Mackenzie Phillips

Mackenzie Phillips Introduction

Mackenzie Phillips (born November 10, 1959) is an American actress and singer who is perhaps best known for her roles in American Graffiti and as rebellious teenager Julie Cooper Horvath on the sitcom One Day at a Time. She's also known for her role in the Disney Channel Science Fiction show So Weird.

Mackenzie Phillips Biography

Early life

Born Laura Mackenzie Phillips in Alexandria, Virginia, she is the daughter of John Phillips, singer of The Mamas & the Papas, and his first wife, Susan Adams. She is the sister of Jeffrey Phillips and a half-sister of Tamerlane Phillips, actress Bijou Phillips, and singer Chynna Phillips. Mackenzie attended Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge, California. At age 12, young Mackenzie formed a band with three of her classmates and was spotted by a casting agent during one of their performances. She was given an audition for a role in the 1973 hit film American Graffiti, which she won.

American Graffiti film success

Mackenzie was 12 when the filming of American Graffiti began, and 14 when the movie was released in 1973. She was cast as Carol Morrison, a young girl accidentally picked up by hot rodding teenager John Milner. Because of California state law, producer Gary Kurtz became Phillips' legal guardian during the filming.

One Day At A Time TV series, drug problems

Mackenzie gained stardom in the 1970s, when she played boy-crazy teenager Julie Cooper Horvath on the long-running CBS-TV sitcom show One Day at a Time, for which she earned $50,000 a week. During the show's third season in 1977, Mackenzie was arrested for public drunkenness and possession of cocaine. Because of her drug and alcohol abuse, she began arriving late and was even incoherent for rehearsals. The producers ordered her to take a six-week break to overcome her addiction. In 1980, she was fired from the show.

After two nearly fatal overdoses, Phillips entered Fair Oaks Hospital to undergo treatment. In 1981, the producers of One Day at a Time invited her back to the show.[2] However, she resumed using cocaine in 1982 and collapsed on the show's set. When she refused to take a drug test, she was fired and her character was written out of the series. In 1992, she entered a long-term drug rehabilitation program and underwent intensive treatment for nine months.

Early 1990's - Career revival

From late 1980s-early '90s, Phillips performed with a re-formed version of The Mamas & the Papas known as The New Mamas and The Papas. In 1999, Phillips co-starred with Cara DeLizia in the Disney Channel series So Weird, playing a fictional rock star coincidentally named Molly Phillips. She was mother to Fiona, played by Cara DeLizia, and Jack played by Patrick Levis. In the third season, Fiona was replaced by Alexz Johnson, and Molly became a sort of mother to her. She sang original songs written by show producers Jon Cooksey and Ann Marie Montade. In 2002, she appeared in the Disney Channel original movie Double Teamed. Phillips has since guest-starred on episodes of ER, Without a Trace, 7th Heaven, and Cold Case Files.

Mackenzie also won an Honorary Best Actress award on March 20, 2011 at the closing night awards gala of the Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto, Canada for her performance as Sharon in the 2010 independent film Peach Plum Pear. While in Toronto, she was interviewed on Canada Am, ET Canada, and the Marilyn Denis Show.

Personal life

Mackenzie has been married twice: to rock-group manager Jeffrey Sessler (1979–1981), and to rock guitarist Michael Barakan – now known professionally as Shane Fontayne – (1996–2000). She has one child, a son, Shane Barakan (born 1987), a musician. Phillips has had a lifetime troubled by drug abuse. On August 27, 2008, she was arrested by the Los Angeles Airport Police on charges of possession of cocaine and heroin after she went through airport security screening. On October 31, 2008, she pleaded guilty to one felony count of cocaine possession, and was sentenced to a drug rehabilitation program. Phillips' drug case was dismissed after she successfully completed a drug diversion program. "Mackenzie deserves great credit for seizing the opportunity she was given to get clean and prove she was worthy of the dismissal of her case," her attorney Blair Berk said in a statement. She appeared on the third season of MTV's Celebrity Rehab, which aired in January and February 2010. She later discussed her recovery on the March 17, 2010 episode of The View.