Career
Phillips was 12 when the filming of American Graffiti began, and 14 when the movie was released. 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.
Phillips gained stardom in the 1970s, when she played boy-crazy teenager Julie Cooper Horvath on the long-running television show One Day at a Time, for which she earned $50,000 a week. During the show's third season in 1977, Phillips was arrested for public drunkenness and possession of cocaine. Because of her drug and alcohol abuse, Phillips 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. 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.
From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, 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.
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, 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.
Read more about this topic: Mackenzie Phillips
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