Mackenzie Phillips

About

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.

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.

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…