Keith Levenson
Keith Levenson is the third and current husband of singer/actress turned drug rehab counselor Mackenzie Phillips –daughter of The Mamas & the Papas singer, John Phillips.
Keith’s wife was born Laura Mackenzie Phillips on November 10, 1959; daughter of John Phillips and his first wife, Susan Adams. She has one brother, Jeffrey and three half-sisters: Tamerlane, Bijou and Chynna Phillips.
She gained fame in the 1970s, with the role of Julie Cooper on the long-running television show One Day at a Time.
Prior to One Day at a Time, she had been casted in the 1973 hit film, American Graffiti.
Phillips landed the role for American Graffiti, after she and her high school band –which she formed at age 12 –were spotted by a casting agent.
Mackenzie attended Highland Hall Waldorf School and soon her talent gained her a spot in the industry but by the early 80’s she had already gained a reputation for being a troubled star.
In 1977 she was arrested for disorderly conduct. Because of her drug and alcohol abuse, Phillips began arriving late and as a result, producers from One Day at a Time, fired her in 1980.
She had at least two stints in rehab.
Phillips then performed with a re-formed version of The Mamas & the Papas, known as The New Mamas and The Papas.
In 1999 she landed a role in the Disney Channel series So Weird. She has also appeared in other TV shows including ER, Without a Trace, 7th Heaven, and Cold Case.
Mackenzie –who made headlines in 2009 after reveling she had a 10-year long incestuous relationship with her father –currently works at the Breathe Life Healing Center.
Phillips revealed in her memoir High on Arrival that on the night before her first wedding, she woke up to find herself having sex with her own father.
Mackenzie’s first husband was Jeffrey Sessler, the pair tied the knot in 1979 but the marriage only lasted less then two years. They divorced in 1981.
In 1986, she married second husband, English rock guitarist Michael Barakan – now known professionally as Shane Fontayne. The former couple welcomed one son, Shane Barakan, in 1987. Mackenzie and Michael divorced in 2000.
Mackenzie and Keith Levenson have been together for 12 years. Levenson is a composer, arranger and music director known for his work on Broadway.
He directed the First National Tour of Jason Robert Brown’s The Bridges of Madison County. Some of his Broadway work includes: Annie, She Loves Me, Dreamgirls, Peter Pan, The Flowering Peach, Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public.
He has gone on National Tours with productions including: Annie, Annie Warbucks, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chess, Big River, Dreamgirls, Jekyll and Hyde, Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, etc.
Keith Levenson served as Music Director and arranger for The Who, Roger Daltrey, KISS, Meatloaf, Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton, Nigel Kennedy, YES and others.
Keith Levenson has also served in other roles including, artistic director and conductor. He contributed for the Libretto and lyrics for Starcrossed with Jeanine Tesori and Alexa Junge.
Keith is also the composer of Winchell with Martin Charnin.
He and Mackenzie Phillips dated for some time before getting married in May of 2005.
You can find Keith Levenson on Facebook here.
