Not everyone reads a grim news story and gets on a plane to head for a war zone. But not everyone is Mia Farrow. The iconic actress has appeared in more than forty films, won numerous awards, and is widely known as Woody Allen’s leading lady – starring in films such as Hannah and Her Sisters, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Husbands and Wives.

Farrow has been a high profile advocate for children’s rights, working to raise funds and awareness for children in conflict affected regions, predominantly in Africa. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has worked extensively to draw attention to the fight to eradicate polio, which she survived as a child.

Her latest effort is miafarrow.org where she documents the atrocities in Darfur, Chad, and the Central African Republic and provides a guide on how to get involved.  She has visited Darfur and neighboring countries 6 times since 2004 and has led the effort to focus public attention onChina’s support for the government of Sudan in the lead up to the Olympics. In direct response to a series of controversial op-eds written by Farrow, the Chinese government decided to withdraw their opposition to UN peacekeepers in the region and swayed by Farrow’s campaign to pressure him, on February 12, 2008 filmmaker Steven Spielberg withdrew as an artistic adviser to the 2008 Olympics broadcast. During the Olympics broadcast, Farrow was televised via the internet from a Sudanese refugee camp to highlight China’s involvement in the region.

In 2008, she was selected by TIME Magazine as one of the most influential people in the world.

“Does Mr. Spielberg really want to go down in history as the Leni Riefenstahl of the Beijing Games? Do the various television sponsors around the world want to share in that shame? Because they will. Unless, of course, all of them add their singularly well-positioned voices to the growing calls for Chinese action to end the slaughter in Darfur.”