Valerie Mahaffey, Emmy-winning 'Northern Exposure' and 'Young Sheldon' actress, dies at 71

USA Today

2 days ago

Valerie Mahaffey, Emmy-winning 'Northern Exposure' and 'Young Sheldon' actress, dies at 71 Valerie Mahaffey, perhaps best known for recurring roles on "Northern Exposure," "Desperate Housewives" and "Young Sheldon," has died at age 71 from cancer.
Emmy-winning actress Valerie Mahaffey, best known for her role on the TV series "Northern Exposure," has died. She was 71.
Mahaffey's publicist Jillian Roscoe confirmed to USA TODAY the actress died Friday, May 30, after a battle with cancer.
Her five-decade career included performances on the Broadway stage, countless television appearances and roles in films such as "Seabiscuit," "Sully," "Jungle 2 Jungle" and "No Pay, Nudity."
Mahaffey earned a supporting actress Daytime Emmy nomination in 1980 for her role in the NBC soap opera "The Doctors." In 1992, she would win a Primetime Emmy for best supporting actress in a drama series for her role as Eve in "Northern Exposure."
Most recently, Mahaffey appeared in the Apple TV+ thriller "Echo 3," "The 8th Day" and the film "French Exit," for which she earned an Independent Spirit Award supporting actress nomination.
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Born and raised in Indonesia until the age of 11, Mahaffey also lived in Nigeria, Texas and England. She is survived by her husband Joseph Kell and her daughter Alice.
"I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses," her husband said in a statement. "She will be missed."
Her daughter, who starred in the 2010 film "Summer Eleven," which Mahaffey produced and appeared in (Kell directed), said in a post on Instagram: "don't really have the words to say right now. cancer sucks. i'll look for you in all the fun moments of life. i know that's where you'll be💕🪽 i know we'll see each other again someday. i love you infinity much."
After her regular role as Ashley Bennett on "The Doctors," Mahaffey began a steady stream of TV appearances including recurring roles as Alma Hodge, the devious ex-wife of Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan) over nine episodes (2006-2007) on "Desperate Housewives," the teacher Victoria MacElroy (2017-2020) on "Young Sheldon," and on the Netflix comedy "Dead to Me," as Christina Applegate's mother-in law, Lorna Harding, for nine episodes (2019-2022).
Mahaffey also had guest appearances on comedies such as "Cheers," "Seinfeld" and "Newhart."
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Mahaffey's early career included Broadway plays such as "Dracula," in which she performed with Raul Julia. She also won two Obie Awards for off-Broadway plays "Top Girls" at the Public Theatre and for Alan Bennett's "Talking Heads" at the Minetta Lane.
Her other theater credits include playing Desdemona in "Othello" opposite Morgan Freeman, and Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" with Tom Hulce.
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Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [e-mail]