Valerie Mahaffey, Young Sheldon Actress, Dies Of Cancer At 71
Valerie Mahaffey, Emmy-winning actress from Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon, died at 71 in Los Angeles after battling cancer.
Valerie Mahaffey, the Emmy-winning actress known for her memorable performances in Desperate Housewives, Young Sheldon, and Dead to Me, passed away on Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 71. Her publicist, Jillian Roscoe, confirmed that she had been battling cancer.
Valerie is survived by her husband, actor Joseph Kell, and their daughter, Alice. In a heartfelt tribute, Kell shared, 'I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses." Valerie's final on-screen appearance was in the Apple TV+ series Echo 3.
With a career spanning over four decades, Valerie began her journey on Broadway between 1976 and 1984. She gained early recognition through the soap The Doctors and later went on to make appearances in Tales of the Unexpected, Seinfeld, Cheers, Wings, The Mindy Project, and Big Sky.
Television audiences remember her fondly as Alma Hodge on Desperate Housewives (2006–07), teacher Victoria MacElroy on Young Sheldon (2017–20), and Lorna Harding in Netflix's Dead to Me (2019–22). She also made guest appearances in popular shows like Grey's Anatomy, Hannah Montana, and Boston Legal.
Mahaffey earned critical acclaim throughout her career. She received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1980 for The Doctors and won a Primetime Emmy in 1992 for her role in Northern Exposure.
Her film work included Seabiscuit, Sully, Jungle 2 Jungle, French Exit, and Jack and Jill. Her final film, GRQ the Movie, is set to release posthumously.
Valerie Mahaffey was born in Sumatra, Indonesia, to a Canadian mother and a father from Texas. Her parents had met in New Brunswick, Canada. At the age of 16, Valerie and her family relocated to Austin, Texas, where she completed her schooling at Austin High School. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. Soon after, she began her professional acting career with a debut on Broadway in the musical Rex.
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