Kim Delaney

Kim Delaney
Kim Delaney, 2006
Born	November 29, 1961 (1961-11-29) (age 47) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1981 - present
Spouse(s)	Charles Grant (1984 - 1988) Joseph Cortese (1989 - 1994)

Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961)^[1][2] is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama N.Y.P.D. Blue.^[3][4][5] Early in her career, she endeared herself to daytime television viewers as Jenny Gardner, a hugely popular character on the ABC daytime drama All My Children, and the role which first brought her fame.^{[citation needed]} After All My Children, Delaney appeared in numerous television and film roles, including the sole female lead in the dramatic series Philly. She currently stars on the Lifetime television drama Army Wives.

Biography

Early life

Delaney, an Irish American, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joan and Jack Delaney.^[6] Delaney's mother was a homemaker and her father a union official and former head of the United Auto Workers.^[7][8] She grew up in Roxborough and has four brothers: Ed, John, Keith, and Patrick. While she was attending J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School, she worked as a model for the Elite agency. After her graduation, she went to New York and found employment there as a model. At the same time, she studied acting with William Esper.

Career

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Delaney first became known for her stint as innocent teenager Jenny Gardner Nelson on the soap opera All My Children, a character she portrayed from August 1981 to August 1984 that earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. After leaving the show, Delaney began acting in feature films. In 1985, she appeared with Emilio Estevez in That Was Then, This is Now. In 1986, she played a young nun in the military action movie The Delta Force, starring Chuck Norris.

In 1987, Delaney was cast as Amanda Jones in Some Kind of Wonderful opposite Peter Gallagher, but before filming new director Howard Deutch recast both roles with Lea Thompson and Craig Sheffer. In 1994, Delaney appeared in the film The Force.

Delaney became a regular on the CBS television series Tour of Duty in 1988. When she left that show in 1989 to have a child, her war journalist character was killed in an explosion, just as her All My Children character had died five years earlier. In 1995, Delaney began portraying the role of Det. Diane Russell on NYPD Blue. The role, originally meant to be short-term,^{[citation needed]} became a regular job when her character's relationship with Det. Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) became a hit with viewers. In this role, she won her first Emmy Award, as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, and was also nominated two other times. Once Smits left NYPD Blue, producer Steven Bochco chose Delaney for the lead in his new show Philly, co-created and produced by Alison Cross. Despite critical acclaim, the show lasted only one season.

After the show's cancellation, CBS courted Delaney to take on the female lead on its new fall drama CSI: Miami, a spin-off of sorts from the hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She was written off the series during the first season after just ten episodes; Entertainment Weekly suggested that it had been due to a lack of chemistry between Delaney and star David Caruso.^[9] Delaney starred in the 2004 NBC miniseries 10.5, and its 2006 sequel, 10.5: Apocalypse. The following year, she began a recurring role on The O.C. In 2006, Delaney starred with Steven Weber in an episode of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King entitled, "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band," about Rock and Roll Heaven. Delaney next appeared twice on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in early 2007, guest-starring on the episodes "Philadelphia" and "Florida."

Delaney currently plays Claudia Joy Holden on Lifetime TV's Army Wives.

Personal life

Delaney has been married twice, to actor Charles Grant from 1984 to 1988, and to actor Joseph Cortese from 1989 to 1994. She gave birth to son John "Jack" Philip Cortese in 1990. She was engaged to producer Alan Barnette from 1997-2006, and is currently single.

In 2002, Delaney was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving after she refused to take a breathalyzer test.^[10] She subsequently pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two years' probation, fined, and ordered to take a driving class.^[9]

References

External links

• Kim Delaney at the Internet Movie Database