Valerie Mahaffey, an actress known for her scene-stealing turns in "Desperate Housewives," and "Northern Exposure," died Friday in Los Angeles after battling cancer, her publicist said in a statement to CBS News. Mahaffey, who won an Emmy for playing Eve the hypochondriac on "Northern Exposure," was 71 years old.

During her nine-episode run on “Desperate Housewives,” she again played the type of role for which she became known: Alma Hodge, a woman in a loveless marriage who seems friendly, but later fakes her own death to get back at her husband, hoping he would take the blame.

She had memorable roles on TV shows like “Desperate Housewives” and “Northern Exposure,” and in the dark comedy film “French Exit.”