Delaney, an Irish American, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joan and Jack Delaney. Delaney grew up in Roxborough and has four brothers: Ed, John, Keith, and Patrick. At the same time, she studied acting with William Esper. She played the character from August 1981 to August 1984, earning a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, as well as a loyal fan base; a profile of the actress a decade later noted, “Delaney left the soap in 1984, but fans still remember her as Jenny. in 1986, she played a young nun in the military action movie The Delta Force, starring Chuck Norris. After leaving the show in 1989 to give birth to her and husband Joseph Cortese’ son, her character was killed in an explosion just as her All My Children character had died five years earlier. 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. The following year, she began a recurring role on The O.C. in 2006, Delaney starred with Steven Weber in an episode of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King titled, “You Know They Got a Hell of a Band,” about Rock and Roll Heaven.