Alice was born and raised in New York City. After seeing "Man of La Mancha" at the age of 10, she wanted to become an actress herself. She participated in many plays in elementary and high-school and received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Hunter College.

She performed in several Off-Off Broadway productions before being cast in her first leading film role in " Mission Hill," re-released in 2011 as "No Expectations." Soon thereafter, she was cast in the TBS soap opera "The Catlins" in Atlanta and upon returning to New York began a successful commercial career. In 1989, she was cast as Frankie Frame in NBC's "Another World," a role she played for seven years.

She has since appeared in many prime time shows, including "Chicago Med," "Billions," and "Law & Order"SVU." Her multiple film roles include "Choke" with Sam Rockwell, " "13," "Twelve," and "Behind Some Dark Cloud," which stars her daughter, Julia Barrett-Mitchell. In 2020, she was cast as the matriarch of a wrestling family in the Lionsgate/Starz production, "Heels."

She is married to musician/songwriter, Stanley John Mitchell, and is the mother of Anna Barrett Mitchell, aka JoAnna, a painter, musician and songwriter, and actor/director Julia Barrett-Mitchell. They live in beautiful Brooklyn, NY.