Kim Delaney

Early life

Delaney, an Irish American, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Joan and Jack Delaney, the only daughter of five children. Delaney's mother was a homemaker and her father a senior union official in the United Auto Workers. She was raised Roman Catholic. Upon graduation, she went to New York and found employment there as a model. At the same time, she studied acting with William Esper.

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 1983 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 All My Children, Delaney began acting in feature films. In 1985, she appeared with Emilio Estevez in That Was Then... This Is Now, a film version of the S. E. Hinton novel of 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 Deutch recast both roles with his future wife Lea Thompson and Craig Sheffer before filming. Also in 1987, she appeared both as Jessie in Christmas Comes to Willow Creek, and as associate attorney Leslie Kleinberg during the 2nd season of L.A. Law. In 1988, Delaney starred in the thriller The Drifter. In 1994, she 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 son with husband Joseph Cortese, 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, in the opinion of both the critics and 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 résumé is spotted with ridiculous roles that range from a nun in the Chuck Norris action movie, The Delta Force, to a possessed nymphomaniac 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 Santangelo in the television miniseries, Lady Boss.

In 1995, Delaney began portraying 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 was nominated three times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, winning at the 1997 Emmy Awards.

In 2001, NYPD Blue producer Steven Bochco chose Delaney for the lead in the new television series Philly and she was written out of NYPD Blue. Despite critical acclaim, the show lasted only one season.

In 2002, Delaney was the female lead on the new CBS drama series CSI: Miami, a spin-off of sorts from the hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She was written off the series after just 10 episodes; Entertainment Weekly suggested that it had been due to a lack of chemistry between Delaney and star David Caruso.

After briefly returning in 5 episodes of NYPD Blue (one at the end of season 10 and a four-episode story arc mid-way through Season 11), 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 in an episode of Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King titled "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 played the main role of Claudia Joy Holden on the Lifetime Television series Army Wives. In November 2012, a few weeks after the end of season six, it was announced that Delaney would not be returning for the show's seventh season, with a short storyline that her character had died.

In early 2016, Delaney was cast in God Bless the Broken Road, a feature film based on the song of the same name. It was released in the United States on September 7, 2018. In September 2020, Delaney joined the cast of General Hospital in the role of Jackie Templeton; she made her first appearance on October 6.

Personal life

Delaney has been married three times and divorced twice. She married actor Charles Grant, also known as Charles Flohe, on July 22, 1984. She was married to actor Joseph Cortese from 1989 to 1994. They have a son named Jack, born circa 1990. She was engaged for a time to producer Alan Barnette.

Like her character in her breakout role on the television series NYPD Blue, Delaney has struggled with alcoholism. In 2002, Delaney was arrested in Malibu, California, for suspicion of drunk driving after she refused to take a breathalyzer test. She subsequently pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two years' probation, fined, and ordered to take a defensive driving course. In 2003, after being dropped from the cast of CSI: Miami, Delaney checked herself into an alcohol rehab center. In 2005, she lost custody of her then 15-year-old son after endangering his life by forcing him to ride with her when she drove while intoxicated, which her son testified was not the first such incident. In 2011, Delaney was pulled from the stage before finishing a long, slurred, odd speech at an award ceremony recognizing the work of former United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

In March 2025, Delaney was arrested and charged with felony assault likely to cause great bodily injury, following a domestic dispute with her husband, James Morgan. Morgan was also arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

References

1. (November 29, 2019). "UPI Almanac for Friday, Nov. 29, 2019". [[United Press International]].
2. Fretts, Bruce. (December 13, 1996). "Small-screen gem: Kim Delaney – The actress talks about her role on ''NYPD Blue''". [[Meredith Corporation]].
3. Weinraub, Bernard. (September 22, 2002). "Television/Radio; Another Series Sees What It Needs in Kim Delaney". [[The New York Times]].
4. "Kim Delaney Biography". [[Yahoo! Movies]].
5. Siegler, Bonnie. (March 27, 2009). "Q&A with Kim Delaney of 'Army Wives'". [[Bankrate.com]].
6. Barnes, Mike. (January 28, 2019). "William Esper, Eminent Acting Teacher, Dies at 86".
7. "Kim Delaney Biography".
8. David Brian Walton. "Blue streak", ''Kokomo Tribune'', January 29, 1996, page A5.
9. "Kim Delaney". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
10. Susman, Gary. (November 8, 2002). "Kim Delaney is leaving ''CSI: Miami''".
11. Ausiello, Michael. (November 17, 2012). "Army Wives Exclusive: Major Character Getting Killed Off Amid Season 7 Shake-Up". TVLine.
12. Busch, Anita. (May 16, 2016). "Kim Delaney, Jordin Sparks Join 'God Bless The Broken Road'". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
13. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (September 4, 2018). "'The Nun' To Fly To $40M+, Eyes Record Opening For 'Conjuring' Franchise – Box Office Preview". [[Penske Business Media]].
14. Petski, Denise. (September 8, 2020). "Kim Delaney Joins Cast of ''General Hospital''". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
15. Becker, Joyce. "The Preacher Gets His Princess".
16. Susman, Gary. (January 30, 2002). "Kim Delaney is arrested for drunk driving".
17. Susman, Gary. (May 8, 2003). "Kim Delaney enters alcohol rehab".
18. (September 1, 2005). "Actress Kim Delaney loses custody of 15 year old son". [[People (magazine).
19. (September 23, 2011). "Kim Delaney escorted off stage after incoherent speech (Video)". [[CBS News]].
20. (March 30, 2025). "''NYPD Blue'' Alum Kim Delaney Charged with Felony Assault: Report". [[Fandom, Inc.]].
21. (2025-03-31). "Kim Delaney, famous for 'NYPD Blue' role, arrested on suspicion of assault".
22. Lisa Respers France. (2025-03-31). "Kim Delaney, 'NYPD Blue' actress, arrested after alleged domestic dispute". CNN.
23. Dean Fioresi. (2025-03-30). "Kim Delaney, actress known for "NYPD Blue," arrested in domestic dispute". CBS Los Angeles.