Busy Philipps
Busy Phillips, whose stage name was inspired by the childhood nickname her parents gave her to capture her unflagging energy levels, has put the same tireless effort into her career. After studying at the Acting Lab of Arizona and England's Oxford School Of Drama, she cut her teeth in community productions in the Scottsdale, Ariz., area and playing a live-action Barbie for Mattel at a New York Toy Fair. In 1999, she landed her first regular TV gig on the cult classic "Freaks and Geeks." After its infamous cancellation, she did various TV movies and guest work on "Malcolm In The Middle" and "Undeclared" before visiting "Dawson's Creek" in 2003 as Joey's over-the-top roommate. It was Michelle Williams, however, who winded up becoming her real-life bestie and Phillips is often seen serving as the Oscar winner's awards show date. Her vivacious personality is a natural fit for comedy, but she has tried her hand at drama as well with recurring roles on "ER" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." She has dabbled in movies ("White Chicks", "I Don't Know How She Does It"), drops in for quick cameos on hip shows ("Community", "Arrested Development") and even earned a writer credit on Will Ferrell's "Blades Of Glory." Since 2009, she has been portraying slut-with-a-heart-of-gold Laurie Keller on "Cougar Town." She is a mother to two girls — Birdie (born 2008) and Cricket (born July 2013) — with husband screenwriter Marc Silverstein.
