Michelle Phillips
| Michelle Phillips | |
|---|---|
Phillips in 2002
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Holly Michelle Gilliam |
| Born |
June 4, 1944 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk, pop, psychedelic pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actress |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1965–2009 |
| Associated acts | The Mamas & the Papas |
Michelle Phillips (born Holly Michelle Gilliam, June 4, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. A native of California, she met and married John Phillips in San Francisco as a teenager, and went on to co-found the vocal group the Mamas & the Papas in 1965. The band rose to fame with their popular singles "California Dreamin'" and "Creeque Alley," both of which Phillips co-wrote. They released five studio albums before their dissolution in 1970. Phillips is the last surviving member of the group.
After the breakup of the Mamas & the Papas and her divorce from John Phillips, she successfully transitioned into acting, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Billie Frechette in the critically acclaimed crime biopic Dillinger (1973). She went on to appear in numerous films throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including Ken Russell's Valentino (1977), playing Natacha Rambova; Bloodline (1979); and Scissors (1991). She was also a main cast member on the series Knots Landing from 1987 to 1993. Phillips released one solo album, Victim of Romance, in 1977.
Phillips was born Holly Michelle Gilliam in Long Beach, California, the second child of Joyce Leon (née Poole), an accountant, and Gardner Burnett Gilliam, a merchant mariner. She has one older sister. Phillips's mother died of a brain aneurysm when Michelle was five years old. Between the ages of six and twelve, Phillips was raised in Mexico City, Mexico, where her father was studying sociology on the GI Bill at Mexico City College. While there, she attended Mexican schools, and learned to speak Spanish. At age thirteen, Phillips returned to the United States with her father and sister, settling again in Long Beach, where she attended high school. In high school, Phillips played several sports, as well as studying piano, guitar, and cello.
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