Background:

Emmy Award winner Kim Delaney initiated as a teen model before making successful transformation into acting with her portrayal of Jenny Gardner (1981-1984) in the massively popular soap opera “All My Children,” for which she received a Daytime Emmy nomination. Following regular roles on the primetime shows “Tour of Duty” (1989-1990) and “The Fifth Corner” (1992), the graceful brunette enjoyed a breakthrough success with the ABC hit series “NYPD Blue,” where she aptly played Detective Diane Russell from 1995 to 2001 (later returned for five episodes in 2003). Her performance was critically acclaimed, and she was handed an Emmy Award in 1997. The role also brought her many nominations, including two Emmy nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and eight Screen Actors Guild nominations. After “NYPD Blue,” Delaney starred in ABC's “Philly” (2001-2002, as Kathleen Maguire) and “CSI: Miami” (2002, as  Lt. Megan Donner). She currently plays Claudia Joy Holden on the Lifetime series “Army Wives” (2007-?). The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native has also acted in numerous films and television films, including “Campus Man” (1987), “Lady Boss” (1992),“Tall, Dark and Deadly” (1995), “Mission to Mars” (2000), “Sudbury” (2004), and “10.5” (2004) and its sequel, “10.5: Apocalypse” (2006).   
   
Delaney has been married twice. Her first marriage to actor Charles Grant lasted from 1984 to 1988. Her second marriage to Joe Cortese, which endured  from 1989 to 1994, produced one son. From 1997 to 2006, Delaney was engaged to producer Alan Barnette, and is single now.

In 2002, Delaney was arrested in Malibu, California for suspicion of drunk driving. After pleading no contest, she was sentenced to two years probation, fined $300, and ordered to attend a defensive driving class.


Mother of 1

Childhood and Family:

The only daughter of Joan, a homemaker, and Jack Delaney, a union official and former head of the United Auto Workers, Kim Delaney was born on November 29, 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has two older brothers, Ed and John, and two younger brothers, Keith and Patrick. She graduated from John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School in Philadelphia in 1977 and then moved to New York City to pursue modeling. While in NYC, she also studied acting under renowned coach William Esper.

Kim married actor Charles Grant from 1984 to 1988. In 1989, she tried to build a new family by marrying actor Joe Cortese. She gave birth to her first child, son John “Jack” Philip Cortese, in 1990. Kim and her husband divorced in 1994.


Army Wives

Career:

Kim Delaney started her modeling career while still attending high school in her native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After her graduation, she headed to New York City to work more professionally, and in 1981, she was signed by the Elite Modeling Agency. A highly sought after teen model, Delaney soon appeared on the covers of “Seventeen” and “Glamour.” Around the same period, Delaney, who was a student of NYC's William Esper Studio, landed her first acting job on the ABC daytime serial “All My Children.” Playing the regular of the virginal Jenny Gardner, she won a Soapy for Most Exciting New Actress and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series in 1983. She left the show in the following year after a three year tenure.

Delaney made her first television movie debut opposite Melissa Sue Anderson, Loretta Swit and Joel Higgins in CBS' “First Affair” (1983), where she played the role of Cathy. After her exit from the soap, the actress broke into the big screen with a memorable turn as the girl who comes between friends Emilio Estevez and Craig Sheffer in the teen drama “That Was Then... This Is Now” (1985), directed by Christopher Cain. She next was cast as a nun in the Chuck Norris vehicle “The Delta Force” (1986), in which her first husband Charles Grant (then billed as Charles Floye) was also in the cast, and co-starred with Sam Bottoms in Robert C. Hughes' adventure, “Hunter's Blood” (1986). In 1987, she played the female lead of Dayna Thomas on Ron Casden's comedy, “Campus Man,” opposite John Dye, Steve Lyon and Morgan Fairchild.

Meanwhile, on television, Delaney made guest appearances in CBS' “The Equalizer” (1986, as Sally Ann Carter), “Hotel” (1986, as Marie Lockhart) and “Hooperman” (1987). In 1987, she had a recurring role as Leslie Kleinberg on the hit NBC legal series “L.A. Law.” The same year, she could also be seen in the television films “Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit” (as Susan Warrenfield), “Cracked Up” (as Jackie) and “Christmas Comes to Willow Creek” (as Jessie).

1988 saw Delaney star in the thriller film “The Drifter,” along side Timothy Bottoms and Al Shannon, co-star with future husband Joe Cortese in the TV miniseries “Something Is Out There” and portray Evan in NBC's telepic “Take My Daughters, Please,” opposite Rue McClanahan and Deidre Hall. In 1989, she joined the cast of the CBS Vietnam war series “Tour of Duty” in the  role of journalist Alex Devlin, but she soon quit when she was pregnant with her son.    

After appearing in the 1990 episode “The Sacrifice” of “Tales from the Crypt,” Delaney co-starred in two 1991 movies, “Hangfire” (with Brad Davis) and “Body Parts” (with Jeff Fahey and Lindsay Duncan). She reunited with Joe Cortese for the NBC miniseries “Jackie Collins' 'Lady Boss'” (1992) and starred as Suzanne in the Humanitas Prize nominee “The Broken Cord” (1992), about fetal alcohol syndrome. Still in 1992, she returned to series television as a regular on the short lived NBC series “The Fifth Corner,” with Voyo Goric and James Coburn. In the following years, she could be seen in such films as “The Disappearance of Christina” (1993, TV), “The Force” (1994), “Project: Metalbeast” (1995), “Tall, Dark and Deadly” (1995, TV), “Serial Killer” (1995), “Darkman II: The Return of Durant” (1995) and “Temptress” (1995, played the title role).

In 1995, Delaney joined the cast of the ABC hit police procedural series “NYPD Blue” in the recurring role of Detective Diane Russell. Originally intended for only four episodes, the role was upgraded to regular basis when her character's relationship with Detective Bobby Simone (played by Jimmy Smits) became a hit with audiences. Delivering a bright acting, Delaney won her first Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1997. She also was nominated for two other Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series – Drama (1998, 1999), two Golden Satellite Awards in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Drama (1997 and 1998), eight Screen Actors Guild Awards  for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series (1997, 1998 and 1999) and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1996-2000), a TV Guide Award for Favorite Actress in a Drama (1999) and two Q Awards for Best Actress in a Quality Drama Series (1998) and Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series (2000).

After departing the show in spring 2001, Delaney was chosen by Steven Bochco to star in his new show, “Philly,” which focused on criminal defense attorney Kathleen Maguire. Premiered on September 25, 2001, the  show receive critical acclaim, but was canceled after one season due to poor ratings. The final episode was broadcast on May 28, 2002. She was nominated for a 2002 Golden Satellite Award in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Drama for her performance.

Additionally, Delaney played Kate Saunders, a wheelchair-bound author, in the TV film “Closer and Closer” (Lifetime, 1996), co-starred with Jamey Sheridan and Kevin Kilner in the ABC TV film “All Lies End in Murder” (1997) and starred as Nikki DeMarco in the ABC movie “The Devil's Child” (1997), which also marked her debut as co-executive producer. In 2000, she revisited the big screen with a supporting role in Brian De Palma's science fiction movie, “Mission to Mars,” opposite Tim Robbins, Gary Sinise and Don Cheadle. In the CBS made for television film “Love and Treason” (2001), she was cast as the wife of naval office who turns in her husband after discovering he was selling military secrets.

In 2002, Delaney was cast in the main role of CSI Day-Shift Asst. Supervisor Lt. Megan Donner on “CSI: Miami,” a spin-off of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” that premiered on CBS on September 23, 2002. She, however, was dropped from the cast after doing only ten episodes.

After a return to “NYPD Blue” for a five episode appearance in 2003, Delaney starred as Dr. Samantha Hill in the NBC Emmy Award nominated miniseries “10.5.” (with  Fred Ward and Ivan Sergei), as Sally Owens in the made for TV film “Sudbury” (opposite Jeri Ryan and Kat Dennings) and as Danielle Montet in the Lifetime film “Infidelity” (opposite Kyle Secor and Cristián de la Fuente) (all 2004). In the following year, she had a recurring role as Rebecca Bloom in “The O.C.” In 2006, Delaney reprised her role as Dr. Samantha Hill in the sequel “10.5: Apocalypse”  and also appeared as Mary Rivingham in an episode of the TV miniseries “Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King.”  

In 2007, after a two episodic role as Captain Julia Millfield in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” Delaney began her starring role of Claudia Joy Holden on the Lifetime drama series “Army Wives,” following the lives of four army wives, their families, and an Army husband whose wife is in the Army. Premiered on June 3, 2007, the show had begin its sixth season on March 4, 2012. Also starring with her in the series are Catherine Bell (as Denise Sherwood), Sally Pressman (as Roxanne Marie “Roxy” LeBlanc), Brian McNamara (as Major General Michael James Holden), Sterling K. Brown (as Dr. Roland Burton), Wendy Davis (as COL Joan Burton) and Drew Fuller (as 2LT Trevor LeBlanc).

“It's so much fun because it's like I get to have sisters and just goof around. It's a different energy on set, we talk more, about everything from golf - I'm learning to play - to how your skin's looking.”  Kim Delaney (on working with the predominately female cast of “Army Wives”)

In 2011, Delaney starred as Ileana in the made for television film “Finding a Family,” with Paul McGillion and MacKenzie Porter.

The actress will play Mary Todd Lincoln in the forthcoming TV miniseries “To Appomattox,” which is set to be released in 2013. Co-stars in the show will include Rob Lowe, Stephen Lang, Will Patton and William Petersen, among other actors.
            

Awards:

Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, “NYPD Blue,” 1997
Soapy: Most Exciting New Actress, “All My Children,” 1983 Show Less