Julia Duffy, who earned seven Emmy nominations for her role as Stephanie Vanderkellen on Newhart, radiated effortless charm and Hollywood sparkle as the 74-year-old star attended the Apple TV’s Palm Royale Season 2 Celebration on October 21.
Duffy chose a chic, high-contrast ensemble. Her base layer was a black mini-dress paired with opaque black tights and chunky black heels. She wore a shimmering, silvery sequined jacket over her ensemble, which reflected the red carpet lights, adding texture and sparkle. The Designing Woman star carried a small, houndstooth patterned handbag and a pair of sunglasses while posing for the cameras.
Julia Duffy on Aging and Auditions
Duffy has been candid about aging within the industry she’s spent her career navigating. She addressed the challenges of finding meaningful roles for women her age and spoke about the disappointing trend of writers creating stereotypical, dated characters for older women. Duffy noted that many roles for women in their seventies are given clunky names that do not reflect the reality of their generation.
Julia Duffy attends the Palm Royale Season 2 Celebration. (Photo by Monica Schipper)
During a conversation about the lack of authenticity in writing for older women Duffy used the character name ‘Myrna’ to criticize writers who create one-dimensional roles for older women, arguing that names like that are outdated and don’t reflect that a woman her age was actually named ‘Patty’ or ‘Kathy’ and lived through cultural touchstones like Woodstock.: “I’ll tell you something that drives me up a wall, because it’s symbolic of all of it. I have read for and actually played the role of a woman who’s older, that they have named Myrna.”
Duffy urged writers to move past the stereotypes, adding, “You have to write the person and not the type. And it is very disappointing to me how much even younger writers seem to be writing ‘Aunt Bea’ or something when they write a person.”
A Storied Career: From Minnesota to West Hollywood
Born Julia Margaret Hinds in Minnesota, the actress who took her mother’s maiden name, Duffy, began her career on soap operas with a run on The Doctors before achieving global fame. While best known for her time as Stephanie Vanderkellen on Newhart (1983–1990), which garnered her seven Emmy nominations, she later brought her impeccable comedic timing to other legendary shows and films. Her career includes television roles such as a guest spot on Cheers, a turn on Designing Women as Allison Sugarbaker, and later appearances in Baby Talk, Drake & Josh, Reba, Shameless, Looking, Scream Queens, Black Monday, and her recent work on Palm Royale. On the big screen, she appeared in the Coen brothers’ film Intolerable Cruelty (2003) alongside George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and also appeared in Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, and several television movies.
Next: ‘Melrose Place’ Star Talks About Aging in Hollywood: ‘It’s a Different Business’
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.