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| Valerie Mahaffey | |
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 Valerie Mahaffey after the 1992 Emmy Awards |
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| Born | Valerie Mahaffey June 16, 1953 New York City, New York |
| Spouse(s) | Joseph Kell (?-present) 1 child |
Valerie Mahaffey (born on June 16, 1953) is an American actress who won an Emmy Award for her work on Northern Exposure. She later won fame through her portrayal of extroverted and friendly but ultimately insane women on the television shows Wings and Desperate Housewives. Her stage credits include Eastern Standard, Talking Heads, Top Girls, and Rex.
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Biography
Career
In 1991, Mahaffey gained recognition for her recurring role as Eve on Northern Exposure. In a 1991 episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Truth", she played George Costanza's girlfriend. Also in 1991, she was in an episode of Cheers, entitled Achilles Hill where the landlord will forfeit rent if Sam Malone avoids his daughter (Mahaffey).
Starting in the 1993 season of the sitcom Wings, Mahaffey had a recurring role as Sandy Cooper, a friend of Joe, Brian, and Helen from high school. She had an insane obsessive crush on Joe, but he was unable to convince anyone else of this because she acted completely normal except when she is left alone with Joe, who nicknamed her "Psycho Sandy." She would appear on different occasions and carefully plan her "life with Joey Bear" when he was alone with her, including a re-enacted high school prom, a wedding, and a first baby.
In 1995, Mahaffey originated the role of Malone in the Designing Women spin-off Women of the House, substituting for Julie Hagerty, who was committed to another project. Hagerty eventually joined the show, taped two episodes and resigned. Mahaffey returned for one additional episode, then the character abruptly vanished without explanation.
Some of Mahaffey's other guest starring roles on series television include a 1990 role on Quantum Leap, a 2002 role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and a 2006 role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She won acclaim in the 2006-07 season of Desperate Housewives for her role as Alma Hodge, a psychotic woman who is so desperate to have a baby that she attempts to rape her former husband, Orson Hodge to become pregnant. In 2007, she portrayed Marilyn Sullivan, a mother who physically abused her daughter in the episode In Which Charlotte Goes Down the Rabbit Hole on Private Practice. She currently appears as Dr. Ocean on United States of Tara, the title character's psychotherapist. She also played the John Forsythe and Holland Taylor characters' daughter in the short-lived - but exceptionally funny - The Powers That Be.
Mahaffey starred in the 1997 film Jungle 2 Jungle and has an upcoming role in the 2009 film Summer Eleven.
Personal life
She is married to Joseph Kell, with whom she has one child.
External links
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