Watch Valerie Mahaffey Videos

Valerie Mahaffey (born June 16, 1953) is an American actress and producer, 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. From 1979-81, she starred in the soap opera The Doctors, which earned her a nomination for Daytime Emmy Awards in 1980. From 1992-93 she played in the short-lived NBC sitcom The Powers That Be. She played Tracy Milford in the 1995 film National Lampoon's Senior Trip and Jan Kempster in the 1997 film Jungle 2... MORE

Valerie Mahaffey (born June 16, 1953) is an American actress and producer, 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. From 1979-81, she starred in the soap opera The Doctors, which earned her a nomination for Daytime Emmy Awards in 1980. From 1992-93 she played in the short-lived NBC sitcom The Powers That Be. She played Tracy Milford in the 1995 film National Lampoon's Senior Trip and Jan Kempster in the 1997 film Jungle 2 Jungle. In 1999 she had a recurring role in the ER. In 2003 she starred in the film Seabiscuit. In 2009, she appeared in seven episodes United States of Tara. Her stage credits include Eastern Standard, Talking Heads, Top Girls, and Rex. She co-starred in the feature film Crazy Eyes, playing "Zach's mother". She has made guest appearances on Seinfeld, L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, Judging Amy, The West Wing, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Cheers, Frasier, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Private Practice, Boston Legal, Better with You, Glee, Without a Trace, Hannah Montana Forever, and Raising Hope. LESS