Alison La Placa

Biography: Alison La Placa is a gifted comic actress who has been working steadily since the early '80s, including starring roles in several highly anticipated (but ultimately unsuccessful) television series. Born in New Jersey in 1959 and raised in Lincolnshire, IL, a suburb outside of Chicago, La Placa set her sights on an entertainment career and trained in musical theater. As a practical matter, however, her career has been much more oriented toward comedy, which she describes as being essentially musical theater without the music. Her first shot at stardom came in 1983, at age 23, when she portrayed Elyse in the television pilot spin-off of Barry Levinson's feature film Diner. That series failed to sell, and her subsequent work included parts in Fletch (1985) and Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1988). She also made appearances on Cheers and Remington Steele, and by the second half of the 1980s, she had found her firm niche in television, starting with the series Duet (1987) on the FOXAlison La Placa is a gifted comic actress who has been working steadily since the early '80s, including starring roles in several highly anticipated (but ultimately unsuccessful) television series. Born in New Jersey in 1959 and raised in Lincolnshire, IL, a suburb outside of Chicago, La Placa set her sights on an entertainment career and trained in musical theater. As a practical matter, however, her career has been much more oriented toward comedy, which she describes as being essentially musical theater without the music. Her first shot at stardom came in 1983, at age 23, when she portrayed Elyse in the television pilot spin-off of Barry Levinson's feature film Diner. That series failed to sell, and her subsequent work included parts in Fletch (1985) and Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1988). She also made appearances on Cheers and Remington Steele, and by the second half of the 1980s, she had found her firm niche in television, starting with the series Duet (1987) on the FOX network, which led to a starring role on the short-lived FOX series Open House (1989). After being cast in a few more failed series, including The Jackie Thomas Show (1992) and Tom (1994, in which she played Tom Arnold's wife), La Placa finally found success when she joined the cast of The John Larroquette Show in 1994. Since then, La Placa's most memorable work was seen on the 1997 season of the series Friends, as Rachel's boss Joanna, whose involvement with Matthew Perry's Chandler -- including a ferociously funny performance in the episode "The One With the 'Cuffs" -- led to some delightful comedic situations. With those credits behind her, La Placa bids fair to be seen in television comedy for years to come. Expand

Alison La Placa's Scores

  • TV
Average career score: 62
Highest Metascore: 81 Mom: Season 2
Lowest Metascore: 36 Man Up!: Season 1
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
4 tv reviews
Title: Year: Credit: User score:
81 Mom: Season 2 Oct 30, 2014 Alison LaPlaca / Louanne 7.6
36 Man Up!: Season 1 Oct 18, 2011 Alison LaPlaca / Carroll 6.0
tbd Til Death: Season 4 Oct 2, 2009 Beth tbd
64 Lie to Me: Season 1 Jan 21, 2009 Diane Kretschmer 8.8
tbd Without a Trace: Season 7 Sep 23, 2008 Mary Whiman tbd
tbd Til Death: Season 3 Sep 10, 2008 Actor tbd
tbd Grey's Anatomy: Season 4 Sep 27, 2007 Actor 7.9
tbd Boston Legal: Season 4 Sep 25, 2007 Alison LaPlaca / Andrea Michele 8.1
tbd The O.C.: Season 4 Nov 2, 2006 Alison LaPlaca / Dr. James 5.7
67 Desperate Housewives: Season 3 Sep 24, 2006 Rita Patterson 8.1
tbd ER: Season 8 Sep 27, 2001 Female Lawyer 8.4
tbd Malcolm in the Middle: Season 2 Nov 5, 2000 Alison LaPlaca / Barbara 9.0
tbd Friends: Season 4 Sep 25, 1997 Joanna / Alison LaPlaca / Joanna / Joanna 9.1
tbd The John Larroquette Show: Season 4 Sep 18, 1996 Catherine Merrick / Alison LaPlaca / Catherine Merrick tbd
tbd Friends: Season 3 Sep 16, 1996 Joanna / Joanna 9.1
tbd The John Larroquette Show: Season 3 Sep 30, 1995 Catherine Merrick / Alison LaPlaca / Catherine Merrick tbd
tbd Friends: Season 2 Sep 21, 1995 Joanna 9.1
tbd The John Larroquette Show: Season 2 Sep 20, 1994 Catherine Merrick / Alison LaPlaca / Catherine Merrick tbd
tbd Fame: Season 6 Oct 6, 1986 Alison LaPlaca / Audrey Fleming tbd
tbd Remington Steele: Season 4 Sep 25, 1985 Actor / Alison LaPlaca tbd
tbd Cheers: Season 3 Sep 27, 1984 Paula Nelson / Paula Nelson 9.0