Award-winning actress Kim Delaney was born on November 29, 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She started her career as a model, beginning as early as her high school years. At the same time, she moved to New York and studied acting with renowned teacher William Esper. She rose to popularity in 1981, when she joined the cast of the daytime soap All My Children. Her character, innocent teenager Jenny Gardner, was popular throughout her run. Her storyline was a classic soap romance; she falls in love with Greg Nelson (Laurence Lau), and they work out their relationship amidst numerous obstacles. She left the show in 1984, at the height of her popularity; her character was subsequently killed off.
Delaney then pursued a career in film, appearing in features such as That Was Then… This is Now, The Delta Force, Hunter’s Blood and The Drifter. In 1989, she joined the cast of the military drama Tour of Duty, where she played war journalist Alex Devlin; she left a year later. In 1995, she joined the cast of the successful police drama NYPD Blue, where she played Diane Russell, a police officer who battles her personal demons. Her role gave her two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations, and eventually gave her an Emmy in 1997 for Best Drama Supporting Actress.
When her on-screen partner, Jimmy Smits, left NYPD Blue, the producers thought they wouldn’t be able to give Delaney’s character the attention she deserved. Thus, they cast her in the short-lived legal drama Philly, where she played the lead role, single mother and lawyer Kathleen Maguire. The program was cancelled after a season due to low ratings; she then returned to NYPD Blue in a recurring capacity. She then joined the cast of CSI: Miami, playing the female lead Megan Donner; however, she was written out of the story halfway through the first season, apparently because of the lack of chemistry between her and co-star David Caruso.
After a recurring role in The OC and a regular role in the miniseries 10.5, Delaney joined the cast of the drama Army Wives. There she played the role of Claudia Holden, an “army wife” who believes her husband’s (Brian McNamara) promotion didn’t push through because of politics.