and , among many other films. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter.