Mackenzie Phillips

Laura Mackenzie Phillips (born November 10, 1959) is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of seminal folk-rock musician John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas and his first wife Susan Adams. Her best-known roles include Carol Morrison in the film American Graffiti, Julie Laura Cooper Horvath on the sitcom One Day at a Time, Molly Phillips on Disney Channel's supernatural series So Weird, and Barbara "Barb" Denning in Orange Is the New Black.

Early life Phillips attended Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge, California. At age 12, Phillips formed a band with three of her classmates and she was spotted by Fred Roos, a casting agent, during one of their performances. She was given an audition for a role in George Lucas's 1973 film American Graffiti, which she won.

Career

Phillips was 12 years old during the filming of American Graffiti and 13 when the movie was released. She was cast as Carol Morrison, a young girl accidentally picked up by hot rodding teenager John Milner (Paul Le Mat). Because of California state law, producer Gary Kurtz became Phillips' legal guardian for the duration of the filming.

Phillips gained stardom in the 1970s playing teenager Julie Cooper (when the character got married, her married name was Horvath) on the long-running television show One Day at a Time, for which she earned $50,000 a week.

Phillips won an Honorary Best Actress award on March 20, 2011, at the closing night awards gala of the Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto 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. In 2016, Phillips began working at the Breathe Life Healing Center in West Hollywood, California as a drug rehab counselor. In 2017, Phillips appeared in an episode of the rebooted One Day at a Time as Pam Valentine, a counselor. She reprised the role in 2019 in two episodes of the third season. In 2018, Phillips appeared as Barbara Denning in episodes of the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black.

Personal life Phillips has been married three times: first to rock group manager Jeffrey Sessler, son of Freddie Sessler (from 1979 to 1981); then to rock guitarist Shane Fontayne (from 1986 to 2000); and then to Keith Levenson in 2005 (they subsequently divorced). She has one child, son Shane Barakan (b. 1987), a musician. In an interview in March 2022, she stated that she has dated both men and women.

Substance abuse and arrest Phillips has struggled with drug abuse for much of her life. On August 27, 2008, she was arrested by the Los Angeles Airport Police on charges of possession of cocaine and heroin, discovered 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's drug case was dismissed after she successfully completed a drug diversion program. She appeared on the third season of Celebrity Rehab, which aired in January and February 2010. She later discussed her recovery on the March 17, 2010, episode of The View.

Allegations of abuse by biological father In September 2009, Phillips's memoir High on Arrival was released, after which she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show for an hour-long interview. She told Oprah Winfrey that she first tried cocaine when she was 11 years old and that her father had given her drugs and injected her with cocaine. During the interview, Phillips read excerpts from her book. She said that at the age of 19, on the night before her first wedding in 1979, "I woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my own father", and that when she confronted her father months later, asking why he had raped her, her father simply replied: "Raped you? Don't you mean we made love?" Phillips told Winfrey of having a "consensual" sexual relationship with her father, describing her participation as "sort of Stockholm syndrome, where you begin to love your captor". However, she has also described the initial incident as a rape and has said: "No matter what kind of incest, it is an abuse of power ... a betrayal of trust."

Geneviève Waïte, John Phillips's third wife, denied the allegations, saying they were inconsistent with his character. Michelle Phillips, John's second wife, also stated that she had "every reason to believe [Mackenzie's account is] untrue". However, Chynna Phillips, Mackenzie Phillips's half-sister and Michelle Phillips's daughter, stated that she believed Phillips's claims and that Phillips first told her about the relationship during a phone conversation in 1997, approximately 11 years after the supposed relationship had ended. Jessica Woods, daughter of the Mamas and the Papas member Denny Doherty, said that her father had told her that he knew "the awful truth" and that he was "horrified at what John had done".

Filmography +Film Year Title Role Notes1973 American Graffiti Carol Morrison 1975 Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins Rita "Frisbee" Sykes 1979 More American Graffiti Carol "Rainbow" Morrison 1982 Love Child J.J. 1998 True Friends Connie 1999 When Catherine Brown 2002 Double Teamed Mary Burge 2005 Nurse Harding 2011 Hercules Saves Christmas Helen Dunn Alternate title: Santa's Dog Peach Plum Pear Sharon 2014 Suburban Gothic Mrs. Richards Blackout Sarah Short film North Blvd Linda 2015 Girl on the Edge Deborah Green 2016 Sacred Journeys Tiff Short film2018 North Blvd Linda

+Stage Year Title Role Notes 1994–1998 Grease Betty Rizzo Broadway touring revival 1999 The Vagina Monologues Performer Westside Theatre 2001–2002 A Delicate Balance Julia Ford Theatre 2002 Same Time, Next YearDoris Shubert Theater 2004–2005 How I Learned to DriveL'il Bit Alex Theatre 2005–2007 Annie Lily St. Regis Touring revival