It’s unclear how long she had been battling cancer. Mahaffey was born on June 16, 1953, in Sumatra, Indonesia. Hailing from an American family, her father was a petroleum worker, which led to their family moving around during her childhood. She spent many of her early years in Indonesia, Nigeria, and the U.K. It wasn’t until she was 16 that her family relocated to Austin, Texas, and she ultimately graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Fine Arts before beginning her Broadway and Hollywood careers.
Mahaffey made her acting debut in 1997 on Tell Me My Name, a drama written by Joanne Lee and directed by Delbert Mann that stars Barbara Barrie, Dawn Greenhalgh, and Arthur Hill. In the years since, she has featured in more than 80 projects, including most recently starring alongside Darren Mann and Phoebe Tonkin in The 8th Day, the crime drama that’s available to rent or purchase on Prime Video. The film was released earlier this year on March 14, and it will likely serve as her final acting role.
Mahaffey was also an Emmy Award-winning star for her role as Eve in Northern Exposure. She won the award in 1992. Mahaffey only featured in five episodes of the show, but she left a lasting impact with her performance and she’ll forever be remembered as an Emmy-winning performer. Northern Exposure also stars Rob Morrow, Janine Turner, and Barry Corbin, and the show was written and created for television by Joshua Brand and John Falsey.
Mahaffey Has Starred With Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, and More
Another of Mahaffey’s most famous roles came from starring opposite Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, and Laura Linney in Sully, the 2016 film documenting Chesley Sullenberger’s miracle of landing his damaged plane on the Hudson River. She also featured alongside Tim Allen in Jungle 2 Jungle, the 1997 slapstick comedy with Martin Short that’s currently streaming on Disney+. Her role as Annie Howard in Seabiscuit will also live on forever, and the film can currently be rented on Prime Video for less than $4. She’s also known for starring as Patrice in an episode of Seinfeld, and for for playing Victoria MacElroy in 14 episodes of Young Sheldon between 2017 and 2020.
Mahaffey will always be remembered for her Emmy Award-winning role in Northern Exposure, and for bringing a bright light to dozens of other projects throughout her early 50-year-spanning career.
