China Beach Nurse

Background:

"If you put Willem Dafoe, Liam Neeson and James Woods in a room together, there wouldn't be room for anyone else." Dana Delany.

Double Emmy winner Dana Delany is widely recognized for portraying Army nurse Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television show “China Beach” (1988-1991). The actress who has worked steadily in television is also remembered as the voice of Lois Lane in the Superman animated series. On the silver screen, she was seen in Light Sleeper (1992, with Willem Dafoe), Tombstone (1993) and Exit to Eden (1994).

5' 7" tall Dana Delany has 34C-25-36 (on Exit to Eden (1994) set) measurements and was one of People magazine’s “The 50 Most Beautiful People in The World (1991). Her private life was related to Henry Czerny and Treat Williams. The 50-year-old lady remains single today, as she explained, "I honestly haven't found the right guy. I've reached a place with my work where I'm ready to concentrate more on life."


Delany Flush Valve

Childhood and Family:

On March 13, 1956, Dana Welles Delany was born in New York, New York. When Dana was 16 years old, her parents divorced. Dana’s father (died in 1981) later raised her and her two siblings in Virginia. Dana’s grandfather invented the Delany valve, a flushing device still use in today's restroom. Describing her family's devotion to their patriarch's invention of the Delany Flush Valve, Dana said, “My grandfather used to say, ‘It may be shit to you, but it's our bread and butter.’”

Young Dana Delany attended Stamford, Connecticut public schools. Without her parents' knowledge, Dana applied to Phillips Academy Andover for high school, the prestigious Massachusetts boarding school. She then enrolled at Wesleyan University in Connecticut as a drama major.


Exit to Eden

Career:

Completing her drama study at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Dana Delany moved to New York City and scored roles both on and off Broadway. She arrived on television with a regular role as Amy Russell (1979-1980) in the long-running romantic daytime series "Love of Life" and followed it up with her debut film appearance in Edward Bianchi's adaptation of Bob Randall's novel, the drama thriller The Fan (1981, starring Lauren Bacall and James Garner). Also in that year, Delany appeared as Hayley Wilson Hollister in the long-lived daytime drama soap "As the World Turns."

Delany was cast in Lou Antonio-directed TV movie based on Herbert Gold's novel, Threesome (1984, alongside Stephen Collins) before she returned on the silver screen in Adam Brooks' drama comedy Almost You (1985, starring Brooke Adams and Griffin Dunne). She could be seen in a November 1985 episode of the mystery series "Moonlighting" and in two episodes of "Magnum, P.I." Delany also played roles in the 1986 TV movies, the fact-based baseball movie A Winner Never Quits and the period drama Liberty. Subsequently, she appeared in Christopher Cain's big screen version of David Kendall's book, the adventure Where the River Runs Black (1986), played Georgia Holden (1987) in the brief-lived comedy series "Sweet Surrender" and was seen in Bob Swaim's romantic thriller film Masquerade (1988, starring Rob Lowe and Meg Tilly).

1988 was Delany’s getaway year. She originated the lead role of cool but callous Army nurse Lt. Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television show “China Beach,” which centers the people of the 510th Evac Hospital at China Beach Vietnam during the Vietnam War in 1967. Delany stayed on the series from 1988 to 1991 and her divergent performance won her two Emmy awards, three Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. While working on the series, Delany appeared in such movies as Paul Mazursky's romantic comedy Moon Over Parador (1988, starring Richard Dreyfuss), Paul Schrader's take on Patricia Hearst and Alvin Moscow's books, the biopic Patty Hearst (1988, starring Natasha Richardson) and Rod Holcomb's TV movie inspired by Jane Yarmolinsky's memoirs, A Promise to Keep (1990, alongside William Russ).

A year after the series “China Beach” ended in 1991, Delany costarred with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn in Frank Oz's romantic comedy HouseSitter (1992), with Willem Dafoe and Susan Sarandon in writer-director Paul Schrader's Light Sleeper (1992) and opposite James Belushi in the miniseries "Wild Palms" (1993). In 1993, she teamed with Charles Bronson in Donato and Daughter (TV, based on Jack Early's novel), shared the screen with Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott and Bill Paxton in George P. Cosmatos' Western movie Tombstone, and lent her voice to Andrea 'Andi' Beaumont/The Phantasm in Eric Radomski and Bruce W. Timm's animated Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (alongside Kevin Conroy).

After playing roles in 1994 TV movies The Enemy Within and Texan, Delany starred as Mistress Lisa Emerson, who became the love interest of Paul Mercurio's character, in Garry Marshall's adaptation of Anne Rice's novel, Exit to Eden (1994) and played the title role of Margaret Sanger in Choices of the Heart: The Margaret Sanger Story (1995, TV). Writer-director Julianna Lavin cast her to star opposite Kim Cattrall in her comedy film Live Nude Girls (1995) before filmmaker Carroll Ballard paired Delany with Jeff Daniels and Anna Paquin in her take on Bill Lishman's autobiography, the family drama Fly Away Home (1996).

In 1996, in the animated Superman: The Last Son of Krypton (TV), Delany began providing her voice to character Lois Lane. She continued to voice Lois Lane in "Superman" (TV-Series 1996-2000), "The New Batman Superman Adventures" (TV-Series 1997-2000) and The Batman/Superman Movie (1998, TV). During that time, TV viewers caught her in For Hope (starred as the title role of a young woman who suffered from scleroderma), the romantic Western drama based on the book True Women by Janice Woods Windle, True Women (Delany won Lone Star Film & Television for Best TV Actress), The Patron Saint of Liars (adapted from Ann Patchett's novel) and the fact-based tales about citizens who risked everything, Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples (based on Gay Block's book, Delany costarred as Martin Donovan's wife).

On the big screen, Delany was seen in writer-director Dan Rosen's thriller comedy Dead Man's Curve, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's family comedy Wide Awake (with Joseph Cross and Timothy Reifsnyder) and writer-director Reverge Anselmo's action adventure The Outfitters (with Danny Nucci and Del Zamora). She also added to her TV works resume with starring roles in Resurrection, Sirens and the miniseries "Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story" (all in 1999). In the new millennium, Delany joined Kiefer Sutherland and Rebecca De Mornay in Lyndon Chubbuck's romantic thriller The Right Temptation, starred in Final Jeopardy (TV, based on Linda Fairstein's novel) and Fox's drama series "Pasadena" (2001, with Alison Lohman and Martin Donovan). She also guest starred as Mary Sullivan in an episode of the series "Family Law" in March of 2001 and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

While starring in the drama series "Presidio Med" (2002-2003) Delany costarred with Mark Thompson and Kevin Pollak in Rich Thorne's drama comedy Mother Ghost, opposite Omar Epps in Kevin Rodney Sullivan's adaptation of Carl Upchurch's autobiography Convicted in the Womb, Conviction, and with Ryan Merriman and Stanley Tucci in James Redford's take on Donald Everett Axinn's novel, Spin. She also teamed with Doris Roberts in the family drama A Time to Remember (2003, TV) and appeared in Baby for Sale (2004, TV). Additionally, Delany guest starred in an October 2004 episode of the series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (as Carolyn Spencer) and in two episodes of "Kojak" in May of 2005, playing Kate McNeill.


Awards:

• Lone Star Film & Television: Best TV Actress, True Women, 1998
• Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, China Beach, 1992
• Viewers for Quality Television: Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series, China Beach, 1991
• Viewers for Quality Television: Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series, China Beach, 1989
• Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, China Beach, 1989