A name chosen after an uncertain beginning
Haeja Diane Price is best known publicly as the mother of actress Lindsay Price, but I find her own story more compelling than that familiar introduction suggests. It reaches from wartime Korea to a California household, through adoption, motherhood, and a later return to the country she left as a child.
Much of that history comes through family memory. Her exact birthday is not established. Lindsay has said her mother had no birth certificate and chose her own name and birthday. That missing document is more than an administrative gap. It reflects how war can scatter the basic coordinates of a life.
Lindsay has described her mother as a North Korean refugee, while broader accounts simply identify her as Korean born. The orphanage that eventually sheltered her was in Seoul. I would not turn those overlapping descriptions into an exact birthplace or a fully mapped journey.
A little girl protecting her brother
In the family account, Haeja’s father was killed during the Korean War. Her mother later left Haeja and a younger brother. Some details, including the birth mother’s remarriage and the identity of a temporary caregiver, have been reconstructed by Lindsay rather than fixed through documents.
At approximately five, Haeja became responsible for protecting her little brother. Lindsay has described a journey on foot, harsh cold, edible plants, and shelter found wherever the children could manage it. A river crossing with the boy on her back is among the memories repeated within the family.
The emotional force of the story does not depend on assigning an exact number of months to the journey. The clear thread is an older sister refusing to abandon a younger child.
They eventually reached an orphanage in Seoul. Haeja later spoke publicly about that period herself, recalling poor conditions that improved over time. Her own account confirms the central shape of the story without resolving every detail of its chronology.
The choir and the Price family
Haeja was selected for World Vision’s Korean Orphan Choir, reportedly among roughly 30 children. Travel with the choir brought her into contact with William and Doris Price of California.
Her account of adoption contains a decisive condition. When the Prices first offered to adopt her, she refused because she would not leave her brother. Later, she accepted after they agreed to include him. I see that choice as a continuation of the same protective instinct that had carried them toward the orphanage.
Lindsay has identified 1963 as the adoption year, while other recollections allow 1963 or 1964. Her mother has been described as 12 or 13 at the time. Those variations are understandable within a history lacking a confirmed birthday, and I would not flatten them into false precision.
After arriving in California, she learned English and attended high school in Pasadena. Lindsay has also recalled an initial period of tuberculosis treatment. The family narrative describes a difficult transition rather than an instant transformation from hardship into comfort.
Two men named William
The family tree requires special care because two different men named William Price played important roles. William Price was Haeja’s adoptive father. His biological son, William Conrad Bill Price, later became her husband.
Haeja and Bill were raised within the same adoptive family, but they were not biological siblings. Lindsay has openly described their later romantic relationship and marriage. Bill, born December 9, 1944, was about six years older than Haeja according to the family account.
Their marriage is commonly listed as beginning March 6, 1971, although that precise date is not independently established here. Bill worked in radio advertising and had served in the Navy. He died November 3, 2020, at age 75.
| Family member | Relationship to Haeja | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|
| William Price | Adoptive father | Different person from Bill |
| Doris Price | Adoptive mother | William Price’s wife |
| William Conrad Bill Price | Husband | Biological son of the adoptive parents |
| Bryan Price | Son | Lindsay’s older brother |
| Lindsay Price | Daughter | Actress and family storyteller |
| Curtis Stone | Son in law | Lindsay’s husband since 2013 |
Raising Bryan and Lindsay
Haeja and Bill raised their children in the Sierra Madre area of California. Bryan, the elder child, has been identified in acting and writing credits. Lindsay was born December 6, 1976, in Arcadia and became known for roles including Janet Sosna on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Victory Ford on Lipstick Jungle.
The children spoke Korean at home when they were small. Lindsay has said their mother stopped using Korean with them when school began because she feared it might disadvantage them. I hear both care and the pressure to adapt in that decision.
Haeja also did decorating work with her mother in law for women from church. It is a modest detail beside the dramatic childhood story, yet it helps restore the ordinary texture of her life: work, family, language, school, and decisions about her children’s opportunities.
No reliable personal net worth or detailed professional history is established for her. Her daughter’s acting career and her son in law’s restaurants do not provide a measure of her finances.
Returning to Korea and speaking publicly
Around 2011, Lindsay took her mother back to Korea for the first time since the adoption. Lindsay was seven months pregnant with her first son, Hudson, who was born November 6 that year. The journey joined three generations before the youngest had even arrived.
Lindsay began a documentary called Sending the Orphans Back around that return. As of her January 2025 discussion of the project, it remained unfinished.
On July 10, 2023, Haeja and Lindsay received the Inspirational Voices Award at the Kidsave Miracles Gala in Los Angeles. Haeja spoke about the orphanage, choir, adoption, and the change that family love made possible. That appearance gave her a public voice within a story so often narrated by her daughter.
FAQ
Who is Haeja Diane Price?
She is the Korean born mother of Bryan and Lindsay Price, the widow of Bill Price, and an adoptee whose wartime childhood has been shared through family accounts and her own public remarks.
What is her exact birthday?
It is not established. Lindsay has said her mother lacked a birth certificate and chose her own birthday, so a precise age should not be presented as verified.
Were Haeja and Bill biological siblings?
No. They belonged to the same adoptive household, but Bill was the biological son of William and Doris Price. Haeja was their adopted daughter.
Who are her publicly identified grandchildren?
Hudson Stone and Emerson Spencer Stone are Lindsay Price and Curtis Stone’s sons. Hudson was born in 2011 and Emerson in 2014. Spencer is Emerson’s middle name.
Is Sending the Orphans Back finished?
Lindsay described the documentary as unfinished in January 2025. A completed release is not established in the available account.
