NewsHail
01 Jun 2025
Valerie Mahaffey has died at age 71. Her family shared the news.
Her publicist told The Hollywood Reporter that she died in California on Friday. She had cancer.
Mahaffey was known for her roles on shows like Desperate Housewives, Young Sheldon, and Big Sky.
Her husband, Joseph Kell, gave a statement to Variety. He said, “I lost the love of my life, and America lost a special actress. She will be missed.”
Their daughter Alice posted on Facebook. “I don’t really have the words. Cancer sucks. I’ll see you in all the fun times. I know you’ll be there.”
Mahaffey was loved for her role in Young Sheldon. She wore a red sweater and brown skirt on set. A young boy and girl sat nearby. Behind her was a purple curtain and an American flag.
In 1992, she won a Primetime Emmy for her role as Eve in Northern Exposure, a dark comedy.
She had also won a Daytime Emmy in the 1980s for the soap opera The Doctors, which aired from 1979 to 1981.
Mahaffey acted in films like Sully and Seabiscuit.
In 2020, she played Madame Reynard in French Exit. That role got her a Spirit Award nomination.
Mahaffey was born in Sumatra, Indonesia. Her mother was Canadian, and her father was American. She moved to Texas as a teen.
Her first movie role was in Tell Me My Name in 1977.
Over her long career, she acted in many shows, including ER, The Man in the High Castle, and Glee.
She played Alma Hodge on Desperate Housewives. Alma was the ex-wife of Orson Hodge. Mahaffey was in eight episodes.
In Young Sheldon, she played a teacher named Victoria MacElroy. The show tells the story of a young Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory.
Mahaffey brought joy to many fans over five decades.
