After appearing on stage and in soaps, Delany shot to fame and won two Emmys as a devoted but emotionally remote Army nurse on
China Beach. In the '90s, she made a push for big-screen stardom, but was done in by duds including her incongruous turn as a dominatrix in the Razzie-nominated
Exit to Eden. So she returned to her small-screen roots, headlining a slew of TV-movies and lending her youthful voice to a number of animated series, most notably as Lois Lane in
Superman. She also starred in several critically acclaimed but short-lived series (
Pasadena,
Wild Palms), and was featured as Katherine Mayfair for three seasons on the popular prime-time soap
Desperate Housewives. Invariably playing wives and mothers, she has remained single in her personal life.
Dana Delany Fast Facts:
- Grandfather invented a toilet valve that's still in use.
- Began acting career on the soaps Love of Life (1979-80) and As the World Turns (1981).
- Breakthrough role was as U.S. Army nurse Colleen McMurphy in the 1988-91 series China Beach.
- Starred in the 1996 TV-movie For Hope, which spotlights the incurable connective tissue disease scleroderma; joined the board of directors for the Scleroderma Research Foundation in 1998.
- Dana Delany Relationships:
- Jack Delany - Father
- John Sacret Young - Ex-significant Other
- Mary Delany - Mother
- Treat Williams - Ex-significant Other
- Henry Czerny - Ex-significant Other
- Dana Delany Awards:
- 2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 1990 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama - Nominee
- 1991 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama - Nominee
- 2001 Emmy: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1989 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - Winner
- 1990 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1991 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1992 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - Winner
- College:
- Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT (BA in Drama, 1978)