About
Valerie Mahaffey (June 16, 1953 – May 30, 2025) was an American actress and producer. She began her career starring 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 1992, Mahaffey won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in the CBS drama series Northern Exposure. She later won fame through her portrayal of extroverted and friendly but ultimately insane women on the television shows Wings, Desperate Housewives, Devious Maids and Big Sky. Mahaffey also appeared in a number of movies, including Senior Trip (1995), Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Jack and Jill (2011), Sully (2016), and most notably French Exit (2020), for which she received critical acclaim and an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Description above...
Known for
Ally McBealSeries • 1997
Law & Order: Special Victims UnitSeries • 1999
Grey's AnatomySeries • 2005
CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationSeries • 2000
Desperate HousewivesSeries • 2004
SeinfeldSeries • 1989
FrasierSeries • 1993
Young SheldonSeries • 2017
The West WingSeries • 1999
ERSeries • 1994
GleeSeries • 2009
CheersSeries • 1982
Without a TraceSeries • 2002
Boston LegalSeries • 2004
Quantum LeapSeries • 1989
The Mindy ProjectSeries • 2012
L.A. LawSeries • 1986
American PlayhouseSeries • 1982
Private PracticeSeries • 2007
Judging AmySeries • 1999
WingsSeries • 1990
NewhartSeries • 1982
Hannah MontanaSeries • 2006
Raising HopeSeries • 2010