A willowy brunette who segued from soap star to primetime performer, Kim Delaney began her career as a model while still attending high school in her native Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After graduating, she headed to NYC to try her hand at a career and was signed by the prestigious Elite Modeling Agency. Soon, her face was decorating the covers of such popular magazines as Seventeen and Glamour. At the same time, Delaney was training for a crossover career in acting, studying with well-known NYC teacher William Esper. Her determination paid off when she landed the role of the virginal teen heroine Jenny Gardner on the long-running ABC daytime serial “All My Children” in 1981. Over the course of her three years on the show, her character, who was from the wrong side of the tracks, underwent numerous trials as she attempted to hook up with her true love, the all-American Greg Nelson (portrayed by Laurence Lau).
Not one to stay put for very long, Delaney was chafing under the confines of her contract and the rigors of working in daytime. Although she had appeared in the CBS movie “First Affair” in 1983 and earned a Daytime Emmy nod, the actress opted to walk away from “All My Children” while her character was at the height of her popularity. When Jenny was killed by a deranged stalker, fans mourned, but Delaney had already set her sights on feature films.
