She started acting professionally in her late 60s. Her first film performance was in the TV movie
Chase in 1985. In 1990, she originated the role of Ruth-Anne Miller on
Northern Exposure. The character had been intended to be intermittent, but gradually appeared more frequently until she became a regular. After the fifth season of the show was wrapped up in 1995, she was undergoing heart surgery when an aortic
aneurysm ruptured. Had she not already been on the operating table, it probably would have been fatal. After
Northern Exposure, Phillips played several guest roles, especially on
7th Heaven. She played the
dude ranch-owning godmother of
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's characters in
How the West Was Fun. Her last role was a guest spot on
ER in 2000. She also founded the Woodinville Repertory Theatre in 1998. ==Death==