Dana Delany nurtured big dreams of becoming an actress as a child but didn’t get the opportunity until her teens. Before launching her acting career, she earned professional training in the craft, majoring in theater at Wesleyan University. Though her acting career took off in the 1970s, Delany gained prominence in 1988 after appearing as Colleen McMurphy on ABC’s China Beach for which she won several awards. Additionally, Delany is best known for appearing on other ABC television series, including Desperate Housewives, and Body of Proof.
In a career of over five decades, Dana Delany has established herself as an actress to watch. The veteran American actress has appeared in over 100 movies and TV shows with several prominent roles. Still, the impact she made with some memorable performances in the past continues to stand out. Beyond the small screen, she fueled her success with stellar performances in films such as Light Sleeper (1992), Tombstone (1993), Exit of Eden (1994), Fly Away Home (1996), True Women (1997), and Wide Awake (1998). Here’s what she has been up to since Body of Proof ended its run in 2013.
Dana Delany Made Her Acting Debut In 1974
Born in New York City on March 13, 1956, Dana Delany has always wanted to become an actress. She loved going to Broadway shows with her family as a child. However, she finished college before focusing on her acting career. At the budding stage, she worked in commercials and performed on stage. Delany played minor characters in her early career days, appearing in guest roles on shows such as Moonlighting, Magnum, P.I., and Thirtysomething. She later appeared as a series regular on Love of Life and As the World Turns in the late 1970s and early ’80s.
After failing the first audition, Delany received her breakthrough role as Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television drama China Beach. The role changed her career trajectory for good. During its two-season run from 1988 to 1991, Delany received several awards for her performance, including two Primetime Emmy Awards. Delany’s television career blossomed afterward. She voiced Lois Lane in Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited.
In 2007, Dana Delany landed another big role, appearing as Katherine Mayfair on Desperate Housewives. She left the show in 2012 after 55 episodes to lead the cast of ABC’s Body of Proof as Dr. Megan Hunt. Her character in the television series is a brilliant neurosurgeon who became a medical examiner following a car accident that affected her hands. The role earned her critical acclaim.
Dana Delany’s Career Post Body of Proof
Body of Proof cast moved on to other projects after the show ended in 2013. On her part, Delany jumped on another series regular role on Hand of God as Crystal Harris, appearing on the show from 2014 to 2017. In 2015, she appeared in a recurring role on The Comedians. She has been starring in the main role of Margaret Devereaux on Tulsa King since 2022. Delany also appeared in the final season of Mayans MC in 2023. Her film credits during this period include Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), Literally, Right Before Aaron (2017), and The Union (2024).
Beyond the screen, Delany has kept her love for the theater burning. She returned to the stage after Body of Proof, performing in the Beau Willimon‘s 2013 play The Parisian Woman. In 2017, Delany portrayed Maxine Faulk in the stage production of The Night of the Iguana. Other stage projects she has appeared in include Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties and Highway Patrol.
Awards and Nominations
Dana Delany won five out of nine award nominations for her performance in China Beach. Her first accolade was for the role at the 1989 Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category. Delany was nominated in the same category in 1990, 1991, and 1992, winning the latter. She also grabbed two Golden Globe Award nominations for the same role.
In 1998, Delany ended the decade with a Best TV Actress win at the Lone Star Film & Television Awards for her performance in True Women. In 2001, she earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her guest role on Family Law. Delany joined her Desperate Housewives cast mates to scoop the 2008 Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Her role on Desperate Housewives also earned her a Prism Award in 2009 and another Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.
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