A fixture on the New York party scene before she was old enough to drive, Bijou Phillips was a wild child personified. Born into rock royalty, she made gossip-page headlines by the time she was 13, thanks to her hard-core partying, excessive drinking, and heavy drug use. As a prepubescent teen, she appeared in controversial ad campaigns clad in nothing but her underwear. Phillips' life was seemingly spinning out of control until she turned her life around and began to focus on an acting career. Her breakout role was in the independent film "Black and White" (1999), a compelling drama about racism. She also appeared in the critically acclaimed drama "Almost Famous" (2000), as a teen groupie to an up-and-coming 1970s rock band. In spite of her family's highly publicized personal tragedies, which included shocking allegations of an incestuous relationship between her father, legendary singer John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas and her half-sister, actress Mackenzie Phillips, Phillips continued to act and tackle roles that showcased her talents and passion for her chosen career.
Bijou Lilly Phillips was born on April 1, 1980 in Greenwich, CT to father John Phillips, founder of the 1960s folk-rock group, The Mamas and the Papas, and mother Geneviève Waïte, a South African model and actress. Phillips' family also included her brother Tamerlane, and three half-siblings, Jeffrey Phillips, actress Mackenzie Phillips, and singer Chynna Phillips. Raised mostly by her father - who was knee-deep in a heroin addiction which would later lead to an arrest for trafficking - Phillips spent the earlier part of her childhood in Malibu, CA, where she was surrounded by sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. Any semblance of childhood ended when she moved to New York City and began modeling at age 13, gracing the covers of Interview magazine and Italian Vogue. Phillips also appeared in a controversial Calvin Klein ad campaign as one of the pouty adolescents clad only in their white underwear. At 14, Phillips dropped out of school, left home, and moved into her own apartment. Due to the lack of adult supervision, Phillips led a life of excessive partying. Her reckless behavior at such a young age was tabloid fodder for years, and included stories about Phillips' failed relationship with Cher's son, Elijah Blue Allman, and how she allegedly half-sliced a man's finger with a cigar cutter in a New York bar. Phillips was also linked to actors Elijah Wood and Leonardo DiCaprio, and dated Beatle offspring Sean Lennon for several years.
At age 17, it appeared as though Phillips had put her wild days behind her and had decided to embrace her musical legacy. In 1999, she released the indie-rock album I'd Rather Eat Glass, which received mostly negative reviews. Phillips was more successful as an actress. She garnered glowing reviews for her performance as a hip-hop obsessed teen in the drama "Black and White" (1999) opposite Robert Downey, Jr., Jared Leto, and Elijah Wood. In 2000, Phillips had a small but memorable part as a groupie in director Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous," starring Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, and Frances McDormand. She went on to star in a number of independent films such as the sexually charged drama "Bully" (2001), the thriller "Octane" (2003), and co-starred in "Havoc" (2005) opposite Anne Hathaway. Phillips also starred in the biopic "What We Do is Secret" (2007), about the punk legend Darby Crash and his band, the Germs.
Her notorious family once again made headlines after her half-sister, Mackenzie Phillips, best known for her role of Julie Cooper on the Seventies sitcom "One Day at a Time" (CBS, 1975-1984), revealed in her earth-shattering memoir High on Arrival (2009) that she had a long-term sexual relationship with her rock legend father, who was by then deceased. Following Mackenzie's shocking revelation, Phillips and her other half-sister, Chynna, both admitted that they already knew about Mackenzie's situation. In a statement, Phillips said that she was 13 years old when Mackenzie admitted that she had a consensual and drug-induced physical relationship with their father. In 2009, Phillips - who by now was a certifiable survivor of her extended family's decadent and often dysfunctional lifestyle - became engaged to "That '70s Show" (Fox, 1998-2006) star Danny Masterson, whom she met in 2006 at a poker tournament in Las Vegas, NV. The couple co-starred in several independent films such as "Wake" (2009) and "The Bridge to Nowhere" (2009). In 2010, Phillips appeared in several episodes of the comedy "Raising Hope" (ABC, 2010- ).
By Candy Cuenco
