Mahaffey was a regular cast member in the soap opera
The Doctors from 1979 to 1981, which earned her a nomination for
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1980. She starred in the film
Women of Valor in 1986 and while the characters are fictitious, it portrayed women's roles in the Philippines during
World War II. Also in 1986 Mahaffey co-starred in the cult satirical TV miniseries
Fresno, which parodied popular TV soaps of the day. In the late 1980s, Mahaffey began acting in television comedies, like
Newhart,
Cheers, and
Seinfeld. From 1992 to 1993, she starred in the short-lived
NBC sitcom
The Powers That Be and in the
CBS sitcom
Women of the House alongside
Delta Burke in 1995. 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 on ER. In 2003, she co-starred in the film Seabiscuit. In 2009, she appeared in seven episodes of Showtime comedy series United States of Tara. Her stage credits include Eastern Standard, Talking Heads, Top Girls, and Rex''. Mahaffey won the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as the chronic
hypochondriac Eve in the CBS series
Northern Exposure in 1992. Mahaffey played Alma Hodge in season 3 of
ABC comedy-drama series
Desperate Housewives from 2006 to 2007. Mahaffey made guest appearances on
Quantum Leap,
L.A. Law,
Ally McBeal,
Judging Amy,
The West Wing,
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,
Frasier,
Wings,
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,
Private Practice,
Boston Legal,
Without a Trace, and
Raising Hope. She appeared on
Glee as the mother of
Emma Pillsbury from 2011 to 2013. Mahaffey co-starred as Fran Horowitz in short-lived
TNT medical drama
Monday Mornings in 2013. From 2013 to 2015, she had a recurring role on the
Lifetime Television comedy-drama series
Devious Maids as Olivia Rice. In 2016, Mahaffey played a supporting role as Diane Higgins in the biographical drama film
Sully directed by
Clint Eastwood. In 2017, she began appearing in a recurring role in the CBS comedy series
Young Sheldon. From 2019 to 2022, Mahaffey had a recurring role as Lorna Harding,
Christina Applegate's mother-in-law in the
Netflix comedy-drama series
Dead to Me. In 2020, Mahaffey starred opposite
Michelle Pfeiffer in the comedy-drama film
French Exit playing widow Madame Reynaud. Mahaffey received positive reviews from critics for her scene-stealing comedic performance in the film. Later in 2020, Mahaffey was cast in a series regular role in the first season of the ABC crime drama series
Big Sky. ==Personal life and death==