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Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961) is an American actress best known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series, NYPD Blue. Early in her career, she played the role of Jenny Gardner in the hugely popular ABC daytime television drama, All My Children. She later had leading roles in the TV dramas Philly and CSI:Miami and currently stars on the Lifetime television drama Army Wives.

Kim Delaney

Born

November 29, 1961 (age 50)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Occupation

Actor

Years active

1981-present

Spouse

Charles Grant (1984 - 1988)

Joseph Cortese (1989 - 1994)

Early life[]

Delaney, an Irish American, was born in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania the daughter of Joan and Jack Delaney

220px-Kim Delaney

Delaney's mother was a homemaker and her father a union official and former head of the United Auto Workers. She was raised Roman Catholic. Delaney grew up in Roxbrough 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 Espar

Career[]

Delaney first became known for her stint as innocent teenager Jenny Gardner Nelson on the soap opera All My Children, which also was her first job.She played the character from August 1981 to August 1984, earning a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, as well as a loyal fan base; a profile of the actress a decade later noted, "Delaney left the soap in 1984, but fans still remember her as Jenny. 'They come up and will say they've followed everything I've done, and they stopped watching the show after I left, and they're so happy to see me on NYPD Blue, because they love the character."

After leaving the show, Delaney began acting in feature films . In 1985, she appeared with Emilis Estevez in That Was Then...This Is Now , a film version of the S.E. Hinton novel for the same name . 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 new director Howard Detch recast both roles with Lea Thompson and Craig Sheffer before filming. In 1987 she also appeared as Jessie in Christmas Comes to Williow Creek. In 1988 Delaney starred in the thriller "The Drifter." In 1994, Delaney appeared in the film The Force.

In 1988, Delaney became a regular on the CBS television series, Tour of Duty After leaving the show in 1989 to give birth to her and husband Joseph Cortese' son, her character was killed in an explosion just as her All My Children character had died five years earlier. In the years immediately following her departure from her two early television series, her film and TV roles tended to be few and of low quality, both in the opinion of critics and of the actress herself. A 1996 profile article in Entertainment Weekly, on the occasion of her landing a prestigious television role at the end of this period, noted: "Delaney's resume is spotted with ridiculous roles that range from a nun in the Chuck Norris action movie,The Delta Force, to a possessednymphomaniac in the soft-core horror film , Temptress. 'There's a lot of things I did to pay the mortgage,' Delaney says resignedly." Roles from this period include her 1992 appearance as Lucky Santagelo in the television miniseries, Lady Boss.

In 1995, Delaney began portraying the role of NYPD:Blue Detective Diane Russell. Originally slated for only four episodes, the role became permanent after her character's relationship with Detective 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 for two other Emmy Awards. After Smits left NYPD Blue, producer Steven Bochco chose Delaney for the lead in the new television series, Philly. Despite critical acclaim, the show lasted only one season.

CBS then courted Delaney to take on the female lead on its new drama television series,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;Enterinment Weekly suggested that it had been due to a lack of chemistry between Delaney and star David Caruso.

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 titled," You Know They Gota 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 "Flordia."

Delaney currently plays Claudia Joy Holden on the Lifetime Television series, Army Wives.

Delaney was selected as a speaker at the presentation of the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal to Robert Gates in 2011. After delivering a rambling and disjointed speech in which she discussed being a member of a military family, she was escorted off stage. The slurred delivery and often incomprehensible speech fueled reports that she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the speech. Delaney later apologized and said she was under the influence of barbiturates that her agent gave her shortly before the speech appearance.

Personal life[]

Delaney has been married twice. Her first marriage to actor Charles Grant lasted from 1984 to 1988. Her second marriage to actor Joseph Cortese lasted from 1989 to 1994; the couple's son, John "Jack" Philip Cortese, was born in 1990. She was engaged to producer Alan Barnette from 1997 to 2006 and is currently single.

In 2002, Delaney was arrested in Malibu,California for suspicion of drunk diving after she refused to take a breathlyzer test. She subsequently pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two-years probation , fined, and ordered to take a defensive driving course.

References[]

  1. ^ 29/11/1961 New York Times bio of Kim Delaney; accessed 2008-06-21
  2. ^ TELEVISION/RADIO; Another Series Sees What It Needs in Kim Delaney; New York Times; Published: September 22, 2002; accessed 2008-06-21
  3. ^ http://www.askmen.com/women/actress_150/181_kim_delaney.html
  4. ^ a b c David Brian Walton. "Blue streak", Kokomo Tribune, January 29, 1996, page A5.
  5. ^ Bruce Fretts. "Small-screen gem: Kim Delaney -- The actress talks about her role on NYPD Blue" (part of cover-story package on NYPD Blue), Entertainment Weekly, Issue 357, December 13, 1996.
  6. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (September 22, 2002). "TELEVISION/RADIO; Another Series Sees What It Needs in Kim Delaney". The New York Times.
  7. ^ a b "Kim Delaney". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 2010-05-14. "Having been raised Catholic, it was perhaps not much of a stretch for her to play a nun in "The Delta Force"."
  8. ^ Siegler, Bonnie (March 27, 2009). "Q&A with Kim Delaney of 'Army Wives'". Bankrate. Retrieved May 14, 2010.:(Commentary; "Delaney was a quiet and shy student growing up at J.W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School in Philadelphia.")
  9. ^ a b http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20231027,00.html
  10. ^ Kim Delaney Emmy Winner
  11. ^ a b Kim Delaney is leaving CSI: Miami | CSI: Miami | In the News | TV | Entertainment Weekly
  12. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2011/09/kim-delaney-booted-off-stage-at-military-ceremony/
  13. ^ Kim Delaney is arrested for drunk driving | Austin Powers | News Summary | News | Entertainment Weekly | 1

External links[]

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