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Frank Sinatra Blindsided Mia Farrow By Serving Her Divorce Papers on the Set of ‘Rosemary’s Baby’

Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Frank Sinatra was married four times in his life, and one of those unions was to Mia Farrow. Their love burned bright, leading to their iconic marriage, but it eventually burned out. At 79 years old, Farrow recalled what it was like to receive the divorce papers from “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” something she thought “wouldn’t happen.”

Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow’s whirlwind wedding

Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow cutting a wedding cake together
Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow cutting their wedding cake, 1966. (Photo Credit: Keystone / Getty Images)

Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra met for the first time on the 20th-Century Fox lot in 1964. Their chemistry was palpable right from the beginning, and the pair quickly fell in love. Just a short two years later, they tied the knot at a hotel in Las Vegas. Despite their age difference (Farrow was 21, while Sinatra was 50), they were undeniably in love.

While on The Drew Barrymore Show (2020-present), Farrow described their wedding, saying. “I only knew the day before when we were gonna get married, so I had to wear whatever I had in my closet.”

The swiftness of their marriage was, in-part, because of paparazzi aggression. “We were engaged, but he went to England to finish a film he was in the middle of and I was in my little rented house; it had two rooms,” the actor went on to explain. “And press had surrounded my house – cameras against every window – and there were no drapes, there were no curtains.”

Farrow said she had to “crawl around” her house to complete the easiest of tasks to avoid the cameras, like getting a pizza from the fridge while laying on the ground, which she said “isn’t easy.”

She added, “Then [Frank] would call and I would just pretend everything was just fine, but it was a freaky thing. But I guess he saw it on TV in England. So he called and he said, ‘I think we should get married tomorrow.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, okay.'”

Frank Sinatra served Mia Farrow divorce papers on set

Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse in 'Rosemary's Baby'
Rosemary’s Baby, 1968 (Photo Credit: GBatistaM / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)

Their marriage wasn’t meant to last, however; Mia Farrow also described how she was served divorce papers while working on the 1968 horror film, Rosemary’s Baby. It would serve as her breakout role – and also the reason for their failed marriage.

“He left me because I wouldn’t leave the movie when he told me to leave it,” she explained. “It had another month. He had some dispute with the head of the studio and he said, ‘I’m taking my girl out of this,’ that kind of thing.”

Farrow didn’t feel the same way, however, explaining, “When he told me to leave it, I said, ‘How can I leave it?’ You know, I’m the daughter of a director and an actress. […] My mother was Maureen O’Sullivan and my father was a movie director, and I couldn’t leave a movie.”

She continued, “And I was in every shot, and it was almost [done]; I had one more month. I just thought it wouldn’t happen, but it did – his lawyer came on set, served me with divorce papers.”

Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow remained long-time friends

Mia Farrow standing on a red carpet
Mia Farrow, 2024. (Photo Credit: John Nacion / Getty Images)

Even though their marriage ended in divorce, the pair were able to remain lifelong friends up until Frank Sinatra’s death in 1998. Perhaps it’s because Mia Farrow was able to get to know the real him, the one beyond the glitz, glamor and limelight.

In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Farrow said that “the essential person” of Sinatra “was so compassionate and shy, and readily available, more than anyone I’ve ever known.”

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It’s no surprise, then, that they maintained their friendship beyond their divorce.

Samantha Franco

Samantha Franco is a Freelance Content Writer who received her Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Guelph, and her Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Western Ontario. Her research focused on Victorian, medical, and epidemiological history with a focus on childhood diseases. Stepping away from her academic career, Samantha previously worked as a Heritage Researcher and now writes content for multiple sites covering an array of historical topics.

In her spare time, Samantha enjoys reading, knitting, and hanging out with her dog, Chowder!

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