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Emmy-winning actress Valerie Mahaffey has died at 71

By Chris Morgan | Last updated May 31, 2025 11:01 PM ET

Valerie Mahaffey, a longtime television actress, has passed away at the age of 71 after developing cancer.

She is probably best known for her role as Eve on "Northern Exposure." If you weren't alive and of television-watching age in the early '90s, you may not be aware of just how huge "Northern Exposure" was. The same year the medical dramedy about a New York doctor working off his tuition loans in a tiny village in remote Alaska won Outstanding Drama Series, Mahaffey won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She was actually not a regular, but made enough of an impact in her recurring role to win an Emmy. In fact, she was the only actor from the show to win an Emmy.

Mahaffey was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy early in her career for her time on "The Doctors." She would appear in a few episodes of "Wings" and "ER," and then had a recurring role as Alma Hodge on "Desperate Housewives." Later, she had a recurring role on "Young Sheldon" and was a regular on "Big Sky." In one of her last bits of success, Mahaffey was nominated for Best Supporting Female at the Independent Spirit Awards for her role in the 2020 Michelle Pfeiffer comedy "French Exit."

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Mahaffey was married to the actor Joseph Kell. The two had a daughter together, Alice Richards. Mahaffey and Richards starred together in the movie "Summer Eleven," which Kell both wrote and directed. Now, it was a small movie, but the family got a chance to work together, and hopefully they enjoyed it.

R.I.P. to the Emmy-winning actress. It was quite the run.

(h/t Variety)

Chris Morgan

Chris Morgan is a Detroit-based culture writer who has somehow managed to justify getting his BA in Film Studies. He has written about sports and entertainment across various internet platforms for years and is also the author of three books about '90s television.

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