Alison La Placa

Alison La Placa (born December 16, 1959)^[1] is an American actress best known for playing Linda Phillips on the sitcom Duet and its spin-off Open House, playing Catherine Merrick in 49 episodes of The John Larroquette Show and the recurring role of Joanna, Rachel Green’s boss who dated Chandler Bing on the sitcom Friends.

Alison La Placa
Born	(1959-12-16) December 16, 1959 (age 65) Lincolnshire, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1983-2019
Spouse	Philip Charles MacKenzie ​ ​ (m. 1992)​

Biography

Early life and career

Born in Lincolnshire, Illinois,^[2] a suburb of Chicago,^[3] La Placa is a graduate of Stevenson High School.^[4]

Shortly after moving to Hollywood, La Placa landed the role of Elyse in the sitcom version of Barry Levinson's dramedy movie Diner (1982).^[5][6] That pilot did not get picked up, and soon thereafter La Placa got a role in the made-for-TV movie Listen to Your Heart (1983).^[7]

Later career

The following year, La Placa earned a regular spot on the short-lived sitcom Suzanne Pleshette Is Maggie Briggs (1984).^[7] She had a small role in the movie Fletch (1985),^[8] and subsequently played the starring role of Linda Phillips on the sitcoms Duet (from 1987 to 1989) and Open House (from 1989 to 1990).^[9] La Placa played opposite Kirstie Alley in the comedy movie Madhouse (1990), with co-star John Larroquette.^[10]

La Placa has guest-starred on series including Family Ties, Cheers, ER and Desperate Housewives. She was a regular on Stat (1991), The Jackie Thomas Show (1992), Tom (1994),^[11] and the NBC sitcom The John Larroquette Show (from 1994 to 1996).^[7][12][13] La Placa has guest-starred on animated series such as Batman: The Animated Series and Johnny Bravo.

She played the character Andrea in the television series Boston Legal in two episodes in season 4 ("Glow in the Dark" and "Rescue Me"). She appeared in Malcolm in the Middle as Barbara in the episode "Convention" and in a recurring role in 'Til Death as Beth, Joy's co-worker.^{[citation needed]} She also guest starred in the CBS sitcom Mom.

Personal life

She has been married to television actor/director Philip Charles MacKenzie (her co-star on Open House) since 1992.^[14]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	Voyage of the Rock Aliens	Diane	Credited as Alison Laplaca
1985	Fletch	Pan Am Clerk
1990	Madhouse	Claudia

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Listen to Your Heart	Lynn	Television film
1984	Diner	Elyse	Television short
1984	Maggie Briggs	Melanie Bitterman	Episode: "A New Leaf"
1984	Family Ties	Barbara	Episode: "Fabric Smarts"
1985	Cheers	Paula Nelson	Episode: "Behind Every Great Man"
1985	Brothers	Annie Todson	Episode: "The Shoop Shoop Shop"
1985	Murder: By Reason of Insanity [es]	Janet Landry	Television film (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
1986	Remington Steele	Joan Kendall	Episode: "Steele in the Running"
1986	Second Serve	Nightclub Singer	Television film
1987	Our House	Ann Tollfeson	Episode: "The Best Intentions"
1987	Fame	Ms. Audrey Fleming	Episode: "The Crimson Blade"
1987	The $25,000 Pyramid	Herself	Aired November 23, 1987 to November 27, 1987
1987-1989	Duet	Linda Phillips	Main role
1989-1990	Open House	Linda Phillips	Main role
1991	Stat	Dr. Elizabeth Newberry	Main role
1991	In The Nick of Time	Susan Rosewell	Television film
1992-1993	The Jackie Thomas Show	Laura Miller	Main role
1994	Batman: The Animated Series	Baby-Doll / Mary Louise Dahl	Voice, episode: "Baby-Doll" (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
1994	Tom	Dorothy Graham	Main role
1994-1996	The John Larroquette Show	Catherine Merrick	Recurring role; 49 episodes
1997	Duckman	Marion	Voice, episode: "With Friends Like These"
1997	Temporarily Yours	Lily Greer	Episode: "By Design"
1997	Johnny Bravo	Lois/Brunette	Voice, episode: "Going Batty/Berry the Butler/Red Faced in the White House" (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
1997	Friends	Joanna	3 episodes (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
1998	7th Heaven	Carolyn Fulton	Episode: "...And a Nice Chianti"
1999	Hercules	Additional voices	Episode: "Hercules and the Odyssey Experience"
2000	Malcolm in the Middle	Barbara	Episode: "Convention" (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
2001	Nathan's Choice	Pilot	Television short
2002	ER	Female Lawyer	Episode: "Lockdown"
2006	Desperate Housewives	Rita Patterson	Episode: "The Miracle Song" (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
2007	The O.C.	Dr. James	Episode: "The Groundhog Day" (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
2007	Grey's Anatomy	Mrs. Nolston	2 episodes (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
2008	Boston Legal	Andrea Michele	2 episodes (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
2008-2010	'Til Death	Beth	3 episodes (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
2009	Lie to Me	Diane Ktretschmer	Episode: "Do No Harm" (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
2009	Without a Trace	Mary Whitman	Episode: "Voir Dire" (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
2010	15 Minutes	Goldie	Television short
2011	Man Up!	Caroll	Episode: "Acceptance"
2012	Up All Night	Gail Reinhold	Episode: "Preschool Auction" (credited as Alison LaPlaca)
2014	Mom	Louanne	Episode: "Forged Resumes and the Recommended Dosage" (credited as Alison LaPlaca)