What Is Michelle Phillips' Net Worth?
Michelle Phillips is an American singer and actress who has a net worth of $10 million. Michelle Phillips married musician John Phillips when she was eighteen. She and John formed the musical group The Mamas and the Papas in 1965. The group also featured Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty. They quickly became one of the most recognizable musical acts of the era with their blend of folk, rock, and pop. Their debut album, "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears" (1966), included the timeless hit "California Dreamin'," a song that became an anthem for the counterculture generation. The single "Monday, Monday" won them a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The band's music often spoke to the dreams and aspirations of the youth of the day, resonating with themes of freedom and a longing for connection.
The Mamas and the Papas' tenure was short but impactful, with a career that spanned just half a decade but left a lasting legacy. They released a total of five studio albums and numerous singles, many of which climbed the charts, before their dissolution in 1968. Two years later, John and Michelle broke up.
Michelle and John co-wrote some of their most beloved songs, including "California Dreamin'."
Michelle attempted to launch a solo career in the '70s, but the effort was largely unsuccessful, though she did provide backing vocals on a number of other artists' successful tracks. She also launched an acting career in the mid-1970s, as well, and has worked steadily ever since. She has appeared in such projects as "Dillinger," "The California Kid," "Spin City," "7th Heaven," "No One Would Tell," "Knots Landing," and "Beverly Hills, 90210."
Early Life
Michelle Phillips was born Holly Michelle Gilliam on June 4, 1944, in Long Beach, California. She is the daughter of Joyce Leone and Gardner Burnett Gilliam. Her mother worked as an accountant, and her father was a merchant mariner. She grew up with her older sister, Russell Ann. While Phillips was five years old, her mother died after suffering a brain hemorrhage. The family then relocated to Buffalo, New York, where her father began working as a bartender. They later returned to California and then moved to Mexico City, where her father had enrolled to study sociology on the GI Bill at Mexico City College. They lived there for the next six years, and Phillips became fluent in Spanish and attended school there. When she was 13, the family returned to the U.S. and settled in Los Angeles. Michelle attended a few different high schools in the area and spent a lot of her free time playing music.
Career
When she was 17, Phillips moved to San Francisco to begin working as a model. She became a part of the city's counter-cultural music scene and nightlife. While at a club in 1961, she met John Phillips, who was there touring with his band, the Journeymen. The two soon after married and began writing music together. They moved to New York City and formed the band the Mamas and the Papas in 1965. She co-wrote some of the band's biggest hits, like "California Dreamin'." Over the next few years, they released several albums and experienced great success throughout the United States. However, the group disbanded in 1971 just before the release of their final album, "People Like Us."
In the final years of the band, Phillips had already begun trying out acting. She appeared in the film "Saturation 70" in 1969. After the band broke up, she enrolled in acting classes and studied with Peggy Feury. Her first film role after some training came in 1971 when she had a minor part in "The Last Movie." Two years later, Michelle was cast in the lead role in the thriller film "Dillinger." The film received rave reviews and Phillips's performance in particular was praised. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. In 1974, she had a role in "The California Kid" opposite Martin Sheen, followed by a role in "Shampoo" in 1975. The same year, she also signed a solo recording contract with A&M Records.
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In 1977, Phillips released her first and only solo album, "Victim of Romance." She also appeared in the film "Valentino" that year, which received mixed reviews. In 1979, she appeared in the film adaptation of the Sidney Sheldon novel "Bloodline." In 1980, Michelle appeared in "The Man with Bogart's Face," followed by "Savage Harvest" in 1981. In 1983, she joined the cast of the series "Hotel" and remained on the show until 1986. That year, she appeared in "American Anthem."
Beginning in 1987, Phillips starred in "Knots Landing" as Anne Matheson Sumner. She remained on the show until its conclusion in 1993. While on the show, she continued to appear in films. She had a role in the 1989 film "Let It Ride" co-starring Richard Dreyfuss and Teri Garr. She also had a supporting role in the thriller "Scissors" in 1991. In 1993, she had a supporting role in the action thriller "Joshua Tree." From 1993 to 1994, Michelle appeared in the series "Second Chances." In 1996, she appeared in "No One Would Tell" and then had a voice role in "Spicy City" in 1997.
In the 2000s, Phillips appeared in films like "Jane White is Sick & Twisted," "Harry + Max," and "Unbeatable Harold." From 2001 to 2004, she appeared in a recurring role on the series "7th Heaven." In 2009, she had a small role in the film "Betrayal." Michelle stopped acting around this time, though she did go on to appear as herself in a number of documentary films. These include "Feminists: What Were They Thinking" in 2018 and "Echo in the Canyon" in 2019.
Personal Life
In 1961, when Phillips was 17, she met musician John Phillips in San Francisco. The two immediately began a whirlwind romance despite the fact that Phillips was married at the time. He divorced his first wife and married Michelle on December 31, 1962, when she was 18 years old. Michelle had a few affairs in the early years of their marriage, but the couple reconciled. They welcomed a daughter, Chynna, in February 1968. However, the couple filed for divorce a year later, in May 1969. Michelle then began seeing Dennis Hopper. The two married in October 1970, but their marriage lasted only eight days. In the mid-1970s, she dated Warren Beatty, who she later described as the love of her life. In 1978, she married Robert Burch. They divorced in 1979. Throughout the early 1980s, she was in a serious relationship with Grainger Hines. They had a son together, Austin, in 1982. From 1987 until 1996, she was in a relationship with Geoffrey Tozer. While together, they adopted Aron Wilson, the son of a friend of hers. Her longest relationship began in 1999 when she started seeing Steven Zax. They remained together until his death in 2017.
