Birthday profile

Alison La Placa

Alison La Placa, American actress

Born
December 16, 1959
Age in 2026
67
Zodiac sign
Sagittarius
Birth year
1959

About Alison La Placa

Alison La Placa (born December 16, 1959) 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. Shortly after moving to Hollywood, La Placa landed the role of Elyse in the sitcom version of Barry Levinson's dramedy film Diner (1982). La Placa played opposite Kirstie Alley in the comedy movie Madhouse (1990), with co-star John Larroquette.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Alison La Placa timeline

  1. Shortly after moving to Hollywood, La Placa landed the role of Elyse in the sitcom version of Barry Levinson's dramedy film Diner (1982).
  2. La Placa played opposite Kirstie Alley in the comedy movie Madhouse (1990), with co-star John Larroquette.

The world when Alison La Placa was born

Alison La Placa was born in 1959. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1959

  • #1 song"Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin
  • Top movieBen-Hur
  • Top TV showGunsmoke
  • Best-selling bookGoldfinger – Ian Fleming

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentIngemar Johansson knocks out Floyd Patterson for heavyweight title
  • Top headlineAlaska and Hawaii become the 49th and 50th US states
  • Technology milestoneMicrochip (integrated circuit) invented
  • Defining fadBarbie dolls
  • Notable inventionBarbie doll
  • World population2.98 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population177.1M

1959 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Alison La Placa's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19592026
Gas$0.31$3.45/gal
Average home$12,400$435,000
Average income$7,000$67,500
Minimum wage$1.00$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.69$11.95
Postage stamp$0.04$0.73
Population177.1M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.