Emmy-winning actor Valerie Mahaffey, known for Desperate Housewives, Young Sheldon and Dead to Me, died on Friday. She died in Los Angeles at the age of 71, The Hollywood Reporter cited her publicist Jillian Roscoe.
Valerie Mahaffey dies at 71
Valerie died after a battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband, Joseph Kell, and their daughter, Alice. “I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses,” Joseph said in a statement. She was last seen in the Apple TV+ series Echo 3.
About Valerie’s acting career, in TV shows
Valerie began her acting career by appearing on Broadway from 1976-84. She was also part of the soap opera The Doctors (1979-80) and Tales of the Unexpected (1984). She was also part of Seinfeld, Wings, Cheers, Big Sky, and The Mindy Project.
She played Alma Hodge, ex-wife of Kyle MacLachlan’s Orson Hodge, on Desperate Housewives from 2006-07. She also appeared as teacher Victoria MacElroy on Young Sheldon from 2017-20. In Netflix’s Dead to Me (2019-22), she played Lorna Harding.
Valerie was seen in small roles in many popular shows, including Boston Legal (2008), Hannah Montana (2010), and Grey’s Anatomy (2013).
Valerie won awards
In 1980, she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Doctors. In 1992, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in Northern Exposure.
Valerie’s film career
Valerie also appeared in several films such as Senior Trip and Women of the House (1995), Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Seabiscuit (2003), Summer Eleven (2010), Jack and Jill (2011), Sully and No Pay, Nudity (2016), and most notably French Exit (2020).
GRQ the Movie, for which she completed shooting, will release posthumously.
