Valerie Mahaffey was an actress from the United States who started her career by appearing in the NBC daytime soap opera The Doctors (1979–81), for which she received a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1980.
Early Life & Education
Valerie Mahaffey was born in Sumatra, Indonesia, on June 16, 1953, to a Canadian mother and an American father who met in New Brunswick, Canada.
Her father worked in the oil industry, leading the family to relocate frequently; consequently, Mahaffey’s early years were spent in Indonesia, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom.
When she turned 16, her family moved to Austin, Texas, where she finished her studies at Austin High School. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 and later made her debut on Broadway in the musical Rex.
Valerie Mahaffey’s Career
Valerie Mahaffey was a prominent cast member in the soap opera The Doctors from 1979 to 1981, earning her a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1980.
In 1986, she starred in the film Women of Valor, which, despite its fictional characters, illustrated the roles of women in the Philippines during World War II.
In the late 1980s, Mahaffey began her acting career in television comedies such as Newhart, Cheers, and Seinfeld.
From 1992 to 1993, she featured in the brief NBC sitcom The Powers That Be and later appeared in the CBS sitcom Women of the House alongside Delta Burke in 1995.
She portrayed Tracy Milford in the 1995 film National Lampoon’s Senior Trip and Jan Kempster in the 1997 film Jungle 2 Jungle.
Valerie Mahaffey received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1992 for her portrayal of the chronic hypochondriac Eve in the CBS series Northern Exposure.
Mahaffey portrayed Alma Hodge during the third season of the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, which aired from 2006 to 2007.
Additionally, Mahaffey made guest appearances in various television shows, including Quantum Leap, L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, Judging Amy, The West Wing, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Frasier, Wings, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Private Practice, Boston Legal, Without a Trace, and Raising Hope. From 2011 to 2013, she was featured on Glee as the mother of Emma Pillsbury.
In 2016, Valerie Mahaffey portrayed a supporting character named Diane Higgins in the biographical drama film Sully, which was directed by Clint Eastwood. In 2017, she started to appear in a recurring role in the CBS comedy series Young Sheldon.
From 2019 to 2022, Mahaffey played a recurring role as Lorna Harding, who is Christina Applegate’s mother-in-law, in the Netflix comedy-drama series Dead to Me.
In 2020, Valerie Mahaffey appeared alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in the comedy-drama film French Exit, portraying the role of widow Madame Reynaud. Critics praised Mahaffey for her scene-stealing comedic performance in the film.
Subsequently, in 2020, Mahaffey was selected for a series regular role in the inaugural season of the ABC crime drama series Big Sky.
Personal Life & Cause of Death
Valerie Mahaffey was married to actor and director Joseph Kell, and together they had a daughter. Mahaffey passed away from cancer on May 30, 2025, at the age of 71.
