R.I.P. Valerie Mahaffey

Valerie Mahaffey would have been 72 today, but she passed away a couple of weeks ago.

While I had certainly seen some earlier performances, the comic excellence of Mahaffey didn’t really register with me until quite recently, in a couple of turns on popular tv series that made me sit up and take notice. She was Christina Applegate’s horrible mother-in-law on Dead to Me (2019-2022), and the Oedipal mama of a serial killing truck driver on Big Sky (2020-2021). I flippin’ LOVED these performances. It seemed to me that she owned a specific type — uptight busybodies of a certain age, with her sharp-angled fox-like face, pursed lips, and blazing eyes. She was so hysterical and so weird (weird is a good quality in my system of critical values).

When she was younger she more like one of Cinderella’s evil, conniving step-sisters. Some other notable performances include her Emmy winning recurring turn as the local hypochondriac Eve on Northern Exposure, her role as a preppy political daughter (and wife) on the satirical sitcom The Powers That Be (1992-1993), a recurring part on the Designing Women spin-off Women of the House (1995), the part of Karl Rove’s wife on That’s My Bush!, and recurring roles on Desperate Housewives (2007-2012), The United States of Tara (2009), Devious Maids (2013-2015), and Young Sheldon (2017-2020).

Mahaffey’s unusual upbringing divided her childhood betwixt Indonesia, Nigeria, the U.K., and Austin, Texas (her father was in the oil business). She graduated from the University of Austin and stepped immediately into a role in the Broadway play Rex (1976) with Nicol Williamson and Glenn Close. She appeared on Broadway a total of six times over the next decade, taking over the role of Lucy in the 1977 production of Dracula, and appearing in an original adaptation of Schnitzler’sThe Loves of Anatol (1985), among other parts.

Her screen career began on soaps such as The Doctors and Fresno. There were guest shots on Seinfeld,Newhart, Cheers, Wings, Frasier, and a dozen other shows. She was also in movies like Seabiscuit (2003), Jack and Jilly (2011), Crazy Eyes (2012), Sully (2016), and French Exit (2020)

I’ll miss the heck out of whatever subsequent performances she might have given us. But as it turned out, will always be delighted when an old performance of hers tumbles my way. Casting directors knew just how to employ her. Shelly Long was reportedly one of Lisa Kudrow’s inspirations inThe Comeback. Can I do some irresponsible speculating and suggest that there’s Valerie Mahaffey in there too?