Mackenzie Phillips

**Laura Mackenzie Phillips** is an American actress, singer, and author who portrays Pam in the modern *One Day at a Time**.* In the original *One Day at a Time* series, she portrayed the character Julie Mora Cooper Horvath.

## Early Life

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, **Mackenzie Philips** is the daughter of John Phillips, singer in The Mamas & the Papas, and his first wife, Susan Stuart Adams (1936–2016). She is the sister of Jeffrey Phillips and a half-sister of Tamerlane Phillips, actress Bijou Phillips, and singer Chynna Phillips.

Phillips attended Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge, California. At age 12, Phillips 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 film *American Graffiti*, which she won.

## Career

Phillips was twelve years old during the filming of *American Graffiti*, and thirteen 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 when she played boy-crazy 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 (equal to $237,570 today) a week.

During the show's third season in 1977, Phillips was arrested for disorderly conduct. 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 but were ultimately forced to fire her in 1980.

After two near-fatal overdoses, Phillips voluntarily entered Fair Oaks Hospital for rehab treatment. After she completed treatment in 1981, the producers of *One Day at a Time* invited her back to the show.

However, in 1982, Phillips resumed her cocaine use, and the following year, she collapsed on the show's set. When she refused to take a drug test, she was fired again, permanently; her character was written out of the series. In 1992 she entered a long-term drug rehab 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 named Molly Phillips. 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 guest-starred on episodes of *ER*, *Without a Trace*, *7th Heaven*, *Cold Case*, and *Beverly Hills, 90210.*

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, Ontario, 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*.

She currently works at the Breathe Life Healing Center in West Hollywood, California, as a drug rehab counselor.

## Published Works

* *High On Arrival* (2009)
* *Hopeful Healing: Essays on Managing Recovery and Surviving Addiction* (2017)