McNalley was a hairstylist on such films as Blazing Saddles, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Fun with Dick and Jane, Norma Rae, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Red Dawn, and Bram Stoker's Dracula. She also worked on the acclaimed 1977 mini-series Roots, which starred Star Trek performers LeVar Burton, Thalmus Rasulala, John Schuck, Madge Sinclair, and Ben Vereen. Hailing from New York, USA, McNalley died in Santa Clarita, California, USA, in 2001.