Kim Delaney

Kim Delaney

Active - 1983 - 2019  |   Born - Nov 29, 1961 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States  |   Genres - Drama, Mystery, Action

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Biography by AllMovie

From her early days as a model to a memorable stint on the long-running soap opera All My Children and a successful film career, it seemed that Kim Delaney was destined for a life in the limelight -- never wandering far from the lens of the public eye. A Philadelphia native who began modeling in high school and soon set her eyes on the catwalks of New York, Delaney packed her bags to study acting in the Big Apple soon after graduation. A subsequent signing with Elite Modeling Agency resulted in cover shots for Glamour and Seventeen, and some acting coaching by Bill Esper proved essential in landing her a three-year stint on All My Children in 1981. Though she would later eschew the small screen in favor of feature work, a lack of desirable roles eventually found brought Delaney back to the small screen for an impressive run on the popular nighttime drama L.A. Law. Television success continued when Delaney received an Emmy for her work as alcoholic detective Diane Russell on the popular prime-time police drama NYPD Blue in 1997, and she would remain with the show until 2001. It seemed Delaney had finally hit her stride in the realm of television, and though she would make a momentary feature departure with a role in Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars (2000), subsequent television roles in the short-lived Philly (in which Delaney took the lead) and CSI: Miami served to prove that she had lost none of her dramatic intensity. In 2003, Delaney could be seen in the dramatic miniseries 10.5. Over the next several years, Delaney would continue to find success on the small screen, appearing on The O.C., Army Wives, and To Appomattox.

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Factsheet

  • Began a modeling career while still in high school; signed with Elite Modeling Agency and appeared on the covers of such magazines as Seventeen and Glamour.
  • Got her start on TV as Jenny Gardner Nelson on All My Children in 1981.
  • Was nominated for a 1983 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role for her work on All My Children.
  • Made her big-screen debut in 1985's That Was Then...This Is Now.
  • Her big break came in 1995 when she joined the cast of NYPD Blue as Det. Diane Russell.
  • Made headlines in 2011 when she delivered an awkward, rambling speech at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center and video of the incident went viral.
  • Has done charity work for breast-cancer awareness.