Celebrity Nooz: Kim Delaney

Kim Delaney (Actress) - NYPD Blue

Updated: 1/24/22

Name: Kim Delaney

Birth Name: Kim Delaney

Born: November 29, 1961 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Claim To Fame: Kim Delaney is an American actress known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series NYPD Blue, for which she won an Emmy Award.

Family Life: In 1984, Delaney married actor Charles Grant, also known as Charles Flohe. They divorced in 1988. She then married actor Joseph Cortese from 1989 to 1994,; together they have a son named Jack, born in 1990. She was engaged for a time to producer Alan Barnette.

Info: Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Joan and Jack Delaney, the only daughter of five children; has 4 brothers: Ed, John, Keith and Patrick.

Delaney's mother was a homemaker and her father a senior union official in the United Auto Workers.

She was raised Roman Catholic.

Graduated from John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School in Philadelphia in 1977.

After graduation, she went to New York and modeled. At the same time, she studied acting with William Esper.

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 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.

Trivia: Worked as a model for the Elite agency.

Delaney first became known for playing the role of teenager Jenny Gardner in the ABC daytime television drama All My Children from August 1981 to August 1984. It earned her a 1983 Daytime Emmy Award nomination, as well as a loyal fan base.

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.

In 1988, Delaney was cast 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, much like her All My Children character had died a few years earlier.

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. Delaney did return briefly in 5 episodes (one at the end of season 10 and a four-episode story arc mid-way through Season 11.

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. 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.

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.

Where Are They Now: Delaney's most recent work began in late 2020 when she joined the cast of General Hospital in the role of Jackie Templeton. Her time on the popular soap lasted through June of 2021; a total of 45 episodes. Hopefully, Delaney will return to television with either a new series or to a popular soap opera.

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